Ford Motor Company and Transport for London (TfL) received special anniversary accolades last night (29 January 2013) in London for 'Outstanding Achievement in Low Carbon Transport over the last 10 years'.
Marking its 10-year anniversary, the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) presented the awards for the organisations' endeavours to cut carbon emissions from UK road transport.
Graham Smith, managing director of Toyota Motor Europe London Office, was also named the outstanding individual in promoting low carbon transport.
"These Awards recognise best practice, and outstanding leadership and innovation in cutting carbon from vehicles and fuels from every angle," said LowCVP managing director Andy Eastlake.
"The judges had a tough time deciding on the category winners as the variety and calibre of the entries was higher than ever, which just reflects how the whole industry is rising to the challenge of low carbon mobility," he added.
The Low Carbon Car/Van Manufacturer of the Year award went to Toyota (GB), which the judges said has been a pioneer in low carbon mobility, reasserting its position in 2012 by introducing full hybrid technology into new segments.
Meanwhile, the all new Routemaster bus or 'New Bus for London' provided Wrightbus with the Low Carbon Heavy Duty Vehicle Manufacturer of the Year Award.
Low carbon vehicle operator of the year went to Coca-Cola Enterprises, with John Lewis Partnership Commercial Vehicle Fleet the runner-up, and Howard Tenens Associates highly commended.
One of the judges, Philippa Oldham, head of transport and manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: "This year's entrants demonstrate the commitment there is in this sector to shifting our vehicles and fuels towards low carbon.
"The award winners show that innovation and sustainability are areas that must be invested in by companies in order to succeed," she added.
Meanwhile, the LowCVP also announced a 10-year vision for reducing carbon emissions from road transport, based on analysis going beyond current measures taken only at the vehicle tailpipe.
"The introduction of new transport fuels, like electricity and biofuels, means that we will no longer be able to rely solely on measures of emissions at the vehicle tailpipe to assess our true progress in tackling climate change," explained Eastlake.
"In the long term, we aim to establish systems that will allow us to monitor progress on a full lifecycle basis, including emissions derived from the production, distribution and disposal of both fuels and vehicles. But over the next decade, the use phase will remain dominant... LowCVP will drive the focus towards better understanding of these impacts."