CO₂ savings of 449 tonnes with LNG

The British family-owned company Nicholls Transport has maintained its LNG strategy despite rising costs. The switch to bio-LNG has resulted in further significant CO₂ savings. Customers such as multinational plasterboard company Knauf and truck manufacturer Iveco honour this commitment to the environment.

Some of Nicholls Transport’s LNG-powered Iveco’s next to the LNG refuelling station opened in conjunction with Gasrec. Source: Gasrec

Nicholls transport has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 200% in just three months. This is possible because the British family-owned company uses liquefied gas instead of diesel. “Switching to alternative fuels was at the top of our agenda – gas is currently the only technology capable of operating at 44 tonnes,” explains Managing Director Paul Nicholls. His company deploys a fleet of 115 trucks, 29 of which run on bio-LNG. In addition, Nicholls has ordered another 30 Iveco Stralis with LNG drive as part of a fleet renewal programme.

Back in 2019, he had Gasrec install the first LNG tank system at his depot in Sittingbourne, UK, so as to enable easier and more efficient fuelling of the first part of the LNG truck fleet consisting of ten Iveco Stralis 6×2 Natural Power vehicles. The family-owned company’s LNG fleet has grown significantly in the meantime, while other fleet operators such as Lenham Storage, XPO and Tesco also make regular use of the LNG filling station. “Back then, we installed a mobile pump filling station that we use to establish new outlets if we want to get LNG into an area quickly,” recalls James Westcott, Chief Commercial Officer of Gasrec.

Sascha Kaehne, Iveco’s business director for UK and Ireland, together with Paul Nicholls, managing director of Nicholls Transport. Source: Iveco.

Designed by Chart LNG, the filling station is mounted on a rack and can supply up to 50 LNG trucks per day. External monitoring of the fuel supply by the Gasrec Remote Operating Centre ensures immediate delivery of new LNG according to needs, thereby enabling 24/7 operation. The LNG filling station was the first of its kind in the county of Kent in south-east England and is located not far from important traffic nodes – making it ideal for freight transport.

“The more environmental zones are introduced in our cities, the more important biogas and bio-LNG will be for freight forwarders to be able to do the work for their customers,” said Darren Sherlock, Chief Financial Officer of Nicholls Transport. “Our trucks are also 50% quieter than diesel vehicles, so we can deliver without creating much noise.” At the time, he calculated that, with an average mileage of 150,000 kilometres per year and an average consumption of nine miles to the gallon, running the LNG-Iveco enabled savings of at least GBP 15,000 a year in terms of fuel costs – along with large amounts of CO₂. In 2020, Nicholls Transport even won the prestigious GreenFleet Fleet of the Year award for its CO₂ reduction, while Iveco named the British company one of its Green Ambassadors.

An Iveco truck that is almost CO₂-neutral on the road thanks to bio-LNG in the tank and thus helps Nicholls Transport save a massive amount of CO₂ kilometre by kilometre. Source: Nicholls Transport

The commitment of the British family-owned company was put to the test following the outbreak of the Ukrainian war and the massively rising cost of LNG, however. Nonetheless, Paul Nicholls and his team stuck firm to their climate-friendly strategy even as other hauliers only deployed their gas-powered fleets sporadically. The consistent use of LNG-Iveco rather than diesel trucks has enabled Nicholls transport to achieve massive CO₂ emissions savings of 449 tonnes.

This is also appreciated by customers and logistics partners, including the multinational family-owned company Knauf, known for its plasterboards. “The first priority for me was to choose a transport company that is committed to more renewable energy,” explained Brian Moran, logistics manager at Knauf. “We’re very proud of what Nicholls Transport has achieved and are impressed and inspired by their green journey. If they add more LNG trucks to their fleet, this not only benefits our partnership but also the industry – and of course the environment as a whole,” Moran says, looking on with satisfaction as a Knauf-look LNG truck that runs on bio-LNG leaves the depot to set off on its virtually carbon-neutral journey. (pd/jas, 7 March 2023)

The British family-owned company also delivers goods with bio-LNG for the multinational plasterboard manufacturer Knauf, among others. Source: Knauf