For many sectors – including rail, construction, logistics and specialist fleet operations – full electrification remains some distance away. High asset costs, operational demands, infrastructure constraints and limited technology availability mean internal combustion engines will continue to play a critical role for years to come.
That reality is driving growing interest in what might be described as “transitional decarbonisation technologies” – solutions aimed at reducing fuel consumption, lowering emissions and extending asset life within existing fleets.
One area attracting renewed attention is engine carbon cleaning.
A recent trial involving rail engineering specialist 1stinrail explored the use of hydrogen-based engine cleaning technology across a fleet of maintenance vehicles operating on the London Underground network. According to the companies involved, the trial reported average fuel and CO₂ savings of around 15% across the vehicles tested.
The technology, developed by Engine Carbon Clean, uses on-demand hydrogen generation to remove carbon deposits from combustion engines internally, with the aim of restoring engine efficiency and improving combustion performance.
While such claims will understandably attract scrutiny from experienced operators, the broader conversation surrounding technologies like this is becoming increasingly relevant across hard-to-decarbonise sectors.
Quick wins
For fleet operators facing mounting ESG requirements, fuel cost pressures and customer sustainability expectations, the appeal of lower-cost operational improvements is obvious – particularly where immediate vehicle replacement is unrealistic.
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 to 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.”
Importantly, the discussion is no longer solely about headline carbon targets. It is increasingly about practicality.
Can operators reduce fuel use without replacing entire fleets? Can asset life be safely extended while still lowering emissions? Can incremental improvements help businesses manage the transition period more affordably?
These questions are particularly pertinent for industries reliant on specialist heavy-duty vehicles, where operational resilience and uptime remain paramount.
The companies behind the rail trial position engine carbon cleaning not as a replacement for longer-term decarbonisation strategies, but as a “quick win” capable of delivering measurable reductions today. That framing may resonate with many operators currently navigating the gap between ambitious climate targets and operational reality.
Across the liquid fuels sector, distributors are already exploring a wide range of measures to reduce fleet emissions and improve efficiency, including route optimisation, telematics, idle reduction strategies, driver behaviour monitoring, renewable fuels such as HVO and improvements in depot energy management.
Technologies aimed at restoring or improving engine efficiency could increasingly become part of that wider operational toolkit.
Transition tools
However, as with any emerging or performance-based technology, robust data, independent validation and real-world operational evidence will remain critical. Fleet operators are unlikely to be persuaded by marketing claims alone. Long-term durability of savings, consistency across duty cycles and measurable return on investment will ultimately determine whether solutions such as engine carbon cleaning gain wider traction.
Nonetheless, the growing interest in these technologies highlights an important shift in the transition conversation.
For many businesses, decarbonisation is no longer viewed solely through the lens of wholesale replacement. Increasingly, it is also about how existing assets can operate more efficiently, more cleanly and more economically during the transition period ahead.
Image provided by 1stinrail