Fleets looking to use low, ultra-low and zero-emission vehicles have been assured that additional government funding will help them to get such vehicles on to their fleets quicker.

Cenex, a Government–funded organisation charged with accelerating the development and introduction of low-carbon vehicles to the market, said much of its focus is now moving to encouraging fleets to test these vehicles so manufacturers can use the resulting real-world test data to speed up getting low-carbon vehicles to market.

“By showcasing these UK technologies in real-world applications, Cenex will aid the early market development of low carbon and fuel cell vehicles,” it said.

The organisation said it aims is to influence the creation and deployment of fleet-scale low and zero-emission vehicles – cars, vans and buses - and to facilitate affordable market-entry strategies for low-carbon and fuel cell technologies by direct intervention with public and private sector bodies.

Now its chief executive officer, Robert Evans, told Fleet News that the emphasis is shifting from research and development towards fleet deployment and field testing of the latest low-carbon vehicle technologies.

“We will see funding move to pulling this technology to market through demonstration small fleet projects,” he said.

There is clearly an appetite among fleets for low and zero-carbon vehicles.

Royal Mail for example said it has 28,000 vehicles that are suitable for replacement with hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.

“But we can’t buy them. If we had a cheque for 2,000 vehicles they are just not there,” said Mark Cavill, project manager of the Royal Mail’s carbon management project.

“We would pay a 20 to 30% premium for a fuel cell vehicles but they are not there.”

There are hydrogen fuel cell vehicles available in prototype form and now to help manufacturers meet the need of fleets like the Royal Mail, Cenex needs to get these prototypes to wide-scale deployment.

Cenex is already working with several public sector fleets to field test low-carbon vans as part of the Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Programme, which is being funded by the Department for Transport.

It also working with private fleets, such as Marks and Spencer, the John Lewis Partnership and 3M, to quicken wide-scale deployment.

However, manufacturers and Cenex are also finding it difficult to change the mindset of many fleet operators.

While fleets like the Royal Mail and other blue chip private companies are open to the new technology, other smaller private fleets are not so keen.

“There is a resistance from fleet operators to embrace anything other than diesel,” he said.

“Fleet managers are very risk averse and diesel is still very low risk.”

Now Cenex is looking to change fleet opinion and act as a middleman to bring manufacturers and fleets together.

It is also planning to expand fleet field tests and says it is expecting additional funding to help.

“There will be further demonstrations that will leverage public funding,” said Evans.

“These are very expensive vehicles so need public funding support.

“This support will move increasingly to small fleet demonstrators.”

While private fleets are now clearly in Cenex’s sights it will also still be working closely with the public sector fleet operators.

“There will be a greater use of public procurement to pull this technology to market,” said Evans.

Fleets interested in taking part should however note that some of the vehicles are not market ready and are essentially prototypes that need to go through real-world testing.

“You need to recognise that some of these vehicles on test are not the best, they are prototypes but are still playing an essential role.

”If fleets do partake in field testing and quickening the development of low and zero-carbon vehicle technology to market, the benefits for them and the wider economy could be huge.

“The Uk has the potential to become the base for the European market for this technology.”