As the Government announces plans to bring forward a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2035 to 2030 Cadent can report that it’s already in the fast lane on the road to net zero.
Earlier this year Cadent embarked on its journey to a greener future when it took delivery of its first batch of zero emission vehicles to enable gas engineers to respond to emergencies across its North London network pollution free. The London network was chosen due to the availability of refuelling stations and charging points.
The first wave of vehicles included hydrogen fuelled Hyundais with a range of almost 400 miles, and which have a power source whose only emission is water.
The new vehicles have been bought as part of Cadent’s commitment to introduce zero-emission vehicles for its emergency gas engineers and it aims to have 1000 zero emission vehicles across all its networks by 2026. This ambition also provides a unique opportunity to encourage the development and supply of a new product, hydrogen vans into the UK market.
Reacting to the Prime Minister’s announcement James Harrison, Director of Cadent’s North London network said: “I am hugely encouraged by the Prime Minister’s announcement today.
“The hydrogen economy is crucial to reaching our net zero target and it’s great to see the Government endorsing hydrogen as a cleaner and greener solution for heating homes.
“We’ve already started implementing positive changes throughout Cadent, including the introduction of new hydrogen fuelled cars to our North London network earlier this year.”
Cadent Sustainable Transport Manager David Jones said: “By investing in hydrogen vehicles we’re not only being good stewards of the environment but we’re also demonstrating the viability of gas as a future fuel source for transport which is entirely consistent with our own hydrogen strategy.”
Cadent, is rolling out the zero emission vehicles across all its networks with demonstration vehicles being trialled in the North West and East of England networks. Cadent’s expanding green fleet also includes Iveco repair CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) vans in the North West and West Midlands network.
For the movement of large items Cadent has also worked to develop a fleet of biomethane trucks. These vehicles significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help improve air quality. The trucks are also cheaper to run, generating savings of around 38 per cent compared to diesel.
Cadent plans to acquire more zero emission vehicles, as it works towards its 2026 goals.
