Cenex, a centre of excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies, and The John Lewis Partnership have laid down an eco van challenge.

The challenge is to bring low carbon vehicles for the John Lewis Shops and Waitrose supermarkets to put into real fleet use over the next two to three years.

This will enable it to better understand the carbon and lifecycle cost-savings potential of new and emerging low carbon vehicle technologies.

Data collected during the trial periods will help specify the next generation of vehicles to be purchased for the Partnership.

The challenge is open to the trial of a range of low carbon vehicles, from electric and hybrid-electric vehicles to hydrogen and fuel cells.

It is also interested to trial high bio-content fuels from renewable sources, such as bio-methane from waste.