*Aims to save road transport operators up to €17,000 in five years
The 3 Counties Energy Agency (3cea) has partnered with Corcra Ltd., to launch The Greener HGV Programme. Having secured €1.4m funding under the Governments Climate Action Fund, The Greener HGV Programme will see 1,000 truck fleet vehicles across Ireland fitted with innovative technology which will enable drivers to reduce carbon emissions and save fleet companies approximately 10 percent of their annual fuel costs. The Climate Action Fund is a Project Ireland 2040 investment fund.
3cea’s pilot project1 indicated a potential saving of €17,000 per vehicle over five years based on an investment of €2,800* per vehicle. A previous trial resulted in savings of 1,766.79 tonnes of CO2, similar to removing 866 cars from our roads for one year.3 The participating fleet companies saw an increase in fuel efficiency arising from the reduction in over-revving, harsh braking and engine idling time by the drivers, leading to a significant reduction in energy consumption.
The Greener HGV Programme will run for two years. 3cea is coordinating the subsidy grant available for Irish truck fleet companies to install the innovative technology and providing driver efficiency training. Data collected from the newly installed tech coupled with the development of a conscious driving culture of HGVs will result in a reduction of the business’s carbon footprint and fuel costs. Irish fleet companies can apply to this programme via www.greenerhgv.ie to avail of a 30 percent technology software and hardware grant.
“Under ‘The Greener HGV Programme’ the transport sector will reduce fuel consumption and emissions from vehicles by driving smarter and by embracing new technologies. The results from our initial test cases show that the benefits and cost savings are clear. Over two years with our partners Corcra, telematic equipment will be installed in over 1,000 HGV vehicles. With technology, and training to improve driver efficiency, the scheme is expected to deliver a significant reduction in CO2 and an average of 10 percent fuel saving for participating fleet companies.” explained Paddy Phelan, CEO of 3cea.
Smart telematics including tracking, fuel, remote tachograph downloads and compliance software, live footage cameras and driver awareness panels are all part of the technology that will be used to deliver these sustainable measures.
Robert Steele from Corcra commented about the new programme: “We use the hardware to gather real-time data which allows us to record baseline driver and vehicle information. After approximately six weeks, the data is analysed and we arrange the professional driver training and activate the in-cab Driver Awareness Panel, which is a driver aid. The new technology with gained knowledge from the driver training helps drivers to achieve more efficient driving and long-term sustainable energy practices. Techniques that reduce engine revolutions can have a major impact on the vehicles’ fuel consumption and therefore its CO2emissions. The project received final approvals in April and to date, we have fitted and commenced baseline data gathering on around 100 HGV’s. We expect to see increases in miles per gallon and reduction in fuel costs following the professional driver training that we offer.”
A case study carried out by Corcra using similar conditions to the Greener HGV Project between January 2017 and September 2020 revealed the following results.2
- MPG (miles per gallon) – Improved from 7.75mpg to 8.95mpg
- A 15.4% increase in performance/mpg
- Saving of 658,365 litres of road diesel across 60 vehicles.
- Emissions saving of 1,766.79 tonnes of CO2. The equivalent of removing 866 cars from our roads for a year.3
“Every fleet vehicle in the country will benefit from this cost and emissions saving exercise. We have funding for 1,000 vehicles and have already fitted 100 HGVs with telematic equipment. Any fleet company that is interested in saving fuel and reducing their CO2 emissions needs to act now as we anticipate this scheme will be extremely popular,” concluded Paddy.
Case Studies information:
1Transport Telematics & Driver Training Pilot Project
12 fleet companies were involved in the pilot project, which included the installation of telematics on 326 vehicles across all fleets, and delivery of eco-driving training for the 371 fleet drivers. The baseline energy consumption of the combined fleet was 101,134,604kWh, or 9,459,789 litres of diesel with 28,667,043 km of distance travelled. Measurement and verification of the fleet was completed every 6-months over a two-year period and completed to IVMVP standards.
A detailed analysis of the results showed annual savings of:
11% savings of energy consumption
- 741,320 litres of avoided fuel usage
- 7,538,482kWh of energy savings
- 1,989 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction
This is greatly surpassing the expected energy savings of 5,717,416 kWh.
The pilot project was supported by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Irelands Better Energy Communities grant programme.
The following table shows costs and savings for a typical HGV with a 50K yearly mileage.
| The Greener HGV Programme | Total (over 60-month term) |
| Cost per vehicle | € 4,000.00 |
| Government Funding available per vehicle | €1,200.00 |
| Cost to Applicant per vehicle | €2,800.00* |
| Potential Savings per vehicle | €17,000.00 |
Savings are calculated using real life data for a haulage company, based on 50,000 miles per year with 8mpg and a diesel cost of €1,20/litre over the 60-month term of the programme.
*Note: Fleet companies will be reimbursed for 30 per cent of their initial outlay per vehicle under The Greener HGV grant once they meet the terms and conditions.
Corcra case study
- 2 Baseline data was carried out in 2016 and was compared with live data collected between January 2016 up until Sept 2020. This date is available upon request.
- 3Calculation based on this source BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52719662 Living car free saves an average of 2.04 tonnes of CO2 per person annually. So 1766.79/2.04 = 866 cars.
Caption: The Greener HGV Programme will see 1,000 fleet vehicles across Ireland fitted with technology to reduce carbon emissions and save 10 per cent of fuel costs. 3 Counties Energy Agency has partnered with Corcra Ltd to launch The Greener HGV grant scheme. Pictured launching the initiative at George Mullins Worldwide Equine Logistics in Co. Carlow are: Alexandra Hamilton, Senior Engineer, 3cea and Robert Steele, Account Manager Corcra. Picture Dylan Vaughan