The Real Cost Of Running A Dual-Fuel Commercial Van

In order to understand the benefits of low-carbon commercial vehicles, Emissions Analytics has begun a two-year project to help understand the real costs of dual-fuel commercial vehicle emissions.

And the chief goal of this project - Funded by the Department for Transport and the Technology Strategy Board - is to measure the real world running costs of low carbon commercial vehicles which have been converted to dual fuel (diesel and CNG).

With a quarterly test cycle, the two year project will test one of each model variant involved in the trial. Each test will be conducted on an identical test route, with the vehicles running once on diesel and then on dual fuel the following day. The route will be driven at the same time each day by the same driver, allowing for an accurate comparison between the different vehicles.

Nick Molden, founder and CEO of Emission Analytics, outlined the importance of the programme: “Although dual-fuel commercial vehicles work well on paper, it’s important that we understand the real world benefits, across the variety of operating conditions they will encounter. Measuring emissions on the road is the only way to quantify those benefits.”

Working in conjunction with CMS Supatrak, Emissions Analytics is able to align the data generated during the tests with key information gathered from the vehicle itself. This will show in real time when gas is being substituted for diesel and shows the direct effect of the introduction of the gas on emissions.

Assessing the total hydrocarbons, the trials will also assess emissions during urban stop/start driving, steady-speed motorway driving as well as cold start idling and warm start idling. Using data obtained from the PEMs, Emissions Analytics applies a unique analytical model to establish a vehicle’s on-road fuel economy.