Essex Police complete LNG training day at IVECO UK headquarters

Monday 18th November 2019

IVECO welcomed members of Essex Police’s Commercial Vehicle Unit to its Basildon head office for an in-depth training day on the latest generation of commercial vehicles running on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The Commercial Vehicle Unit is a designated section of the Essex Roads Policing team, responsible for a 4,500-mile network including major roads such as the A12, A120, M11 and M25. Working alongside the Casualty Reduction Unit, it is responsible for investigating all road traffic collisions and law enforcement involving commercial vehicles.

Sergeant Daniel Parsons, PC Rob Andrews, PC Jason Bullock and PC Gary Winfield attended the course to learn how to safely handle the fuel in case of an incident, as well as understanding the environmental benefits LNG offers over diesel.

The day – which was organised and run by Ian Longman, IVECO’s Senior Technical Trainer for the UK & Ireland – featured a detailed inspection and test drive of IVECO’s Stralis NP 460hp tractor unit, which runs on 100 per cent LNG.

Commenting on the training, Longman says: “As more fleets transition from diesel to LNG-powered vehicles to help improve sustainability, it’s important police teams fully understand the differences.

“Over the years we have learned how to use diesel safely, by understanding exactly how to handle it. Now we are doing the same with LNG, which actually has many safety advantages over diesel. It is non-toxic, non-corrosive, and has no potential for ground or water contamination in the event of a spillage. It will dissipate relatively quickly compared to diesel or petrol and, as such, may present less of an ongoing hazard than a liquid fuel spill.”

PC Rob Andrews says: “The information we learned on the course was hugely beneficial. Our knowledge of LNG prior to the day was limited, but we’ve come away with key information we can share with our team, including a much better understanding of how LNG is stored on the vehicle in high pressure steel tanks.”

IVECO has worked closely with manufacturers to design steel LNG tanks to be extremely safe, offering better resistance to collisions than standard diesel fuel tanks. Those fitted to a Stralis NP 460 are able to withstand direct impacts, vehicle rollovers and even fires – to ensure maximum safety for the driver and other road users.

The Stralis NP’s impressive credentials earned it the title of Sustainable Truck of the Year 2019, at the Ecomondo Awards. Compared with an equivalent Euro VI diesel, a Stralis NP running on LNG emits around 90 per cent less NO2 emissions, 99 per cent less particulate matter, and up to 95 per cent less CO2 when using biomethane. A Stralis NP is also around 50 per cent quieter than a diesel equivalent.