Institute of Couriers - TfL LoCity Van Group - Hydrogen hosts for FORS, KCL Air Study & Alternative Fuels

TfL LoCity Van Group - Hydrogen hosts for FORS, KCL Air Study & Alternative Fuels

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Arcola zero-carbon theatre host LoCity Van Group for TfL

LoCity TfL Van group hosted on hydrogen for June meeting , clean air final mile deliveries, alternative fuels, a transition policy, electric cargo bikes, Kings College driver air survey.

Chair Carl Lomas, ‘The van group clearly has two streams, operators who return vehicles for fuel or charge to their base and operators whose drivers take vehicles home, they are unlikely to have off-street parking, garage or charging facilities. Infastructure has been voted the biggest challenge, charge points for electric. The group is a little electric-centric but solutions of consolidation, cycle and cargo bike are high on the operators' agenda. Training to save fuel remains high on the agenda for clean air and FORS were at the June meeting to showcase.

Arcola energy hosted the June meeting of LoCity van group, focused on alternative fuel vehicle solutions for London clean air and chaired by Carl Lomas IoC. Guests included CitySprint, Addison Lee, Tesco dot com, Ocado, DLR and the tube van support teams amongst the big London van fleets.

Lomas reviewed the past and had slides of the French post office electric bikes, here in the UK it was tricycle electric cargo bike prototype on the screen by Gnewt in colours of DX driven in cartmarking. This year's cartmarking will see a host of alternative fuel vehicles in Guildhall Yard for the Lord Mayor's ancient trade freight ceremony of taxation July 12th. Set your diary on the same day as Univ of East London will be hosting a LoCity vehicle event for those who have depot charging facilities.

Carl Lomas set an energetic run of introductions with strong engagement of LoCity guests that brought wide discussion and a very engaged networking session. Infrastructure, gas and electric to the forefront - what about a code of practice of transition from conventional diesel vehicles ? came in strong. Everything from financing systems to operator views and technology availability. Demonising diesel was wrong, there is need to encourage more research projects and get them public.

FORS, Peter Binham detailed the scheme's focus on clean air. Links to LoCity and clean air via the standard, it was time LoCity drove some of the FORS revision and Peter is keen to be back for a workshop of input. Driving is clearly at the heart of fuel efficiency and gold standard detail is filtering down to both silver and bronze. 57,000 vans are on the FORS register - audit revisions take place over the next 18 months.

The LoCity venue hosted by Arcola energy was a zero-carbon theatre; biomass boiler, orange cables driving a DC grid from a power cell.

Dr Ian Mudway from Kings College London introduced a new study with funding cleared to identify levels of inhaled carbon in van drivers. Kings needs operators to engage - full anonymity: each driver will be asked to carry a Walkman-sized device to measure the air around them; a full cycle of 24 hours, at home and on the job, GPS-linked. The target is to get a measure of the quality of the air breathed in by drivers in London.

Venn Chesterton talked about the TRL projects, he showcased 13 funded routes, CNG, Magnomax, AirLiquide, Ulemco, 33 new vans for Gnewt, Capinamo, Zapimo and more in a frank delivery of the state of projects. There had been concerns by the small business federation about small operators being penalised with high insurance premiums to operate alternative fuel vehicles, but no evidence had been found on which to act.

The next date for LoCity Van Group will be Monday Oct 16 in the City of London.