Town Council Goes Green With Vehicle Fuels

Henley Town Council are delighted to announce the replacement of diesel fuel in the use of the Council’s fleet of utility vehicles and agricultural machines, with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). All town council assets that have been using diesel are now moving over to this alternative fuel.

No changes to the vehicle itself are needed as it is a direct fuel swap from Diesel. The change is estimated to reduce up to 90% net CO2 emissions.

Karl Bishop, Parks Manager commented, “We have already made the swap in 2 tractor and will be using it in the grass cutting equipment this week. It has been an easy switch so far and we haven’t noticed any negative effects. The parks team are excited to be reducing their carbon footprint.”

Henley Town Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019, committing to becoming Net Zero by 2030, and must reduce its carbon footprint in order to meet this commitment. The use of diesel fuel by the council’s fleet of utility vehicles and agricultural machines was a major contributor to the Council’s overall carbon footprint.  As such, the transition to greener fuel sources will now deliver a significant reduction to HTC’s overall emissions.

HVO is 100% renewable and sustainable, has a longer shelf life than diesel (10 years as opposed to 2 for diesel), improved cold start performance and biodegradable. It is also a cleaner fuel, so no concerns about blocked filters.

Henley Town Council will continue to monitor the development of Electric Vehicle technology over the coming years and consider electric replacements for vehicles as each one comes to the end of its serviceable life.  It is anticipated that at a point in the future, electric vehicles and machines will be fit for purpose within the Parks setting, however in the meantime the use of HVO as an alternative promises a positive and immediate impact on HTCs carbon footprint.