Extending the life of fleet vehicles via low or zero carbon technologies
A consortium of Local Authorities, led by Luton Borough Council, is working with the Innovation Exchange programme to find technologies capable of extending the life of their current diesel powered fleet through implementing retrofittable low/zero carbon solutions. Luton Borough Council have approximately 300 vehicles in their fleet, including HGVs, minibuses and light vehicles. They have experience in trialling Gas-to Liquid (GTL) fuel as a replacement for diesel in their fleet vehicles and are now looking for additional retrofittable solutions to further decarbonise these assets.
Opportunity
Challenge opens
25/04/2022
Challenge closes
17/06/2022
Benefit
Successful applicants will be given the opportunity to pitch their solutions to representatives of the participating Local Authorities with the potential for successful solution(s) to be deployed across the client’s portfolio.
Background
Local authorities are key enablers in the public’s transition towards a decarbonised transport system. However, there is recognition that the local authorities themselves need to decarbonise their operations in order for the UK to reach Net Zero emissions by 2050.
Luton Borough Council has a range of vehicles within its fleet but it is predominantly made up of 40 HGVs, 200 light vehicles, 60 minibuses and several items of plant equipment. The council are working towards becoming a Net Zero authority by 2040. However, there is a desire to switch to cleaner vehicles sooner if this is practical and economically feasible. Their current assets typically have a lifetime of 10-15 years, but it is not economically feasible to scrap these vehicles and replace them with low/zero carbon options, therefore the challenge is to prolong the operating life of the current fleet through retrofitting decarbonised solutions.
A fleet review was conducted in 2019 but the council recognises the need to update this, so applications that incorporate this as part of the solution are encouraged.
Luton Council’s current vehicle fleet consists of:
- 26 Refuse Collection Vehicle
- 14 other HGV vehicles
- 200 light commercial vehicles, including tippers, panel vans & car-derived vans
- 60 minibuses, both with and without tail lifts
While it is not required that a solution will be able to target all vehicles, a solution which can target multiple vehicle types would be preferable.
Join the Q&A session: If you are interested in submitting a solution and would like to ask the challenge owner any questions, please join us on the 7th of June from 11am to 12pm. Full details about this opportunity can be found here.
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