Alternative fuels

Cleaner fuels and vehicles can save you money and benefit the environment.

Whether you're running a fleet, a business or just your own vehicle, you'll be pleased to know that there's a range of cleaner fuels on the market that can offer significant environmental benefits and lower fuel costs.

Cleaner fuels and vehicles

At the Energy Saving Trust, it is our aim to lead the efforts to reduce the impact of climate change. One way in which we can achieve this is by encouraging the use of cleaner fuels and vehicles. There are many strong reasons to consider the alternatives.

From a financial perspective, cleaner fuels can help to reduce your operating, maintenance and fuel costs. Environmentally-speaking, switching to cleaner fuels will not only help you contribute to national and international efforts to reduce climate change, but will also be good for your organisation's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance, because it will help reduce your organisation's environmental burden. Plus it will also help to eliminate the 24,000 deaths a year, in the UK alone, which occur as a direct result of poor air quality.

Want to find out more?

For a quick overview of the cleaner fuels available, just click the relevant link below:

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
Suitable for smaller vehicles such as cars and light vans that have high mileage or operate predominantly in city centres.

Natural Gas
An option for goods vehicles with depot-based refuelling sites.

Biodiesel
Can be used at 5 per cent in existing diesel engines with no need for modification. Higher blends can be used with limited modifications but could affect your vehicle warranty.

Pure Plant Oils (PPO)
Vehicles are powered on fuel made from plant oils. Very similar to diesel but a heater must first be added to the fuel line. Not yet widely available in the UK.

Biogas
Organic materials are broken down by a microbiological activity to produce methane.

Bioethanol
Produced by the fermentation of starch, sugar and cellulose plants. Then used as a blend with, or as a direct substitute for petrol.  A 5 per cent blend in petrol can be used in all existing petrol vehicles.

Hydrogen
Currently only used in prototype vehicles - a fuel of the future, which produces almost pollution-free vehicles.

Fuel Cells
Demonstration "zero emission" vehicles - not yet commercially available (see hydrogen).

Accreditation

At the Energy Saving Trust we employ a dedicated Accreditation Team. Their work is impartial and is undertaken to ensure that the benefits of cleaner vehicles are real and proven. Every transport-related product supported through our programmes is accredited in this way.

Find out more about accreditation