Low emission freight and logistics trial

The aim of this competition is to trial or develop low emission vehicles in the freight, logistics, utilities and emergency industries.

The competition has 2 streams.

Stream 1

Will fund industry-led research trials of innovative vehicles or on-vehicle technologies. These must reduce real-world emissions compared with MY16 (model year 2016) series production vehicles.

Projects should trial vehicles and on-vehicle technology already developed to a proof of concept level. These must be ready for testing in the real world with vehicle operators. This is to assess the benefits of the technology before commercialisation at fleet scale. The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) is particularly keen to see technologies that provide zero tailpipe emission miles.

Innovate UK and OLEV will support small trial fleets of low emission vehicles (HGVs and vans) and their refuelling/charging infrastructure. They will part-fund both:

• the difference in capital cost between the traditional series production vehicle and its low emission equivalent and
• the refuelling/charging point for use by the trial fleet

You must run trial fleets for at least one year and collect usage data throughout that period. A team operating on behalf of OLEV and Innovate UK will analyse this data.

Stream 2

Stream 2 is for projects to develop innovative and disruptive on-vehicle technology, off-vehicle systems or new business models. These must reduce emissions. Projects based on translating technologies from other applications are also in scope.

All projects developing on-vehicle technology to reduce emissions on vehicles ranging in size from N1: Class III (vans 1,760kg to 3,500kg) up to 44-tonne HGVs are in scope.

Trialling of off-vehicle systems or new business models to reduce emissions from these vehicles are also in scope. For example, systems to minimise empty running or otherwise make efficient use of energy in like-for-like real-world operation.

Outcome of Stream 1

Following the research trials, operators will:

• Have first-hand experience of low emission vehicles
• Be able to make informed decisions on future fleet mix in the short to medium term
• The ultimate aim is to speed up the adoption of low emission vehicles in these 4 industries.

All projects must contribute the results of the trials, which OLEV and Innovate UK will anonymise and release as a general report to the wider industry. The report will summarise the features and benefits of the trialled technologies, as well as the infrastructure required. This will allow others to determine if a technology is suitable for their needs. It will also help inform government policy in this area.

Projects must trial on-vehicle (including trailer) technologies delivering ‘significant’ emissions reduction. This can be a reduction in CO2e (CO2 equivalent) or other emissions (provided no adverse impact on CO2e). Check all emissions in scope . Applications should describe the nature and estimate the size of the emissions reduction (CO2e or a combination of air quality and CO2e). Euro 6 (light duty or heavy duty as applicable) emissions should be the baseline for comparison, when calculating emissions reductions.

For a definitive list of project outcomes, please click here.