The NHS will soon be receiving medical consumable products delivered by a fleet of eight fully electric trucks, as part of the Department for Transport’s £10 million Battery Electric Truck Trial (BETT).

NHS Supply Chain in partnership with its logistics provider Unipart Logistics is one of the key operators in the 12-month pilot project which is seeing 20 DAF LF Electric trucks using pioneering technology entering service with the NHS and local authorities.

NHS Supply Chain is commencing use of eight 19 tonne LF Electric rigids with refrigerated bodies at four locations across the country: Bury St Edmunds, Normanton, Rugby and Alfreton. It will feed back real time performance data for the zero emission vehicles.

The BETT focuses on vehicles, charging infrastructure, user training, repair and maintenance, and total-cost-of- ownership, providing operational insight across a variety of duty cycles. It is part of the Government’s wider £20 million zero emission road freight trials and is delivered using the Small Business Research Initiative, a process bringing together government challenges and ideas from business to create innovative solutions.

NHS Supply Chain’s Director of Supply Chain Chris Holmes said: “It is really exciting to be part of one of the largest and most significant deployments of zero emission heavy goods vehicles in the UK to date. Everything on our zero emission vehicles is electric, even the refrigeration units.

“Driving down our carbon emissions is one of our top priorities and this is just one of the ways we’re supporting the NHS to achieve their net zero target by 2045, which has wide ranging health benefits for us all, not least around air quality.”

Claire Salmon, Unipart Logistics NHS Supply Chain Director, added: “We are excited to be working with our customer NHS Supply Chain to run the Battery Electric Truck Trial, which also supports the Unipart UN Race To Zero commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030 and net zero by 2050. The trial will provide us with valuable insight into operating fully-electric vehicles of this size as part of our fleet, so we can understand how best to facilitate a charging network, driver training and the potential to grow this technology in the future. We are committed to delivering a safe and sustainable service in support of our frontline care customers.”

The trucks have entered day-to-day operations while at the same time gathering real-time performance data; the results from which will be used in an interactive website to inform future fleet operator buying decisions and help stimulate the sale of battery electric trucks. With the Government having set ambitious targets to end the sale of non-zero emission heavy goods vehicles from 2035 (for vehicles of 26-tonne Gross Vehicle Weight – the maximum weight of the vehicle plus the load and below, and 2040 for heavier vehicles) the BETT is expected to make a significant and positive impact upon the move to zero emission vehicles.

All the vehicles in the trial feature the distinctive Battery Electric Truck Trial logo.

Europa Road, part of leading logistics operator Europa Worldwide Group, has continued to invest in its UK artic fleet, with the introduction of five new high spec Renault T range 6 x 2440 13 L trucks into its 50 strong fleet.

This comes as part of the drive to improve the comfort credentials for its drivers, with five more Renaults due to join the fleet in May, and an ongoing replacement strategy to renew the whole artic fleet over the next 2 years.

Europa Road’s fleet was shifted to be exclusively Renault some years ago. The latest models were specifically identified as optimum replacements for older vehicles which were nearing the end of their life within the ongoing rolling stock management programme.

Dan Cook, Operations Director for Europa Road, commented: “As part of the expansion of the full and part load unaccompanied business, Europa has increased its artic fleet to support the desire to undertake more inhouse port haulage.

“This means a change to the traditional Europa UK haulage model, where the day starts and finishes at Dartford, and an increase in ‘tramping,’ meaning the vehicle and driver are away from base for several days at a time.

“For this reason, now more than ever, it is necessary to ensure the most appropriate equipment to reflect comfort and facilities for drivers is provided.”

The ongoing HGV driver shortage, still estimated to be around 100,000 means it is vital that driver satisfaction is put to the forefront of investment considerations.

In taking small steps to improve the working conditions of its valued driving team, Europa Road continues to ensure it is doing all it can to retain those fulfilling this crucial role, which is vital to the supply chains of all customers.

By choosing new trucks with high end features in the cab’s design – such as a microwave, a fridge, and an inverter – drivers are able to plug in other home creature comforts without issue.

There is also extra storage capacity for both food and personal items, making the driver more comfortable when away from home for days at a time.

