LowCVP report on emissions performance of innovative urban delivery vehicles published
Tue 31 January 2017
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Transport for London has published a report by the LowCVP in association with TfL's LoCITY initiative which provides the results of tests to develop a city-centre test cycle to measure the greenhouse gas and pollutant emission performance of various urban freight delivery technologies. TfL had commissioned the LowCVP to develop a representative test cycle and to assess the emissions performance of some emerging technologies relevant to urban and city-centre operations.
The project involved testing a battery electric 2t van, a plug-in electric 7.5t truck with a diesel range-extender engine and a 3.5t CNG van, using both track-based and chassis dynamometer cycles and measuring energy/fuel consumption as well as tailpipe emissions. Euro 6/VI diesel equivalent vehicles, carrying identical payloads were used as comparators.
The electric van and 7.5t truck in its pure electric mode delivered significant greenhouse gas savings over their diesel equivalents, particularly in the city-centre cycle (around 60% assuming electricity at current grid-average carbon intensity), and zero tailpipe emissions. Both vehicles were estimated to have electric ranges of around 150 km, sufficient for 6 – 8 hours of driving in city-centre conditions between re-charges.
Overall climate impacts (tank-to-wheel, assuming 100% fossil fuel in each case) varied for the CNG vehicle compared with the diesel comparator for the city-centre and urban delivery cycles, from better on the long-haul cycle to slightly worse on the city-centre cycle. However, the CNG vehicle produced significantly lower emissions of primary NO2; findings very much in line with those from the wider programme of LowCVP tests into gas-powered vehicles carried out on behalf of the Department for Transport. (See story link.)
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