Bentley Switches to Waste-Based Renewable Fuels to Drive Greener In-House Logistics in Crewe

• Achieving carbon neutral operations a key pillar of Bentley’s recently launched Beyond100 commitment to becoming end-to-end carbon neutral by 2030
• Manufacturing team developing industry-leading vision for supply chain design and sustainable manufacturing
• Reduce, avoid and compensate ethos informed strategy to use ultra-low emission renewable alternative for in-house logistics vehicles
• Innovative solution utilises ‘Green D+’ fuel – a fossil-free alternative to diesel made from hydrotreated waste vegetable oil
• Crewe site becomes the first luxury automotive plant to run all in-house operations on renewable fuels or green electricity thanks to ongoing investment in solar PV and green electricity

Bentley Motors has confirmed another step forward on its journey to becoming the most sustainable luxury automotive manufacturer as it announces the company will be the first luxury automotive brand to run its in-house logistics on 100 per cent renewable fuels. This follows the installation of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuelling facilities at its site in Crewe.

Ensuring that environmental factors are at the centre of current and future supply chain design is core to Bentley’s industry-leading vision of sustainable manufacturing. Following this latest green switch, all of Bentley’s in-house logistics now run on green fuels or electricity.

A 34,000 litre ‘Green D+’ HVO tank and pump now fuels the ten HGV logistics trucks that transfer parts between Bentley’s Crewe site and storage depot in Winsford on a daily basis and over 20 smaller on-site security vehicles and delivery vans. The 250 plus forklift trucks and tow motors used inside the factory are already being charged with green electricity generated in part by Bentley’s 30,000 on-site solar panels.

HVO fuel is a second-generation premium biofuel made from renewable and sustainable sources such as waste fats, vegetables and oils. Compared to conventional fuel, the switch will reduce tailpipe CO₂ emissions from logistics vehicles by over 86 per cent, at the same time as reducing nitrous oxide by up to 30 per cenyt and particulates by up to 80 per cent.  ‘Green D+’ can be used in Bentley’s existing vehicles without any additional modifications, maintenance or changes to operating procedure – making it a quick and effective way to reduce emissions from the existing fleet and improve air quality around site at the same time.

Bentley’s estimates that its local vehicle movements will now utilise around 10,000 litres of biofuel per month.  With CO₂ emissions reduced by over 86 per cent, of a total of almost 300,000 miles clocked up by in-house vehicles every year, over 250,000 miles of them are now effectively ‘emissions free.’

Peter Bosch, Member of the Board for Manufacturing, explains:

“Earlier this month we set out our Beyond100 strategy with a clear target to become end-to-end carbon neutral by 2030 – leading the way forward for the luxury sector – and challenging ourselves to become green pioneers in all aspects of our operations.  We’re now designing and implementing a strategic roadmap that aims to deliver a positive impact through our ethos of avoiding, reducing and compensating emissions from our site and taking a circular economy approach. Switching our in-house logistics to 100 per cent renewable fuels – which are derived from waste products – is a great example of this approach in practice.

“The installation of our new HVO fuel facilities is the first on an automotive site of this size and it complements our existing strategy of generating solar PV and procuring green electricity perfectly. It’s also a great example of an agile project and ‘drop in’ solution which we’ve been able to get up and running through our existing fleet and infrastructure in less than six months.

“Looking ahead, we expect the project to provide us with information and insights which we can apply to our wider inbound and outbound logistics to further reduce our impact on the environment”.

SOURCE: Bentley