The Freight Transport Association has called upon the government to provide the necessary assurance to freight operators to embrace gas as a viable alternative to conventional diesel in its recently published Gas Manifesto.

Natural gas can be used as a road fuel either as a liquefied natural gas (LNG) or a compressed natural gas (CNG), producing less harmful emissions than conventional fuel.  However when biomethane produced from waste is used, carbon savings in excess of 60 per cent can be made when compared to an equivalent diesel vehicle.

The Gas Manifesto supports the development of a national refuelling infrastructure on the main motorway networks.  For smaller operators, public refuelling stations would give confidence to invest in gas-powered HGVs as part of planned vehicle replacement cycles as well as benefiting larger companies.  FTA says the Treasury urgently needs to confirm at least a seven year-rolling guarantee for road fuel gas duty rates to provide certainty to support vehicle and infrastructure investment. 

Rachael Dillon, FTA Climate Change Policy Manager said, “Gas is a credible option for industry to make serious reductions in carbon emissions whilst serving the needs of the economy in delivering goods and services.  However, in order to significantly increase gas-powered HGVs on UK roads, government needs to support the development of a national refuelling infrastructure on main motorway routes to enable long distance running for vehicle fleets.”