London Calling takes the impact it’s fleet of delivery vans has on the environment very seriously. Up to 2006 our entire fleet was diesel which in itself is a greener option compared to petrol. Modern low sulfur diesel is a more efficient fuel compared to petrol, it has a higher energy per litre characteristic offering 20-40% better fuel economy transferring to a 10-20% reduction in greenhouse gas emission compared to a standard petrol engine. For obvious reasons the diesel powered vehicle has been the preferred option for use in logistics since the early part of the 20th century offering better value on running costs. However diesel in itself is not the solution for a carbon reduced or carbon neutral fuel.
So what are today’s alternatives?
There are many emerging alternative vehicle fuels being experimented with today including hydrogen and compressed air. However biofuels such as Biodiesel and Bioethanal, the cleaner fossil fuel LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and electric are all fuel options that are becoming available for commercial and consumer use.
Biofuels
Biodiesel
Biodiesel used in compression ignition engines is obtained from renewable, non-fossil and organic materials (vegetable oil) and will not directly add carbon (when burnt) into the environment if used pure (100%). Optional blends can be used mixed with normal diesel containing amounts such as 5% biodiesel to 95% conventional diesel (B5) with other mixes such as B20, B30 etc available. These can be used relative to the compatibility of the vehicles engine and will reduce the carbon output relative to percentage mix. Currently only VW, Audi, SEAT and Skoda give 100% approval for the use of Biodiesel in their vehicles. Renault who we use in our fleet have stated that as of 2009 all of their diesel engines will be capable of running on a 30% blend of Biodiesel (B30). Recently Biodiesel has been suffering from negative PR where environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth have been highlighting the damage caused to the environment from deforestation to create land for palm oil plantations. However there are companies such as bio-power fuels for future that produce Biodiesel from recycled waste vegetable or cooking fat as apposed to using palm oils from non sustainable sources. Bio-power fuels produce a range of bio-diesel products with one (Bio-power V100) claimed to be compatible with any diesel vehicle.
Biodiesel is not currently one of the more commercially viable sources of greener fuel, it’s not widely available and where it is it’s generally distributed by local agents meaning a need for a holding tank. There are companies such as greenfuels – greenfuels.co.uk that offer production equipment for domestic and commercial use, however these methods require the sourcing of used cooking oils which of late has been a competitive area with places such as chip shops and restaurants cashing in on the emerging market potential and revenue stream for their waste oils. Green Fuels have also made a statement in the fight back against a governmental report deriding biofuels for their alleged damage to the environment. They state that the UK climate is unsuitable for the use of palm oil as a fuel beyond a very low blend and their ethical policy means that it does not use and actively discourages the use of palm oil by others. Currently London Calling is not using biodiesel for any of it’s fleet.
Bioethanol
Bioethanol is an alcohol based – yes the same as in consumable alcoholic drinks! – clear liquid used in spark ignition engines (petrol engines). It’s produced all over the world by fermenting crops such as sugar cane and corn. In the UK it’s currently imported but will soon be produced from UK grown grain and sugar beet. The idea behind Bioethanol is that all the carbon dioxide emitted during production and burning through combustion is absorbed by the crops as they grow giving an ‘energy balance’ to the cycle of production and use. The energy efficiency of production varies from crop to crop used for production with sugar cane (as used in Brazil) being the most efficient. Bioethanol does produce carbon dioxide when burnt however life cycle greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by up to 90% when produced through the most efficient methods. In the EU production through sugar beat and grain is not as efficient although the reductions are still significant at figures of up to a 65% reduction in greenhouse gasses. Bioethanol can be used in pure alcohol form in modified engines although more commonly as with biodiesel it’s blended to mixes such as 5 & 85% (E5 & E85). Currently due to ongoing regulations in the aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions much of the unleaded petrol we buy is a blend of 5% bioethonal (E5) as this mix can be used in unmodified petrol engines. E85 will be the standard highest mix available in the UK due to higher mixes being unreliable throughout the colder winter months. As with biodiesel availability is still scarce throughout the UK but if consumers buy into the technology car manufactures with start to produce more compatible vehicles and in turn fuel will become more widely available. Currently in Europe Saab, Ford and Volvo build ‘flex-fuel’ cars that will run on E85 blends switching to ordinary unleaded where supply is unavailable. Of course the issue of sustainable crop growth comes to light with the impact on the land and society in regards to the amount of land needed to meet contemporary fuel demands. London Calling doesn’t have any bioethonal vehicles in it’s fleet.
