Arla Foods, UK’s biggest dairy cooperative, has taken delivery of seven new Volvo FM LNG 6×2 tractor units that will run on biomethane to help the business meet its targets to reduce the CO2 emissions of its operation by 2030. Arla considers bio-LNG is the best option to improve the sustainability of its commercial vehicle fleet and opted for Volvo having trialed its gas technology against another manufacturer.
Supplied by Volvo Truck and Bus Centre South & East, the new FMs come equipped with sleeper cabs. They will be used for back-to-base operations collecting and delivering milk from Arla’s farms and depot operations in Leeds and Burton-On-Trent to processing sites across the country.
“We have some ambitious sustainability targets to meet in the coming years, and reducing emissions from our logistics operations will be key to helping us meet these. We have trialed dual fuel vehicles which proved successful, but these new units are an even bigger step up for us. We are now turning cow poo from our farms, and food which would otherwise go to waste, into a source of renewable fuel,” said Richard Wilson, Inbound Logistics Director at Arla Foods.
“These new bio-LNG trucks will play a crucial part in our plans to hit our 2030 sustainability targets – which is a 63% reduction of CO2 against our baseline from 2015 for our own fleet operations. Who knows what the future holds in terms of electric and hydrogen technology but for now and the medium term we believe trucks powered by bio-LNG are the best route for us to make a significant carbon reduction in the fleet,” he added.
The FM LNG benefits from Volvo’s unique approach to gas engine technology, using small amounts of diesel to initiate ignition of the air-fuel mixture. This enables the Volvo G13C engine to deliver the same 460 hp and 2,300 Nm of torque as a standard 460 hp diesel, with matching drivability, reliability and service intervals. The natural gas powertrain also provides engine braking just like a regular diesel truck – and without needing a separate retarder which adds weight and complexity.
Paired with Arla’s eye-catching milk tanker trailers, the new Volvo FMs are expected to cover in the region of 200,000 km per year. They will refuel at Gasrec’s flagship open-access site at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) and at the Gasrec built station at Reed Boardall’s depot, in Boroughbridge.
Source: Volvo UK
