IOC ceo Tracey Worth takes a cuppa at Kempton Park with Sam Clarke, Gnewt Menzies and Kevin Valentine Addison Lee.

Standing room only in the seminar lectures, real hands-on with vehicles -  electric and gas, great networking, a splendid lunch and an exhibition of infrastructure, tech and fuel suppliers with a cargo cycle showcase to boot.

IOC fellows in strength, IOC chair of electric vehicles Sam Clarke from Gnewt Menzies had vans in the electric showcase and words for fellows on best steps to ULEZ. IOC chair Carl Lomas delivered the opening keynote for TfL LoCITY light vehicles talking two streams of driver, those who return to depot and those who need charging at home. Defining the Client chain, asking where home is in the real delivery and using the famous pineapple to talk express final mile around the World to the door.

There was much talk amongst fellows of scrappage: how does the owner-driver get access to upgrade from a Euro 5 van? ULEZ Exemption for the Black Cabs was big in the discussions who talked 'Black Cabs deliver parcels too.'

Fuels in Action – Beyond ULEZ seminar on the electric avenue

Rob Fowler DPD speaks holistic approach for the sector.

Access to land and property for logistics land is challenging and difficult.

Vital we get clean air zones across London and the UK, we cannot have a patchwork of regulations across London.

Most of our London sites are located around the M25, Finding seven and half thousand feet sites in London has become very hard, we started to look in a different way and reviewed how to engage electric final mile. Looking at Dagenham, we use Dagenham to service the City of London. The concept of micro depot began with Westminster last year, October. In the heart of London, we are the only parcel carrier in the UK to use the electric Paxter. We are looking at a future of all electric depots to follow.

DPD is our smallest depot, but our most expensive pro-rata to space, we trunk in with electric from London City to Westminster and then use electric for final mile. The Paxster comes from Norway, it holds approx a cubic metre and we now have 26 in the UK, we got 136 packages on a Paxster recently, the Paxster can also return to base and be reloaded for an afternoon run. Nissan NV200 complete the fleet. We have specialists in the business to train drivers internally, specialising in urban driving to be as safe as it's possible to be. Westminster is in a residential zone but we have had zero complaints, electric has been quiet and safety has been excellent. B8 space can live with residential space.

We would love to purchase three and a half ton electric vehicles, a big challenge is getting these vehicles. Infrastructure is the next issue, we recognise local boroughs are individually bringing clean air zones but we need to see solutions move at the speed technology can keep up, we want change but we need it to be deliverable.

Side benefits to the Westminster micro depot, more communication with stake holders, great press coverage has been a secondary benefit. Transport ministers have visited, London Assembly transport committee have visited.

Since October our data shows great results, by putting the micro depot in the high density right place the more productivity we achieve, we also have a micro depot in Shoreditch and one coming in Bayswater. Our target is to cover all Central London with electric. We are looking to add 100 electric vehicles by the end of the year. TfL and the LoCITY team have been great for engagement on our electric schemes.

To finish, with a power-point of the blue planet, our World on the screen. My key point is a holistic process, infrastructure providers, manufacturers, stakeholders together we need everyone talking for a solution.

Phillipa Ellis, GLA with IOC fellow Sam Clarke, Gnewt Menzies

Attendees at LoCITY Kempton Park alt fuels event

Galleries

Check your clean air event dates.

- LoCITY the Light Van group meets next on May 24th

- TfGM are holding their Manchester Freight Event April 25th