Executive summary
Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) now fuels its entire operational and pool fleet of 95 vehicles with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) – a cleaner, renewable diesel alternative – following a successful 8-month trial. Made from waste vegetable oils, the fuel reduces carbon emission by over 80% when compared to fossil diesel.
As well as trialling the fuel switch within their own vehicles, HDC initiated a partnership with the emergency services, inviting them to test fuel compatibility with their fleet. The pilot reported seamless operations, with no loss of performance, even on blue-light runs. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue and Cambridgeshire Constabulary now fuel a number of their emergency vehicles with HVO and confirmed that the fuel provides a pragmatic and immediate solution to carbon reduction.
Not only has HDC made a significant contribution to reducing its carbon footprint, but they have also established a clear partnership model, which could be replicated by other councils across the country.
HDC is now inviting other public sector organisations wishing to trial HVO in their own vehicles to explore whether this cleaner, greener fuel could work for them, by participating in a trial using their facility at Eastfield House, Huntingdon.
The challenge: Meeting decarbonisation goals now, while waiting for EV solutions to fully mature
Many organisations face tight operational constraints and competing pressures on reducing their carbon footprint and becoming more sustainable. In addition, the government’s target of all new cars and vans being 100% zero emission by 2035 means that both the private and public sector are searching for viable solutions.
In many cases, switching to electric vehicles is not straightforward. The cost alone can be more than double that of a diesel model, while limited range remains an issue, particularly for fleet vehicles covering high mileage. Charger availability, the ability to tow trailers, and speed further present additional barriers.
Emergency services and civic fleets are not immune to these challenges. Given the nature of the work and on occasions the rural aspect of location, a fuel solution is needed that could be accessed quickly, would work with existing vehicles and processes, and meet the demands of emergency response.
Our police vehicles are required to be very versatile as they need to be able to travel great distances, sometimes at high speeds when responding to emergency calls or in pursuits. They may be needed to carry a large amount of equipment or even be static with their lights on at scenes. EVs can’t deliver all this yet.” – Superintendent Robin Sissons, Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
The solution: Significant cuts in carbon emissions and a gateway to other partnerships
| Superintendent Robin Sissons, Cambridgeshire Constabulary |
HDC has a commitment to decarbonisation at the heart of the council’s climate strategy. With fleet emissions accounting for over a third of HDC’s carbon footprint, the council piloted HVO to accelerate decarbonisation. Switching from diesel to HVO has already cut around 1,100 tonnes of CO₂ a year – roughly a 30% reduction in overall emissions.
Building on existing partnerships with emergency services, HDC invited them to join the pilot to test HVO’s compatibility with their fleets. As the council is a member of the civil contingency network, they have a responsibility to make the fuel they hold on-site available for the emergency services to access in a fuel crisis. Further conversations revealed that all the organisations had one thing in common: an obligation to deliver a public service, come what may. More common ground emerged, and discussions have continued about other opportunities for sharing the services, such as vehicle maintenance and staff training.
Both the police and fire service were attracted by the offer – a chance to undertake a controlled vehicle compatibility test, in a convenient location while exploring the environmental impact of HVO and its accessibility if rolled out in the longer-term.
“One of the benefits for us is that all-electric fire engines are still very costly. We recently bought three new fire engines for the cost of one all-electric. But when we run a fire engine on HVO, we’re reducing carbon emissions by more than 80%” – Vicky Best, Assistant Director at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service
HDC’s fuel supply model: Simple, secure and shared
| Vicky Best, Assistant Director at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service |
HDC led all of the logistics, including fuel purchase, storage and access and established clear processes for partners to access HVO from their tank at Eastfield House. This ensured that the emergency services were able to participate in the trial easily and keep focus on the impact of the fuel on the performance of their vehicles.
- Procurement: HDC bulk purchases HVO, tracking market prices to secure best value.
- Secure storage: The HVO pump is hosted securely at Huntingdonshire District Council’s Eastfield House site. It is accessible 24/7 and is situated within three miles of both Huntingdon’s police and fire HQ.
- Fuel tracking: A fuel-key is used to track the amount of HVO fuel dispensed, providing full transparency for both parties and enabling accurate charging.
