Ocado invests £3 million into biomethane

UK fuel supplier Gasrec announced in a press release that British online supermarket Ocado has launched a £3 million (€3.4 million) investment into a natural gas refuelling station at its Hatfield Customer Fulfilment Centre.

According to Gasrec, Ocado now leads the industry with 20% of its Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) fleet now powered by blended biomethane as well as being the first retailer to fully fund the purchase of an onsite gas refuelling station.

The station itself has been designed and built by Gasrec. Both businesses have agreed on a 10-year support and maintenance contract, with Ocado also announcing plans to invest into natural gas technology at any future sites.

“By investing in gas-powered vehicles, and in our first onsite refuelling station, we’re future-proofing our fleet and our business,” said Graham Thomas, Fleet Services manager at Ocado.

“Emissions from CNG are cleaner than Euro VI standards which start to take effect with the London Low Emissions Zone from April, and will soon be followed by a further 32 Clean Air Zones.”

“Ocado reacted immediately to the range of dedicated natural gas vehicles becoming available to HGV fleets and we’ve been able to design, build and commission the onsite refuelling infrastructure in time to meet the new trucks entering service,” said James Westcott, Gasrec CCO.

“It’s fantastic to be working with a company so focused on improving the sustainability of its fleet – a move firmly backed by Government, which has committed to supporting natural gas vehicles with a duty reduction until 2032.”