Family-owned timber and building materials merchant Lawsons took delivery of a compressed natural gas IVECO truck at the LoCITY Fuels in Action Roadshow today.

Fitted with a fully electric Hiab crane, the custom-built 26-tonne vehicle is claimed to be the first of its kind to offer ultra-low emissions deliveries to the building industry in the UK.

LoCITY Champion IVECO handed the Stralis NP HGV over to Lawsons at today’s event at Kempton Park Racecourse.

It will be used for operations primarily around Greater London and be based at a depot in Camden – just half a mile from the nearest CNG-refuelling station.

The vehicle features a body built by Colliers Truck Builders and a Hiab X-HiPro 142E-2 crane powered by an electric power takeoff for silent and efficient loading and unloading.

The truck will emit 50 per cent less NOx emissions, 95 per cent less particulate matter versus Euro VI limits, and 95 per cent less CO₂ when using compressed biomethane.

David Harvey, group transport manager at Lawsons, said: “Once natural gas was identified as the only realistic alternative to diesel, we started speaking to manufacturers and IVECO demonstrated a real desire to make it happen.

“The need to reduce emission levels, particularly in the London area, is a major issue and we wanted to become an early adopter of this new technology.

“We will be monitoring the performance of the Stralis closely, and if it performs well we are very confident about adding more natural gas-powered vehicles when we replace older diesel trucks in the fleet.”

IVECO is the only manufacturer to offer a full range of natural gas models from light commercial vehicle to heavy-duty long-distance trucks and buses, and has sold more than 23,000 natural gas commercial vehicle units.

Lawson’s was established in 1921 and is the southeast’s largest family-owned independent timber, building materials and fencing merchants.

The company operates a 90-strong fleet and operates 14 branches in and around London.

Today’s LoCITY Fuels in Action Roadshow focuses on the four key alternative fuels and retrofit solutions of electric, gas, hydrogen, and biodiesel and drop-in fuels.

For more information about the custom-built IVECO Stralis NP truck delivered to Lawsons, visit the IVECO website.

To find out more about the LoCITY Fuels in Action Roadshow, visit the Interactive Roadshows page.