Online retailer Ocado has signed a deal to open a further natural gas refuelling station at its Dordon customer fulfilment centre in Warwickshire.
The new facility at Dordon is due to open in Q2 2022 and will again be designed and built by Gasrec – UK supplier of gas to the road transport sector – to fuel the 10 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) tractor units already running from the site. It will also allow for the remaining Dordon tractor fleet, 70 in total, to transition from diesel to blended biomethane.
Graham Thomas, fleet operations manager at Ocado Group, said: “The results we have seen since beginning our switch to gas have been fantastic and shown that we are on the right path to a cleaner, more environmentally-friendly future.
“This new facility at Dordon will allow us to get more gas trucks on the road and access delivery routes further up the country with our CNG fleet.”
The facility at Dordon will be a tanker fed operation, with Ocado signing a 10-year supply agreement with Gasrec. With 60 natural gas-powered trucks operating from Hatfield and Dordon, this latest development will allow Ocado to more than double their total CNG units over the next three years, with over two thirds of its total fleet running on natural gas.
“We are committed to transitioning away from diesel and the performance of the IVECO gas trucks we have in service, as well as the resilience of the facilities and support Gasrec has provided for us so far, has only strengthened our conviction,” added Thomas.
According to Ocado, the environmental benefits of switching to natural gas includes 99% fewer particulate emissions and 70% less nitrogen oxide than the latest diesel standard. Natural gas-powered vehicles are also, on average, 10db quieter than diesel vehicles, reducing their impact in residential areas.
Gasrec currently supplies a minimum 50% biomethane blend to Ocado, meaning reductions in CO2 output – up to 68% across the fleet calculated from the total amount of biomethane used. Going forward, the mix of biomethane is being increased, making further inroads to cleaner transport.
James Westcott, chief commercial officer at Gasrec, said: “Ocado Group continues to take great strides in reducing the carbon footprint of its transport operation. We have built a fantastic working relationship with them over the past few years and are delighted they have chosen us again to build and deliver the new refuelling site in Dordon.”
