Don-Bur Partners with Howard Tenens on First Scania 26T Gas Vehicle

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Howard Tenens, one of the UK’s largest privately-owned logistics companies is leading the way in the future of low carbon transportation as one of the first UK hauliers to introduce dedicated gas vehicles into its fleet. Howard Tenens will be taking delivery of two 26-tonne rigid dedicated gas vehicles from Scania on 12th October 2017, the first of these vehicles types to operate in the UK.

Dedicated gas trucks are powered solely by CNG which have the benefit of lower carbon dioxide emissions compared to diesel vehicles. Gas technology is also one of the few viable options for decarbonising freight, so has an important role to play in helping the UK meet its carbon reduction targets. Howard Tenens is a participant of the Dedicated to Gas Project which is part of the Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial, funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) in partnership with Innovate UK.  These vehicles will be the first dedicated gas trucks to be deployed under the trial.

Neale Ryan, Senior Programme Manager - Automotive, at Innovate UK states:

"This first vehicle deployment is another important milestone in the Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial. Funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles in partnership with Innovate UK, the trial will see over 300 low and zero emission vehicles being deployed on UK roads in 2017 and 2018.  These industry-led trials will make an important contribution in helping the freight sector in the UK make the switch to lower emission vehicles in the coming years".

The vehicles will be based at Swindon but deliver to a range of customers in urban areas including London. The vehicles will be monitored over the 18 months of the trial which will help answer important questions about operating cost, range, reliability and emissions.  Part way through the trial the vehicles will switch to biogas instead of CNG, delivering a 75% reduction in carbon emissions.

Ben Morris, Executive Director at Howard Tenens commented:

“Howard Tenens’ aim is to be a leader in sustainable logistics and actively embrace innovation and new technologies. This project clearly demonstrates our commitment to this aim and that we are constantly striving to find new ways to reduce our carbon footprint and that of our customers.”

Howard Tenens has worked closely on the project in partnership with Scania and Don Bur since April 2017 to ensure the vehicles were built in the quickest possible time.  Scania have developed and provided the vehicle chassis’, with Don Bur providing the trailer bodies using their Teardrop design to improve aerodynamic flow and reduce fuel consumption.

David Burke, Specialist Sales Executive comments;

“As a leader in the development of gas-powered commercial vehicles, Scania is delighted to partner Howard Tenens in this industry first.  By delivering a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, dedicated gas-fuelled operation forms a key part of Scania's strategy to drive the shift towards more sustainable transport solutions.  In addition to being exceptionally clean, gas vehicles are considerably quieter than their diesel counterparts and are therefore ideally suited to operating in urban environments.”

Rory Turner, Sales Director at Don-Bur comments:

“Don-Bur are delighted to have been selected as the bodybuilder partner for this extremely exciting opportunity on the industry’s first 26 tonne CNG. We have worked extremely closely with both Howard Tenens on the operational compatibility and Scania on the chassis design and latterly the Type Approval process, this is an industry change that Don-Bur very much look forward to being a part of”.

Richard Philpotts, Howard Tenens Fleet and Compliance Manager comments:

“Howard Tenens chose Scania in part for their dealer locations, the specialist training provided at each location for CNG maintenance and the commitment made by Scania, which is evident in the experience we have received throughout the project from the specification to build to the delivery of the vehicles.”