1stinrail has successfully completed an ‘engine carbon clean’ (ECC) trial on a cross section of its repair, installation and maintenance fleet vehicles – demonstrating the effectiveness of the technology in reducing harmful emissions and improving engine performance.
ECC, from Advanced Hydrogen Technology Group (AHT), is an innovative and patented on-demand hydrogen generator technology that cleans combustion engines internally by removing carbon build up. Hydrogen is piped into the air intake and the engine sucks in on demand what it needs – significantly improving fuel efficiency and reducing toxic emissions, including CO2, CO, NOx, and N2O.
The trial forms part of a wider collaboration between AHT plus rail consultancy and delivery specialist K2C Rail, to introduce Engine Carbon Clean technology to savvy rail operators and contractors - aligning it with industry-specific safety and sustainability requirements and particularly where diesel-powered road-rail vehicles and maintenance fleets remain operationally unavoidable.
There was an average CO2 and fuel saving of 15% across the four types of vehicle, which start and finish their nightly shift from the company’s Silvertown depot in East London. Following the successful trial, 1stinrail is rolling out the ECC service across its entire 140-strong fleet, with wider deployment across the RSK Group also planned.
Stephen Jackson, Managing Director at 1stinrail, explains: “We had hoped for figures that showed a saving in fuel, and therefore CO2 emissions, ranging from 7 -10%, so to receive confirmation that we had achieved an average reduction of 15% was a very pleasant surprise. Also, the initiative directly supports both our own and RSK Group’s environmental targets, plus the decarbonisation KPIs of TfL, which are further aligned with the net zero aims of the Mayor of London.
“What attracted us to the ECC process initially is it’s a quick win (available straight away ) that measurably takes us forwards in the Group’s aim to reduce absolute Scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. It’s a simple and non-intrusive solution that’s easy to deploy and most importantly the saving in fuel more than offsets the cost of the engine cleaning and basically provides a cost-free carbon reduction process.”
Ben Kattenhorn, CEO of Engine Carbon Clean, said: “Working closely with rail experts K2C Rail to deliver this increasingly vital service means the ECC team are fully aware of rail procedures, so it’s a slick and BAU service. Rail is one of the sectors most under scrutiny, but ECC offers an immediate solution – also restoring engine efficiency and power, extending the lifespan of assets and fully aligning with circular economy protocols and the new ESG compliance requirements of the International Financial Reporting Standards mandate.”
Chris Kearns, Operations Director at K2C Rail, added: “We’re delighted to be part of their net zero journey, because apart from TfL, 1stinrail are the engineering partner of choice for Network Rail and multiple Tier 1 contractors. Decarbonising operations and supply chain and making the network more sustainable are now prerequisites for business success and our ability to mobilise reliably and consistently is tangibly helping 1stinrail deliver both planned and reactive support for TfL, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.”