New Launches
Show Report: CV Show 2012
What a cracking event the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show turned out to be, thanks in no small part to Ford… Read More
Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Long-Term Test 1
We has just taken delivery of a Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Club Cab for long-term appraisal… Read More
Ford Transit ECOnetic Brief Test
We’ve been putting a SWB 100hp 2.2TDi Euro 5 Transit 280 ECOnetic through its paces… Read More
Renault Kangoo ZE 2011 European Launch
Renault is at the forefront of manufacturers offering a mass produced factory-built electric van… Read More
Fuso Canter 2011 European Launch
Fuso has completely revamped its range of light and heavy truck Canter chassis and chassis crew cabs… Read More
Iveco Daily 2011 European Launch
Iveco has introduced new, latest generation diesels to its Daily range, along with detail changes inside and out… Read More
Ford Transit 2011 European Launch
Ford takes the iconic Transit to the next stage with an all-new range of 2.2-litre Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 UK Launch
VW’s large panel van has undergone a serious makeover with changes to the front-end styling and the cab interior, as well as new Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Ford Transit Connect Electric Brief Test
We spent a day with the battery-powered Connect to get a better idea of what it’s like to live with in its natural, urban environment. Read More
Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL Brief Test
Currently undergoing trials with selected fleet customers in the UK, we managed to get behind the wheel of a battery-powered Vito E-CELL… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 European Launch
Volkswagen’s Crafter has undergone a midlife makeover and gets a new front-end along with new Euro 5 engines… Read More
Waitrose puts bio-methane Sprinters to the test
Leading supermarket and home delivery specialist (Ocado) Waitrose has added five Merc Sprinter NGT (Natural Gas Technology) refrigerated 3.5-tonners to its fleet. Powered by a 156hp 1.8-litre bi-fuel (petrol/gas) engine, they meet EEV emission levels which are more stringent than Euro 5.A small 15-litre petrol tank is provided for back-up only, with the engine set to run on gas as the default. The bio-methane is recovered from landfill sites by Gasrec, which is also supplying the refuelling infrastructure. Quiet in operation, the Sprinter NGTs emit negligible levels of CO2 when running on bio-methane — or compressed natural gas — and also produce little or nothing in the form of particulate emissions.
All the 316 NGT Sprinters have insulated bodies by Gray & Adams and feature Hubbard refrigeration units. Chassis cab, dropside or Traveliner minibus variants are also available at 3.5 tonne gvw, as well as a 516 NGT 5.0-tonner chassis cab variant.
“This is a very exciting project,” declared Ray Collington, Fleet Engineer for the John Lewis Partnership, of which Waitrose is a part. “We are committed to reducing our CO2 footprint, which is why much of our own food waste goes back into anaerobic digestion.
“We’re keen to learn as much as we can from these new vehicles, because we firmly believe that gas has a viable future as an alternative fuel source. Bio-methane gives us a high-performance fuel produced using locally sourced, sustainable materials; it is a genuine alternative to diesel for us in some applications.”
