Family-owned timber firm to use CNG truck

Timber and building materials merchant Lawsons has taken of a compressed natural gas Iveco truck at the LoCITY Fuels in Action Roadshow.

Fitted with a fully electric Hiab crane, the custom-built 26-tonne vehicle is claimed to be the first of its kind to offer ultra-low emissions deliveries to the building industry in the UK.

LoCITY Champion Iveco handed the Stralis NP HGV over to Lawsons at an event at Kempton Park Racecourse.

It will be used for operations primarily around Greater London and be based at a depot in Camden – just half a mile from the nearest CNG-refuelling station.

The vehicle features a body built by Colliers Truck Builders and a Hiab X-HiPro 142E-2 crane powered by an electric power takeoff for silent and efficient loading and unloading.

The truck will emit 50 per cent less NOx emissions, 95 per cent less particulate matter versus Euro VI limits, and 95 per cent less CO2 when using compressed biomethane.

David Harvey, group transport manager at Lawsons, said: “Once natural gas was identified as the only realistic alternative to diesel, we started speaking to manufacturers and Iveco demonstrated a real desire to make it happen.

“The need to reduce emission levels, particularly in the London area, is a major issue and we wanted to become an early adopter of this new technology.

“We will be monitoring the performance of the Stralis closely, and if it performs well we are very confident about adding more natural gas-powered vehicles when we replace older diesel trucks in the fleet.”