First net zero emissions fuel for HGVs announced

By Andrew Baxter

8 November 2019

Solihull-based CNG Fuels has announced plans to become the UK’s first supplier of carbon neutral fuel for HGVs, using manure to help fleet operators achieve Net Zero emissions.

A leading suuplier of Bio-CNG (renewable and sustainable biomethane fuel) for commercial vehicles (CVs), the company currently sources biomethane from food waste but it is currently securing supplies of biomethane from manure to create a fuel that will be “net zero emissions on a well-to-wheel basis”. It expects to offer carbon neutral biomethane from 2021 at the same price as its renewable biomethane fuel.

CNG Fuels is also consulting on how its network of refuelling stations can accommodate low-carbon hydrogen and battery electric technologies for HGVs, “so that it can support customers when these become commercially viable”. HGVs currently account for 4.2% of UK carbon emissions.

Philip Fjeld, CEO of CNG Fuels, said: “We want to help decarbonise freight transport and enable fleet operators to meet Net Zero targets now, supporting the UK’s climate targets. Renewable biomethane sourced from manure is currently the best low-carbon solution for HGVs, but we want to be ready to support our customers when other technologies are commercially viable for freight transport.”

Andy Eastlake, managing director of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, said: “With all the focus on electrification, the low carbon combustion fuels might be overlooked. But it is vital to remember that Net Zero can be delivered in a number of ways. The LowCVP welcome genuinely zero (or even negative) carbon solutions which exist here and now and we must accelerate the uptake of these fuel solutions, particularly in the more challenging operations such as heavy road vehicles where they can best displace fossil diesel.”

According to CNG Fuels, Bio-CNG (compressed natural gas) fuel is the lowest-carbon, most cost-effective alternative to diesel for HGVs, cutting vehicle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85% and with a reduction in cost of 35%-45%.

Manure gives off methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Using methane as an HGV fuel prevents it from going into the atmosphere and reduces overall emissions. The EU’s revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) recognises biomethane from manure as a carbon negative fuel.