Dual-fuel study underway to reveal commercial vehicle running costs29 April 2014

A government-backed project is underway to assess the operational costs of running dual-fuel commercial vehicles.

The two-year study, funded by the Department for Transport and Technology Strategy Board, is being undertaken by Emissions Analytics and will measure the cost of running 41 Euro 5 vehicles which have been converted to dual fuel (diesel and CNG).

One of each model variant will be tested on a quarterly cycle: each trial will be conducted on an identical route, with the vehicles running once on diesel and then on dual fuel the next day. The route will be driven at the same time each day by the same driver, allowing for an accurate comparison.

"Although dual-fuel commercial vehicles work well on paper, it's important that we understand the real-world benefits," says Nick Molden, CEO of Emissions Analytics.

"Measuring emissions on the road is the only way to quantify those benefits."

Test data will be combined with information from the vehicle, showing when gas is being substituted for diesel and its effect on emissions.

The trials will also assess emissions during urban stop/start driving, steady-speed motorway driving, as well as cold start idling and warm start idling.

Author
Laura Cork

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