- Operational flexibility: As HVO can be used on its own or blended with diesel, vehicles can refuel anywhere without downtime or disruption to service.
“It’s been easy because the council had the infrastructure in place. The fuel’s available 24/7 from a secure site, and we saw no loss of performance in our vehicles.” – Superintendent Robin Sissons, Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
Emergency services trial: Putting HVO to the test
The Police Service’s perspective: Operational proof
Seven police vehicles – a mix of marked and unmarked units, and varied makes and models – ran on HVO during the trial. Officers reported no performance issues, including during blue-light runs. Vehicles could switch back to diesel as needed for long rural shifts, ensuring operational flexibility. 24/7 access to the fuel from a location close to their headquarters and slick finance processes made adoption straightforward.
“We saw no issues with performance at any point. We purposely switched vehicles back and forth between diesel and HVO — that blendability de-risked our operations. Whilst HVO is slightly more expensive it helps to reduce our carbon footprint without any detriment to operational policing.” – Superintendent Robin Sissons, Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
The Fire Service’s perspective: HVO’s contribution to a wider sustainability drive
For Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue, the HVO trial complemented a broader sustainability programme. The service is testing methods to reduce cab contaminants and is undertaking a range of other measures from issuing reusable water bottles to firefighters, to installing heat pumps and solar panels at fire stations and switching from generator-powered to electric cutting gear. Locally, St Neots fire station has recently undergone a range of renovations and is now the first station in the county to be completely carbon neutral.
Crews reported unchanged performance in day-to-day use of the HVO fuel, and the service stated that use of HVO would likely result in an emissions reduction of “over 80%”.
“We’ve got an ambitious target to be as carbon neutral as possible by 2030. Switching to HVO helps us work towards our carbon neutral goal, but also provides a stepping stone when we consider the cost of fully electric vehicles.” – Vicky Best, Assistant Director at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service
Results: Clean fuel, seamless performance and greater collaboration opportunities unlocked
- Performance: No issues for either service — including blue-light conditions.
- Process: Card-based reconciliation and HDC-led procurement made administration easy.
- Cost: HVO remains more expensive than diesel, but partners continued based on sustainability value.
More opportunities unlocked by the trial
As well as trialling the fuel, by working so closely, the project was able to surface a number of other collaboration opportunities between the emergency services and HDC. All parties were in agreement that if more councils were to mirror HDC’s model and offer HVO fuel in other locations across the county, this would improve operational resilience.
“We couldn’t have trialled HVO on our own, but HDC made it simple. If more councils offered HVO, it would strengthen resilience across the county.” – Superintendent Robin Sissons, Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
“It’s a brilliant example of public sector partnership driving innovation, and we believe it’s the first initiative where a council has partnered with the blue light services for an HVO trial”. – Andrew Rogan, Head of Operational Services at Huntingdonshire District Council.
Lessons learned: A blueprint that others can trust
| Andrew Rogan, Head of Operational Services at Huntingdonshire District Council. |
- HVO met the toughest performance test — emergency response — proving reliability for any civic or commercial fleet.
- Blendability reduces risk for long shifts, rural coverage, and unplanned diversions.
- Collaboration builds trust: shared data and infrastructure pave the way for future joint initiatives.
“From an emissions perspective, HDC offered a fantastic opportunity for us to use HVO. Shared goals made this partnership work, we might be different organisations, but we’re heading for the same destination.” – Vicky Best, Assistant Director at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service
Would HVO reduce the carbon footprint of your fleet vehicles?
HDC is now extending its HVO partnership model and inviting other organisations from the public sector to join a live trial, learn from the operational data, and cut their own fleet’s carbon emissions immediately – without the need for new vehicles or complex infrastructure. Private sector organisations wishing to expand their knowledge about HVO are warmly invited to attend the event.
Explore joining HDC’s HVO partnership
Come and find out more. Book a place at our event “A cleaner, greener fleet: HDC’s story of switching to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).”
Date: Wednesday 11th February 2026.
Time: 10am – 11:30am
Venue: Eastfield House, Latham Road, Huntingdon, PE29 6YG
>> Book a place