Speaking about the latest upgrades, Malcolm Castle, General Manager – Domestic Transport at Europa Road, commented: “It is absolutely critical that our vehicles are kept in the best possible condition to enable our European road freight sales network to operate seamlessly and without interruption.

“The introduction of these five new top-spec Renault Trucks, with more to follow, show our drivers that they are valued and that we will go the extra mile to ensure they can do their job in comfort and in safety.

“Our drivers are the beating heart of Europa Road’s operations, and we want them to know we will always strive to invest in the best possible vehicles on the market.”

The Renault T models, and all other trucks in Europa Road’s fleet, meet the stringent Euro 6 emissions standards to ensure their environmental impacts are kept to a minimum.

Moves are also afoot to determine what other adjustments might be made following on from Government’s recent endorsement of the introduction of more aerodynamic features and longer cabs to reduce fuel consumption.

Europa Road is fully committed to reducing its carbon footprint across the business and is developing plans to meet the phasing out of new fossil fuel vehicles in the commercial sector from 2030.

Operating from 13 local sales branch sites in the UK – with three more due to open imminently – Europa Road’s network groupage solution offers interconnectivity between each location and the state-of-the-art groupage hub at the Shield Road site in Dartford.

Customers benefit from scheduled, daily, round-trip trunking that allows all shipments to link into Europe every single day. All services are underpinned by the best online IT, shipment tracking, overall high performance, and local account management.

The last few years have seen major investment and growth for Europa Road, which invested over £5m in Europa Flow. This successfully allowed goods to move quickly and efficiently between the UK and EU with minimal delays post-Brexit.

Europa Worldwide Group is an ambitious independent logistics operator with four divisions – Europa Road, Europa Air & Sea, Europa Warehouse, and Continental Cargo Carriers. Europa has featured in The Sunday Times Top Track 250 for the third time and employs over 1,300 across the UK, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

• creative entrepreneurs awarded share of £1.95 million to revolutionise UK’s transport network
• projects include technology to protect public transport systems from extreme weather conditions and proposals to reduce carbon emissions from HGVs
• government-backed projects will help support a greener and more efficient transport future, as UK drives towards net zero targets

Entrepreneurs and innovators pioneering new ways of creating a more efficient transport system are being backed by government funding announced today (13 April 2022).

In total, 51 projects have been awarded a share of £1.95 million in Department for Transport (DfT) funding as part of the government’s Transport Research and Innovation Grant (TRIG) programme, the largest number of projects backed in the programme’s history.

One winner, Makesense Technology Ltd, will develop a technology to guide visually impaired people through the public transport network. A handheld device will scan the area and provide touch feedback, such as a vibration to the tablet holder, alerting them to any obstacles and their direction of travel.

AJEA Products Ltd is also among those awarded funding, creating autonomous flood protection for critical transport infrastructure. It will design self-deploying barriers that can be installed at train stations across the UK and pop up automatically when floods are detected, preventing passenger journeys from being disrupted by extreme weather.

Meanwhile, Unitrove Innovation Ltd is being backed to develop a control system for the world’s first liquid hydrogen fuel container facility for zero emission ships (as seen in the image above).

The University of Cambridge is developing a new low-cost and lightweight steering system for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), which will reduce tyre wear, reduce carbon emissions and make it easier for larger vehicles to manoeuvre on the road.

Innovation funded as part of TRIG could be the key to unlocking a more efficient and safer transport system for tomorrow.

I support the ingenious ideas of this year’s cohort every step of the way and wish the successful applicants all the very best. I look forward to seeing the ideas develop to boost our green agenda and create high-skilled jobs across the UK.

Transport Minister, Trudy Harrison

Now in its 11th round of funding, the TRIG programme, delivered in partnership with Connected Places Catapult, brings together talented start-ups – mainly SMEs and universities – and policymakers at the earliest stage of innovation to help enhance the UK’s transport system.

Since launching in 2014, over £6 million in grants has supported more than 200 TRIG projects.

This year, the programme focused on increasing the diversity of its applicants. From Southampton to the Shetland Islands, the winning projects are based across the UK and reflect DfT’s commitments to levelling up.

The winners were selected based on 4 key themes:

• maritime decarbonisation
• future of freight
• COVID-19 recovery
• transport resilience

An open call, where any transport related idea was also considered.

