LoCity's first annual conference brings focus to cutting emissions from freight

Delegates at LoCity's inaugural annual conference on 25 May heard that the use of low emission vehicles in the freight and fleet industry is being held back by a lack of information about their capabilities, benefits and requirements. LoCity, initiated by Transport for London, is a structured collaborative programme that brings together the full range of stakeholders needed to stimulate the uptake of low emission commercial vehicles. The LowCVP's MD, Andy Eastlake, was among the speakers at the event.

 

Delegates at the conference heard that LoCity research has found that a lack of knowledge can make it hard for operators to justify buying low emission vehicles, while a scarcity of impartial information on alternative fuels and infrastructure is also holding back their uptake.

 

LoCity was launched in January 2016 by then-Mayor Boris Johnson. It aims to work with freight and fleet operators operating in London to reduce their impact on air quality and carbon emissions by encouraging the use of low-emission trucks and lorries. 

 

Over 600 organisations from across the commercial vehicle industry, government and academia are now working on the programme, which aims to become a trusted source of advice and guidance for fleet operators.

 

Mike Brown, transport commissioner for London (reported by Business Green), said the industry has an "important role to play in saving lives" by improving the city's air quality, adding that he was confident LoCITY can substantially help with this.

 

"The freight sector is by its nature dynamic, so it's key that anything we do in London is aligned to initiatives across the UK - LoCITY takes this approach. The scheme will allow operators of commercial vehicles to make informed decisions with a useable, independent and jargon-free source of information on alternative fuels and vehicles."

 

The LowCVP is already partnering with TfL on the test processes and targets to ensure that LoCITY is closely linked-in with UK-wide support for low emission commercial vehicles.  LowCVP's work on the Low Emission Van Guide and HGV accreditation processes is already embedded into the LoCITY team's thinking.

In December last year the LowCVP announced a new initiative to cut emissions from commercial vehicles. In collaboration with Transport for London, the LowCVP held a packed stakeholder workshop in London to progress the Partnership's commercial vehicle activity and to help coordinate the activities of a diverse range of organisations that are active in this space.

The group discussed the new CV accreditation scheme for after-market technologies, which is being managed by the LowCVP, and learned about the opportunities for operators and others to collaborate in a new, DfT-funded test programme to benchmark vehicles powered by natural gas/biomethane. For more information see LowCVP news story.