Hardstaff's launch and roll-out of its dual-fuel injection diesel and CNG (compressed natural gas) system won the Innovation for Sustainability title at this year's Lord Stafford Awards.
The company, which employs 230 people at its Kingston-on-Soar headquarters, has collaborated with Loughborough University to bring its OIGI (oil-ignition-gas-injection) system to HGV trucking market.
Its system substitutes on average 70% of the fuel used by a conventional diesel engine with natural gas, reducing CO2 emissions by 20% and significantly extending the life of finite resources.
In addition to retrofitting the system, the company works with Mercedes Benz, which is supplying new vehicles for hauliers to be fitted and warranted with the OIGI system.
Trevor Fletcher, managing director of Hardstaff, says: "Winning the accolade represents an acknowledgement of the time and money invested on the project over the last five years, which has seen the whole company go beyond the call of duty."
Fletcher says that Loughborough University's role was crucial, with a dedicated team building a bespoke gas flow test rig based on an HGV cylinder head."This allowed theories to be tested in-house, with developments later trialled on a vehicle at our rolling road facility," he explains.
Lord Stafford, who launched the initiative in Staffordshire in 1997, says: "2010 has been a good year for the competition. We have seen the most diverse collection of companies with innovative products and services that could go on to have a positive impact on greening engines, saving lives and developing the next generation of housing."
