Funded in part by Innovate UK’s low-emission freight and logistics project, the Temperature-controlled Range-extenders & Integrated Urban Mapping of Pollution (TRIUMPH) trial will see one of the UK’s largest fleet operators trial the effectiveness of low carbon vehicles transporting a mix of ambient, chilled, and frozen produce to Whitbread hospitality brands such as Costa and Premier Inn.
Kuehne+Nagel’s temperature-controlled transport (TCT) routes will now include four fully electric lorries (supplied by Magtec), two range-extended electric vehicles (REEVs, supplied by Tevva), and two liquid nitrogen-cooled refrigeration vehicles (supplied by Dearman). The trial is the first of its kind to provide real-world performance data to make the business case for investment in zero emission-capable trucks and zero-emission TCT.
Project partners Cenex, the UK low-carbon centre of excellence, will manage data collection and mapping for the trial, Microlise will develop a supporting telemetry system, and electric truck manufacturer Tevva will develop a 14t REEV, and zero-emission running strategies for REEVs based on the real-time air-quality measurements provided by EarthSense Ltd. Finally, Emissions Analytics will be responsible for measuring trial vehicles’ emissions and range capability performance in real-world conditions. Findings will be shared with UK logistics operators, and used to encourage the industry to invest in low carbon technology for the delivery of food and perishable goods.
Steve Carroll, head of transport at Cenex, says: “Cenex is delighted to be validating the performance of zero-emission technologies in heavy-distribution and temperature-controlled transport operations. These two areas are especially challenging for operators to use low-emission technologies, so the industry needs more insight into the real-world benefits and challenges of implementing low-emissions technology in urban logistics operations.”
The Triumph Project is part of the Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial, funded by the Office for Low-Emission Vehicles (OLEV) in partnership with Innovate UK. In January 2017, OLEV announced that 20 trial projects were to receive funding of £20m to demonstrate new technologies and encourage the widespread introduction of low- and zero-emission vehicles to UK commercial fleets.