Cleaner fossil fuel
LPG
LPG or liquefied petroleum gas is a low carbon content fuel created by refining petroleum or ‘wet’ natural gas. It has been used a an alternative fuel for the spark ignition engine since as early as the 1940s. It’s main advantage is that it is non-toxic, non-corrosive (some biodiesels can be corrosive to rubber and internal fuel tank paint) and free of tetra-ethyl lead or any additives whilst still maintaining a high octane rating. The fuel consumption of an LPG engine is around 30% higher than that of a standard petrol engine, however compared to petrol the greenhouse gas emissions are reduced due to it’s low carbon content which more than balances out the higher fuel consumption. From the financial point of view although LPG vehicles are slightly more expensive to initially purchase savings are made through governmental tax breaks on vehicles. Again due to low fuel duty rates LPG is around half the price of petrol on the forecourt plus LPG vehicles are also exempt from the London congestion charge creating more savings on running costs. Other advantages from using LPG include extended engine life due to it’s clean burn characteristics and reduced engine stress. Currently half the London Calling fleet of delivery vans are LPG. We decided to take the route of using LPG as the technology has now become developed and widely available enough to match the demands of our services and at the same time reduce the carbon footprint of our delivery fleet.
Electricity
Electric vehicles have been around since as early as the late 19th century and were at first the preferred vehicle of choice due to lack of noise created by the engine as compared to very early combustion engines. However this soon changed and as petrol and diesel engines became quieter and vehicles became available to the masses so the fossil fuel powered engine came to rule and with it the problems we face today due to the greenhouse gasses they emit. Electric vehicles have been used throughout the 20th century you only have to think of the good old milk float. They have traditionally been slower than fossil fuel driven cars and with a range and speed limited relative to the capacity of the battery. With modern battery technologies improving through the use of Lithium Ion, higher power densities and in turn greater range and acceleration characteristic have been achieved. This has translated to ‘all-electric’ vehicles as now being a viable commercial option with various different manufactures entering the market. Common place now are the hybrid electric vehicles that use internal combustion engines along side a battery operating in a charge-sustaining mode, the Toyota Prius is an example that is becoming more ubiquitous today. The obvious environmental advantage of the electric vehicle is that it doesn’t cause any direct pollution through exhaust emissions. This makes it the ideal vehicle for heavily populated cities. However critics say that electric vehicles only push the problem through the energy chain meaning the pollution in emitted into the environment via the gas, coal, nuclear power stations needed to produce the electricity for the charge. Of course if the electricity is generated through hydro or wind then it can be a truly non polluting vehicle. Unfortunately hydro or wind has it’s own effect on small outer rural communities as they pay the price of wind turbines impacting on the landscape in order to support the energy needs of the towns and cities.
London calling has recently acquired the French build electric Mega van (pictured below). This will be used for central London distribution areas such as Soho and Covent Garden where high people densities are affected daily by pollutive particles emitted by petrol and diesel engines. By using our electric van we can actively help reduce pollution to make a different to what is a city where the roads are jammed with people too reliant on the car.
So what’s the answer?
The use of Biofuels will certainly help to ease our reliance on fossil fuels with biodiesel being an excellent way of reusing waste cooking oil, but at current rates of fuel consumption they are not the complete answer simply due to insufficient land to grow enough crops for both food and fuel. The more widely we adopt smaller more efficient engines that use cleaner fossil fuel the bigger difference we will make. The technology is there, the VW bluemotion is a 1.4 diesel that can drive from London to the South of France on a single tank of fuel emitting carbon at the rate 99 g/km.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen fuel cells and the process of splitting water by electrolysis to create hydrogen has been around since 1838 discovered by German scientist Christian Friedrich Schönbein. It’s the front runner for carbon neutral vehicles and arguably could have been in use for years if it weren’t for the power of the oil companies. Hydrogen can be used to drive either an electric motor or even used in an spark ignition engine where the only emissions are water! One point is that sources of hydrogen are not overly abundant meaning the need for electricty from fossil fueled power plants or chemical processes to create it. Many car manufactures have been building vehicles using this technology for years so I hope it ultimately wins through, becomes widely available and reduces our dependence on oil.
What ever the solution is London Calling will be introducing more alternative fuel vehicles to its fleet so we continue to reduce the carbon output that our deliveries produce.
