Recycled vegetable oil trial powering our Boston fleet

The trial, replacing diesel with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, has been a resounding success. 

We are now powering some of our non-electric vehicles with recycled vegetable oil in Lincolnshire. 

The trial, taking place at our Boston depot, seeks to utilise Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a conventional diesel drop-in replacement. 

While we are taking huge strides in adding fully electric vehicles to our fleet, HVO acts as an important stopgap to help us meet decarbonisation goals and reduce carbon emissions while the electric transition is ongoing.

Now in over 100 vehicles in the county, with an average monthly mileage of 1100, HVO fuel is a fossil free alternative to diesel, derived from used cooking oils, tallows and other recyclable waste. The trial has seen a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 89%.

When combined with the 1,000 electric vehicles – including 400 commercial vans and 600 cars already in operation across the communities that we serve, HVO is helping to drastically reduce the impact that our Lincolnshire team has on the environment and air quality in the county.

This means that as linespersons, engineers and technicians fix faults, restore power, and undertake maintenance in Lincolnshire, the vehicles they’re driving in are powered by a cleaner, greener fuel.

Trials like this are demonstrating the important role HVO could play in decarbonising fleet - especially where engineering advancements in electric vehicles have not yet arrived, such as Heavy Goods Vehicles like the Mercedes Unimogs in our fleet. Last month, a new fully electric 4x4 utility vehicle also joined the transport fleet after a collaborative project with car manufacturer Skoda, whereby seventy Skoda Enyaqs were converted into light commercial vehicles with all-terrain capability.

Christopher Mayell, Transport Manager, said:

“As the country’s largest distribution network operator, we have one of the largest fleets in the UK, and we are working tirelessly to deliver more electric vehicles each year where suitable alternatives exist.

“Of course, there are some vehicles where electric alternatives are simply not yet available, but our ambition is to be an industry leader in fleet decarbonisation. Trialling HVO in Boston is a step in the right direction to decarbonise where suitable electric vehicles alternatives are not available. This supports National Grid Electricity Distribution to find innovative ways to decarbonise our operations.

“The results of the trial have shown an 89% reduction in CO2 emissions, which is great news, and means that we can reduce our impact on the local environment in the present, while charging ahead to the electric future.”