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Food wholesaler Brakes is extending a trial that will see all 18-tonne DAF LFs based at its West London depot run on Shell Gas to Liquid (GTL) fuel from Certas Energy.

Following a successful pilot involving a "handful of LFs" at its Park Royal facility earlier this month, all of its trucks operating at the site will now change over to GTL. If the expanded trial is successful, the firm will switch more of its UK-wide fleet to GTL.

DAF’s range of New LF, CF and XF vehicles are all certified to use GTL which can deliver a 10-20% reduction in nitrous oxide and a 20-40% reduction in particulates compared to diesel.

The manufacturer’s trucks are also certified to use Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil (HVO) which offers extra carbon savings.

Neither of the fuels requires vehicle modifications or changes to service intervals.

Phil Moon, marketing manager at DAF said heavy-duty Euro-6 compliant diesel engines already emit very low levels of NOx and particulates, but by operating on GTL, combustion is cleaner and emissions are further reduced.

He added: “The engine and its exhaust after-treatment system can spend more time operating in their more efficient modes, potentially delivering improved fuel economy.

“If the differences are significant we expect other operators to show interest in evaluating GTL or HVO in their fleets. GTL and HVO fuel is certified for use with minimal operational implications, and can deliver significant environmental benefits.”

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