The company’s London division will be the first area to trial the new hybrid vehicle over a three-month period, to monitor the fuel and CO2 savings to be made.

Graham already has a fleet of clean diesel engines and operates telemetrics to ensure deliveries are made in the most efficient way to reduce its carbon footprint. However, the introduction of a hybrid delivery vehicle looks to take this a step further, with estimated annual fuel savings of up to 23 percent, which also results in lower CO2 emissions. 

The results of the trial will determine whether more inner-city branches will upgrade to a hybrid vehicle.

Ian Berrill, director of transport said: “This is a continuation of the important work we do to ensure we are working towards our CSR policy. We have been looking at hybrids since they came onto the market, but this is the first time they have met our requirements in terms of size and price.” 

He added: “This vehicle won’t suit all our branches. It only works for multiple drops over short locations, but if the results prove favourable we would look to upgrade our city vehicles when the leases run out.

“This is just another chapter in our long journey to improve our environmental credentials and I’m over the moon to see a hybrid on the market that we could be using in the future.”