Watford, UK: Coca-Cola Enterprises has taken delivery of an additional 13 gas-powered Iveco Stralis 6×2 rigid trucks, following the impressive results of a year-long trial with an identical seed vehicle. The new Stralis’ will deliver soft drinks in and around London this summer.
The trial was organised in conjunction with Cenex, the government-funded Centre of Excellence for low-carbon and fuel-cell technologies, and compared the performance of two 21 tonne Stralis rigids – one running on compressed biomethane and the other on diesel.
It found that the CBM-powered Stralis will make a 60.7% saving in well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions, compared to the Stralis with an EEV-compliant diesel engine. Similarly, it will cut NOX and PM emissions by 85.6% and 97.1% respectively. The report also confirmed gas vehicle availability during the trial was 99.2%.
Darren O’Donnell, logistics asset manager,Coca-Cola Enterprises, says: “Our investment in 13 additional trucks and a permanent CBM [biomethane] refuelling station at our depot in Enfield is not a token gesture; it’s testament to our confidence in this technology and our commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of our fleet.
The environmental benefits of CBM have been clearly proven by the trial and we hope other fleets will be inspired to follow our lead,” he says.
Coca-Cola Enterprises has an additional 13 gas-powered Iveco Stralis 6x2 rigid trucks following a successful year-long trial with an identical seed vehicle
The new vehicles have been supplied on a six year contract hire agreement by Contract Vehicle Limited, including repair and maintenance within the Iveco dealer network.
They will be based at Cocoa-Cola’s Enfield depot in North London, although they will temporarily operate from a satellite facility in Dagenham this summer. During this period, refuelling will be provided on-site via a semi-trailer.
The Stralis AD260S30Y/FS-D CNG is purpose-built on the Iveco factory-line for gas powered applications and is recommended for operation in the UK with biomethane supplied by Gasrec. This fuel has the lowest carbon intensity of all commercially available alternative fuels and comes from a landfill site in Surrey, which means it is not depleting any fossil resources. This allows biomethane to power the Stralis using the latent energy recovered from rubbish.
Power is provided by a 7.8 litre FPT Cursor 8 engine driven through an Allison 3500 six-speed automated gearbox. The specification also includes full air-suspension, which ensures a completely level chassis regardless of whether the vehicle is unladen, laden, lowered for manual unloading or raised for ‘dock’ loading. A rear-steering axle and reversing cameras also aid manoeuvrability and road safety.
Each of the new vehicles has been mounted with a Bevan curtainside body and joins a fleet of approximately 250 commercial vehicles operated directly by Coca-Cola Enterprises. They will be used exclusively for urban multi-drop distribution, carrying out up to 25 drops per day.
Coca-Cola Enterprises is the world’s third-largest independent Coca-Cola bottler and the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium, France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
