NCT Cleaning Up Nottingham’s Air as First Bus is Fitted with Technology that Reduces NOx Emissions by over 70 Tonnes a Year!
6 years ago
The first of 185 Nottingham City Transport diesel buses to be retrofitted with technology that will see the fleet’s tailpipe emissions reduce by 90% has been unveiled.
Representatives from Nottingham City Transport, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council were joined by supplier Baumot – who will complete the work – in front of a specially branded bus to raise awareness of its green credentials.
This latest development comes after Nottingham City Council secured £2.6m funding earlier this year from DEFRA’s Clean Bus Technology Fund, with a further successful bid by Nottinghamshire County Council bringing the total to over £3m.
The funding enables over half of the City’s main bus fleet to be upgraded to the latest and cleanest Euro VI standards. When fitted, all NCT buses will be compliant with Nottingham’s forthcoming Clean Air Zone.
The first bus to be retrofitted is an ‘all routes bus’, with all other single deck buses to be retrofitted by this autumn and all double decks upgraded by autumn 2019.
Gary Mason, NCT Engineering Director commented, “As we approach the first anniversary of introducing our Bio-Gas buses to Nottingham, we’re pleased to now begin work on upgrading our fleet of young diesel buses to the same low emission standards through the enhanced exhaust treatment systems, which will see Nottingham have one of the cleanest fleets in the UK”.
Bert Pierlings, Managing Director, Baumot UK, commented: “We are very proud to have won this contract and it’s significant for us in the UK market. NCT’s commitment to environmental issues and their green credentials highlights the merits of selecting our technology to help them meet the forthcoming emission standards.”
Representatives from Baumot, Nottingham City Council, NCT and Nottinghamshire County Council
Councillor Sally Longford, Nottingham City Council Portfolio Holder for Energy and Environment said, “The health of our citizens is a top priority, which is why Nottingham has been at the forefront of greener transport initiatives for a number of years. Our ambitions for cleaner transport have seen us introduce one of the country’s largest all-electric park and ride bus fleets, expand our successful tram network, and invest in enhanced cycling infrastructure, all of which helps to improve air quality. We’re proud to support NCT to implement this innovative technology, which will bring down harmful emissions even further.”
Nottinghamshire County Councillor Phil Rostance, Vice Chairman for Communities and Place committee said, “Nottinghamshire County Council is pleased to be supporting local bus operators using government funding to reduce harmful emissions from their fleets as we are committed to addressing air quality issues. It’s great news for Nottinghamshire residents who will benefit from cleaner air thanks to the reduced exhaust emissions produced following the installation of this technology. This scheme is in addition to the recent introduction of two County Council electric buses in Beeston and Stapleford which are helping to provide greener travel and improve air quality for our residents.”
Retrofitting diesel vehicles involves fitting a new tank and making alterations to the exhaust.
Baumot’s technology removes Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and particulate (PM) emissions from vehicles. NOx and PM air pollutions cause a large number of premature deaths which can be prevented with Baumot’s BNOx system, where NOx emissions are reduced by 90%.
The system is certified to the demanding CVRAS process (CVRAS: Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme) which complies with the requirements of the Energy Saving Trust in the UK.
The process will reduce Nitrogen Dioxide emissions by around 73 tonnes a year, and the emission of Particulate Matter by around half a tonne over the same period.
NCT is currently working on a joint bid with Nottingham City Council to the Department for Transport’s Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme, to replace the remaining Euro III and IV double-decker buses with further new bio-gas buses.