Alternative roads to reducing emissions
Paul Holland, managing director for UK Fuel at Keyfuels parent group Fleetcor, discusses the benefits of an alternatively fuelled future for the haulage industry
With all the excitement focused around electric vehicles (EVs), other alternative fuels (AFs) can often be forgotten. However, this is one of the major areas of growth for larger vehicles.
While EVs do technically slot into the category of alternative fuels, AFs typically refer to a range of technologies that form an intermediary step between the common internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle and the fully electric vehicle, which many are hesitant to adopt at present, due to the fact that the current range of electric HGVs is not equal to ICE vehicles.
Of course, diesel is still the most commonly used within the haulage sector; however, the use of AFs is growing and as we understand from our customers, the majority are not yet prepared to jump on board with EVs at this point in time. Therefore, AF seems like the right step forward.
The three main AF contenders in the HGV market are biodiesel, natural gas and hydrogen, with the most popular being biodiesel. This is due to its accessibility, being produced from vegetable oil, animal oils and waste cooking oil. In fact, McDonald’s has been sending grease from its fryers to be repurposed as biodiesel for over a decade. It is able to be used both on its own or added to diesel, and trucks need little to no upgrades to be able to use it, exemplifying its versatility.
However, there is some scepticism over whether biofuels like biodiesel and bioethanol are actually better than the fossil-fuel produced by petrol and diesel. This is due to the amount of crops that would need to be grown to fully replace the diesel used by the logistics industry, which would require vast tracts of farmland, and deforestation of major areas which act as natural carbon sinks.
Natural gas on the other hand emits less CO2 emissions than biofuels and there are abundant deposits of it throughout the world, allowing for a regular, price dependable supply. Manufacturers such as Iveco, Scania and Volvo have already added gas-powered vehicles to their range.
One drawback however is, unlike biofuels, for vehicles to use natural gas, they need to be fitted with large and heavy pressurised tanks to make use of liquid natural gas. Additionally, as with all AFs, there is a lack of infrastructure in place, while LNG refuelling is relatively uncommon.
Last of all, hydrogen is easy to source and is created through breaking down natural gas (so-called ‘blue hydrogen’) or by electrolysis of water, breaking H2O into hydrogen and oxygen (‘green hydrogen’). The main advantage of hydrogen as an AF is that it produces zero emissions when burnt as a fuel and potentially none when manufactured – manufacturing green hydrogen only requires electricity, which can come from renewable sources.
Like biofuels, hydrogen benefits from being able to be directly burnt as it is can be used. This fuel type is already used in HGVs manufactured by DAF and Hyundai, with many more manufacturers likely to follow suit. The only drawback that it does take longer to refuel, compared to the other two AFs. However, this is still only a fraction of the time that it would take for an EV to recharge, using the technology currently available.
So, why then are AFs not so widely adopted amongst fleets? The first drawback of switching to an AF fleet are the costs associated. Existing vehicles will require modification at some scale to work, meaning that it is often cheaper to buy new vehicles. In the current climate, with the impact that Covid-19 has had on the transport industry, it is generally unrealistic for fleet operators to complete overhaul of a company’s fleets in the short term.
Secondly, the infrastructure currently in place for AFs is much less well-developed than it is for petrol, diesel and EVs. EV charging stations are ever growing, and becoming increasingly common in people’s homes; however, it is still relatively challenging to find places to fuel up with biodiesel, natural gas and especially hydrogen, with only 13 hydrogen refuelling stations in the UK.
It is time to get on board and make AFs more easily adoptable to fleet operators, and for government to focus more of its budget on the industry’s fuel needs.
