Asda takes delivery of 202 biomethane-powered lorries

Asda is taking delivery of 202 liquefied natural gas (LNG) lorries in the run-up to Christmas, in what is claimed to be the largest single order for HGVs running on renewable fuels ever placed in the UK.

The supermarket plans to transition its entire core fleet of 1,000 tractor units from diesel to gas by 2024, after in-house trials showed running on biomethane reduced CO2 emissions by more than 80%.

Asda has been rapidly building up its count of the Volvo FH LNG tractor units since it trialled two at its Avonmouth depot in December 2018.

A further 49 started work from the depot between December 2019 and May 2020, and the latest order of lorries will be deployed across five sites in its distribution network.

“At Asda we like to think big, start small and scale fast – and that’s precisely what we’ve accomplished with this move to biomethane,” said Sean Clifton, Asda’s senior manager, national fleets.

“Our drivers in Avonmouth have really supported the transition. They love the Volvos and have found that running on gas is smoother and quieter than diesel, and there’s none of the range anxiety you can get with some of the other current alternative fuel options,” he added.

The latest order comprises 29 units for operation with single-deck trailers, and 173 that will pull double-decker trailers. All the new trucks have sleeper cabs and a “comprehensive specification fine-tuned for safety, sustainability and efficiency”.

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The bulk of the trucks will remain in service until January 2026, some 12 months longer than Asda’s typical replacement cycle for diesel vehicles.

“The higher capital price for gas trucks means it makes sense to run them longer,” Clifton said. “But having put the Volvos through their paces for two years, we have absolute faith in their ability to go the distance – even in our 24/7 operation, where trucks rarely stop.” 

The longest run covered by Asda’s biomethane fuelled trucks is a return trip of 380 miles, which was comfortably achieved with a quarter tank of biomethane remaining.

Refuelling is provided by Air Liquide and Gasrec, via a mix of on-site and open-access facilities.

Several supermarkets are working to transition their fleets to biomethane, including Waitrose, Home Bargains and Argos.

The John Lewis Partnership has committed to phasing out all diesel-powered heavy trucks from its fleet and replacing them with more than 500 vehicles running on biomethane by 2028.

Asda’s announcement comes in the same week as the UK’s leading supplier of biomethane, CNG Fuels, revealed it was rolling out at least 14 new refuelling points from Glasgow to Bristol, “as demand from major brands soars”.

CNG – which supplies John Lewis Partnership’s depot at Magna Park, near Milton Keynes – secured £80m in funding from Foresight Group to build the nationwide network.

“We expect the number of CNG trucks on UK roads to double in 2021 as fleet operators take action to support the government’s net zero targets,” said CNG CFO Baden Gowrie-Smith. “This exciting partnership with Foresight demonstrates their enthusiasm for biomethane as a solution to decarbonise heavy transport at scale, and the near-term development of more stations will enable us to serve our customers even better by delivering carbon neutral Bio-CNG nationwide. We hope this will give even more brands the confidence to switch from diesel.” 

The fuel is up to 40% cheaper than diesel and cuts vehicle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85%.

Although it currently uses food waste, CNG said it was securing supplies of gas derived from manure to create a fuel that will be carbon neutral overall. 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. CNG plans to offer carbon neutral, manure-sourced biomethane across all sites next year, at the same price as that sourced from food waste.