Citroen dual fuel vans for Southwark Council’s award-winning fleet
Southwark Council, a south London borough, has just cleaned up in the 2010 GreenFleet awards, with its fleet being awarded Public Sector Fleet of the Year (+250 vehicles) and Matthew Trott, the council’s Business Unit Manager - Sustainable Transport, being commended in the Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year award category.
Playing a key role in Southwark Council’s latest awards successes are its 150 new Citroen Ready to Run dual fuel (petrol/LPG) Berlingo and Dispatch vans, which now make up around half of the council’s 320+ LCV fleet.
These efficient dual fuel vans continue to be added to Southwark Council’s fleet so that they will eventually form the majority of its fleet. As Southwark Council operates in the London Congestion Charge zone, the new Citroen dual fuel vans - thanks to their Congestion Charge exemption - are saving the council £170,000 per year.
Southwark Council’s Matthew Trott explains: “Southwark has a multi-award winning reputation for innovative and efficient green fleet operation. We have a continuous improvement process in place to reduce the fleet’s carbon footprint, while also driving down costs and increasing efficiency. Our new Citroens are already delivering huge annual Congestion Charge cost savings and are also delivering fuel cost efficiencies of some 25 per cent over our previous diesel powered LCV vans. In addition, the council is benefiting from other savings thanks to its policy of downsizing from its previous larger vehicles to smaller, more efficient Dispatch and Berlingo vans.”
Southwark Council’s Ready to Run dual fuel Berlingo and Dispatch vans, which are being used by all of its operational divisions, have been supplied by Citroen London West. The new Citroens are being operated on five year, with-maintenance, London Hire contract hire agreements. During this period, dependent on operation, these vehicles will average around 50,000 miles.
Through its Ready to Run special vehicle programme, Citroen is the only UK manufacturer to offer a comprehensive range of London Congestion Charge exempt dual fuel (petrol/LPG) LCVs. Citroen Ready to Run Nicholson McLaren Engines (NME) converted dual fuel vans available include Nemo, Berlingo and Dispatch models.
The Ready to Run dual fuel conversion includes a state-of-the-art sequential, common rail, gas injection system and a sophisticated master/slave synchronisation strategy of the fuel system’s ECU and the engine’s own electronic management system. This allows the dual fuel system to directly and accurately mimic the engine’s main ECU fuelling requirements to ensure optimum performance and economy.
