Grange Fencing, the UK's largest manufacturer of timber fencing panels, has dramatically reduced the impact of the company's road transport operations on the environment by converting the first vehicle in its fleet to operate on a revolutionary new fuel, making it virtually carbon-neutral and saving almost twice the truck's weight in CO² emissions annually.
The Telford-based company, which has a £34-million turnover and employs more than 250 staff at a number of locations, operates the Scania 124L 420 on Verdant Fuel, a technically-excellent, reliable alternative to conventional mineral-oil-based diesel or ordinary biodiesel.
Produced from European-grown oilseeds, Verdant Fuel has no adverse ecological effect when used and initial results from an independent study carried out by a leading climate change consultancy suggest that it reduces CO² emissions per vehicle by at least 70%, compared with 1%-2% for a conventional B5 bio-diesel blend. For a typical heavy tractor unit completing 60,000 miles annually at an average fuel consumption of 7 mpg that equates to an annual CO² saving of approximately 80 tonnes, approximately twice the truck's gross laden weight, compared with a conventional diesel fuelled equivalent and with almost zero sulphur dioxide emissions.
Simon Hume, the company's Logistics Manager, explains that environmental considerations are of prime interest to Grange Fencing, which has a well-established reputation for excellence in the fencing industry and supplies major customers such as B & Q and Jewsons. The business, which produces all of its timber products to the high standards required by Forest Stewardship Council guidelines, therefore regards this initiative as a further step towards improving its environmental credentials. Mr Hume comments:
"The Scania completes 125,000 miles per year, mainly on non-stop overnight 'swap and drop' journeys moving fencing panels, posts and other garden products between our sites in Telford and Hull, with additional journeys during the day when it is available. Since the vehicle was converted in July 2007 it has completed approximately 10,000 miles per month on the new fuel, more than 70,000 miles in total, and been totally reliable."
"Before conversion the Scania averaged 9.8 mpg on conventional diesel, a figure which has remained the same. Apart from the cost of fitting the Elsbett system to enable the vehicle to operate on Verdant Fuel, the only additional cost has been that the fuel filters are changed every six weeks, rather than 18 weeks. However, the slight additional expense is insignificant relative to the considerable savings in fuel costs. Verdant fuel is stored in a 4000-litre bunded tank at our Telford depot and the Scania is fitted with the largest-available tanks so that it can complete day and night running without refuelling anywhere else but Telford."
Elsbett's easy-to-install conversion systems are available for trucks with 12-volt or 24-volt electrics. They typically include an electrical fuel pump, coolant-water heat exchanger to pre-warm the fuel, a fuel filter unit and filter control valve with pressure regulator, together with heavy-duty relays, pipe set cabling and instructions for fitting and use. Most installations require an auxiliary tank, which is supplied by the customer due to individual requirements for size, shape, colour and material. Elsbett recommend a minimum capacity of 100 litres for engines over 140kW (190 bhp) and at least 50 litres for others.
Commenting on the success of the system, Simon Hume said: "The Elsbett conversion took less than a day to install and using it does not involve any compromises. We are looking to purchase two additional vehicles of a similar configuration on the basis that they can be converted using the Elsbett system and operate on Verdant Fuel, which we believe provides significant environmental benefits of which our customers will approve. We are also looking at how this technology can be applied to other vehicles in our fleet."
James Scruby of Elsbett UK adds: "We are noticing a significant increase in demand to convert diesel engines to operate on Verdant Fuel. The cost of fitting one of our systems to a typical HGV will be recouped the in less than a year through fuel cost savings. In April 2008 the Road Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) will lead to an additional price benefit of 10 Pence per litre in favour of this type of fuel, making it the cheapest sustainable fuel option, after an initial investment. Above all, the carbon dioxide savings make a real difference. On average, Elsbett-equipped trucks save twice their gross laden weight in CO² during every year of operation."
Further details about Elsbett and its product range are available from Elsbett UK on 020 7925 3384, or visit www.elsbett.com. Further information on Verdant Fuels is available at www.verdantfuels.com