A new white paper from Venson Automotive Solutions explores the current green alternatives to electric vehicles (EVs) and how they work in the real world.

The aim, says Venson, is to help fleet managers consider all green fuel options as they put together their fleet plans for the coming years.

Free to download from the Venson website, the white paper, ‘The road to tomorrow starts today – the future of alternative fuels in commercial transportation’, aims to explain and demystify electric, natural gas and hydrogen power as fuels for commercial fleet vehicles.

“The 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel-powered vehicles is fast-approaching, which is accelerating innovation in alternative fuel,” said Alison Bell, operations director at Venson Automotive Solutions.

“However, whilst a number of alternatives exist, we believe electric gets more than its fair share of the focus, but it is not the best option for every driver or every fleet.”

The white paper discusses:

• Electric vehicles – already a popular option for UK fleets using cars and vans, but not yet viable for HGVs. Widely adopted, all manufacturers are producing or developing electric vehicles.
• Compressed/liquified natural gas – in the conventional sense a fossil fuel, but physically far cleaner than petrol or diesel. Biogas is a sustainable alternative. More successful than electric for long-distance heavy vehicles but still a good option for smaller vehicles. Only adopted by some manufacturers.
• Hydrogen fuel cell technology – invented in the 1800s, hydrogen propulsion makes great sense as an alternative fuel source for commercial vehicles. Cost remains high and infrastructure is severely lacking for long-distance fleets, but many local fleets and construction sites are using hydrogen successfully.

Bell continued: “Discussed in more detail in our white paper, UK infrastructure for the production and distribution of alternative fuels is clearly a long way behind where it needs to be to establish a 100% fossil-fuel free commercial vehicle sector.

“The ramping-up of investment in key areas such as EV charging points, energy production for compressed natural gas and hydrogen hubs suggests that the industry is keen to meet these targets either on, or ahead of schedule, making the UK’s commercial transport sector not just green, but profitable.”

> Interested in comparing electric vehicle data? Check out our EV tool.

> Interested in ensuring the efficient use of EVs. Check out our dedicated editorial sections: Insight & policy | EV news | Charging & infrastructure | Costs & incentives | Benefit-in-kind | EV case studies | EV road tests

> EVs by range

> EVs by their efficiency

> Rapid charging EVs

> EVs by price: lowest to highest