For the first time, 6 Future of Freight grants worth £100,000 each were piloted for larger projects, moving them past ‘proof of concept’ and towards being demonstration ready. These will complement remaining 45 grants of up to £30,000 each, spread across all 4 themes.

DfT will also be working in partnership with Connected Places Catapult this year to pilot an Innovation Accelerator Programme, which will support companies at a later stage in their innovation journeys. The programme will provide funding to help projects take the last step towards the market by providing bespoke training from industry experts.

TRIG is a one-of-a-kind programme. It provides a mechanism to identify and support early-stage innovation that might slip through the nets of traditional funding routes.

Connected Places Catapult is extremely proud to deliver TRIG 2021, which is supporting over 50 innovators across 4 different challenges, including the future of freight, maritime decarbonisation, COVID-19 recovery and resilient transport systems. I am excited to see what great products and services arise.

Buhari led Administration and the Hon. Minister of Aviation for promises kept.

The second runway project was awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Nigeria Limited (CCECC) and the site was handed over to the company on the aforementioned date.

Other projects that would be executed as part of the aviation roadmap include: Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Centre; Aviation Leasing Company (ALC); Agro-Allied Cargo Terminals; Aerotropolis or Airport City; National Carrier; Africa Aerospace and Aviation University (AAAU); second Runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, amongst others.

Some of the benefits that would accrue to Nigeria at the completion of the projects are: employment opportunities for Nigerians; enhanced transfer of technology; increase in foreign exchange earnings/increase in GDP contribution; backward integration of aircraft maintenance and repair facilities for both domestic and international carriers; improvement in Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria; reduction in capital flight; increase in Bilateral Air Services Agreements with other countries, amongst others.

In-line water driven foam proportioning pumps have become more and more popular in the last decade. Their low pressure drop and accurate foam proportioning over a wide range of flows are necessary in many systems. But this technology is not simple: the equipment on the market until now is quite complicated and sensitive to contamination and over speeding. The new Turbinator water driven foam proportioning pump developed by Knowsley SK effectively solves these problems, making this technology the preferred choice for a wide range of fire fighting systems.

Precision proportioning – Always

The Turbinator is a positive displacement foam proportioning pump designed for Fixed and Mobile applications. The unit is driven by a special volumetric water motor which is directly coupled to a precision gear foam pump. Because both parts of the Turbinator are positive displacement devices, the ratio of foam concentrate to firewater is fixed over the full operating range. This makes Turbinator the ideal proportioning technology for systems with different flows, such as multi-legged deluge systems, sprinkler systems and mobile large incident equipment.

The Turbinator unit does not require setting up or on-site adjustment – the proportioning rate is achieved at any flow rate and pressure within the operating range.

Technology built to last – Forever

With Turbinator technology, Knowsley introduced a flexible, abrasion resistant paddle material in the water motor which gives the unit its unique wear characteristics. The usual contamination present in fire water does not damage the paddles. Overspeed up to 120% of the nominal flow, which can occur during automatically controlled activation of large systems, does not damage the unit. In addition, the Turbinator resists dry running in accordance with NFPA20.

Design and installation: Simple as 1-2-3

The close-coupled design offers a very compact and efficient installation with just three connections: fire water inlet (1), foam concentrate inlet (2) and foam solution outlet (3). The unit can be installed directly into vertical or horizontal piping systems. The Turbinator foam pump delivers 3m suction height easily, which makes it possible to install the foam concentrate tank below the unit installation level – even with high viscosity concentrates in arctic conditions (thick foams). Simple, cost effective atmospheric foam tanks are fine for Turbinator.

With its unique low differential pressure, Turbinator fits in the most complicated systems, even when long pipe runs or static pressure loss are involved. Turbinator does not require external power supply or control circuits and is safe for any ATEX environment.

The Turbinator is available in 3 sizes from 500 l/min to 12’000 l/min with proportioning of 1% and 3% with freshwater and saltwater construction. Each Turbinator built in our Manchester, UK factory is 100% functionally tested on a high flow test rig through its whole operating range ensuring functionality at all times.

For more information, go to www.knowsleysk.com