Transport firm gets more dual-fuel trucks on the road
A Southland-based transport company, on a mission to cut emissions, now has six dual-fuel trucks on the road.
The HW Richardson Group trucks are powered by hydrogen gas and diesel.
However, construction of the company’s first hydrogen gas fuelling station in south Invercargill has been delayed by six months.
One of New Zealand’s largest privately-owned transport companies with a fleet of 1400 trucks, HW Richardson Group said hydrogen gas would transition the transport industry away from fossil fuels such as diesel.
The dual-fuel system injects hydrogen into the existing diesel combustion engine, enabling the trucks to run without compromising existing operations, but reducing carbon emissions by about 30%. The company unveiled its first dual-fuel truck in March 2023 and now had six on the road, chief executive Anthony Jones said.
It broke soil on its first hydrogen fuelling station in south Invercargill in November, with the plan to have it up and running this month.
Jones said the fuel station work had been delayed and September was now the planned opening date.
“We are waiting on some critical components to come in from overseas. It’s later than what we wanted.”
The delay was outside the company’s control, he said. “We have done the base works down at Clifton and are waiting for confirmation of delivery of the final components.
“Once that’s confirmed we will start smashing some piles into the ground, pour some concrete, and not far after that, start producing gas.”
In November last year, Jones said its dual-fuel vehicles were transitionary technology for the company, with the longer-term plan to shift to solely hydrogen-powered trucks, meaning a “zero emissions future”.