The government has provided a £2.5m cash injection to stimulate the range of retrofit systems available for commercial vehicles.
Emissions-reduction technology approved under the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) can be used by operators to enable older vehicles to meet the requirements of clean air zones.
While systems for buses have been approved and successfully used for some time now, to date, no systems have been approved for HGVs.
The CVRAS acknowledges the challenge of testing technology for a diverse range of vehicles, engines and duty cycles, which can prove costly for retrofit firms.
“We need to ensure retrofit systems achieve the required emissions reduction and this means approval tests for which there is an associated cost,” said CVRAS administrator Colin Smith, Energy Saving Trust programme manager for freight and clean vehicle retrofit.
“This fund will help remove this key barrier and get more retrofit systems approved across a wider range of vehicles.”
CM understands that retrofit options for RCVs are already going through the CVRAS testing process, and it is anticipated more HGV options will emerge following the government’s investment.
Andy Eastlake, MD at the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, which developed the CVRAS programme, said: “This initiative is an important step to help clean more of the current fleet, whilst we wait for the penetration of ultra-low-emission vehicles to increase.
“Retrofit is a key element of the overall package and will enable innovative solutions to be brought forward which can make a real difference to air quality in the short and medium term.”
