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Inform Transport LEADING THE WAY


European supply chain expert Wincanton has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard after reducing its carbon emissions by 4.5% over the past three years.


PERFORMANCE


The firm, which runs more than 5,000 vehicles from 285 UK locations and spends over £100M a year on energy, uses a wide range of initiatives to reduce its foot- print, including: network optimisation and backhauling to increase load factors; fuel-efficient driver training; using double-deck and teardrop trailers; and using movement sensors and re-lamping in its buildings to cut electricity usage. “The Standard demonstrates that we are committed to a low-carbon future and to minimising our environmental impact,” said Steve Tainton, the firm’s group energy sus- tainability manager. “Achieving the Standard is good news for our business as well as for the planet.”


Van fleet emissions limits set


EU policymakers scale back targets after industry pressure


The EU has reached a deal that sets emissions limits for the entire van fleet to be reached by 2017 and 2020.


Under the agreement, the aver- age new van sold in the EU in 2017 will be required to emit 175g


CO2/km or less, and 147g CO2/ km in 2020.


The agreements are looser and


will take place later than was orig- inally proposed by the European Commission, which drafted the proposal as part of the EU’s efforts


to cut from transport.


Policymakers had been under heavy pressure from car-making countries, such as France and Germany, to allow the industry more time to comply with the tar- gets. The industry will have until 2017 to meet the 175g target – a year later than the Commission had proposed.


The 2020 target was scaled back


to 147g/km CO2 instead of the 135g initially proposed.


However, the European Commissioner for climate action, Connie Hedegaard, welcomed the agreement. She said: “The agreed regulation will make vans less


rising emissions Improvements needed: the 2020 target is now 147g/km CO2


polluting and will contribute to our overall ambition to cut emis- sions from transport.”


Kerstin Meyer, of Brussels- based NGO Transport


and


Environment, said that the EU should have rejected car-makers’ claims that more demanding tar- gets were impossible.


“The industry said it couldn’t make a 14% improvement in van efficiency over nine years, while it managed to improve car effi- ciency at more than three times that rate last year. Policymakers must do a better job of holding the industry to account when it makes such claims.”


Paul Everitt, chief execu- tive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said


it is important to recognise that improvements


in car emissions


are not necessarily transferable to the van sector. “The van mar- ket already has a high proportion of diesel engines which, because they are working vehicles, already benefit from significant fuel effi- ciency optimization. The van market is also extremely diverse, has much


longer production


cycles and extremely low profit margins,” he said.


The European Carmakers’ Association (ACEA) has long


argued that 160g CO2/km is the “most feasible” 2020 target for the industry.


The UK Government had been pushing for a 135g/km target for 2022.


TSB OFFERS SUPPORT


The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is to invest up to a further £9M to support innovations in low-carbon vehicle technology and is inviting applications for fund- ing of collaborative research and development projects and feasibility studies. Through the collabora- tive R&D competition, which opens on 7 March, the TSB plans to invest up to £8M in innovative, industry-led collaborative projects to develop low-carbon vehicles. Up to £2M will be allocated to projects in each of four technology areas: internal combustion engines, energy storage and energy manage- ment, lightweight vehicle and powertrain structures, and electric machines and power electronics. And grants will range from £250,000 to £750,000 per project.


Through the feasibility studies competition, which also opens on 7 March, the TSB is looking to invest up to £1M in vehicle centric, indus- try-led projects targeted at disruptive technology and research that challenges cur- rent conventions.


BRIEFS PARIS WILL INTRODUCE AN ELECTRIC CAR SCHEME THIS AUTUMN THAT WILL SEE 3,000 CARS STATIONED AT 1,000 HIRE POINTS ACROSS THE CITY 10 | Sustainable Business | February 2011


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