Leeds City Council and the Dearman Engine Company commissioned Cenex to investigate and report on the air quality and CO2 impacts of temperature-controlled transport (TCT) in Leeds.
Leeds City Council has recently consulted on the implementation of a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) within its outer-ring road, meaning that commercial vehicles, taxis and buses will be incentivised to use only the latest emissions standard (Euro6/VI) vehicle whilst driving in the proposed CAZ.
Outdoor air pollution contributes to around 40,000 early deaths a year in the UK, according to the Royal Colleges of Physicians and of Paediatrics and Child Health. In July 2017, the UK government released the UK Plan for tackling roadside Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) concentrations. NO2 is found in the NOx (oxides of nitrogen) emissions from transport, so improving transport emissions is a major part of this plan.
Around 30,750 commercial vehicles enter the proposed Leeds CAZ each day, with around half being over 18t GVW and suitable for the Dearman liquid nitrogen (LiN) TRU.
The Dearman-Hubbard refrigerated units could save 70% of all emissions from transport refrigerated units (TRUs) in Leeds.
The report also explored the whole life operating cost of the Dearman-Hubbard refrigeration unit and concluded that the main cost barrier was that an auxiliary diesel engine can operate on low-cost red diesel, which makes it difficult to compete with economically. The government has held two consultations on red diesel and is expected to make an announcement this Spring about future eligibility, including for TRUs.
The Dearman-Hubbard transport refrigeration unit is well placed to provide a solution for TRU emissions for heavier vehicles. The current premium cost of owning the unit appears to be easily reversed with the introduction of incentives such as removing the use of red diesel in TCT, or access charges for auxiliary engines operating on diesel.
SOURCE: Dearman
