FEV analysis: TCO cut by up to 33% through range extender trucks

FEV has published new analysis results on the economic efficiency of electrified commercial vehicles as part of an internal research program. 

The evaluation of extensive techno-economic data shows: depending on the driving cycle, through trucks with range extender architecture (REEV/Hybrid BEV) the total cost of ownership (TCO) can be reduced by up to 33% compared to conventional diesel trucks – while also significantly reducing CO₂ emissions. Even in the most unfavorable long-haul scenario, the TCO declined by approximately 14%.

Calculations are based on realistic European usage profiles with overnight charging at industrial electricity prices of around 19 cents per kilowatt hour. In regions with lower electricity costs, the advantage is correspondingly higher.

Cost-effectiveness without megawatt charging infrastructure

A key lever of the REEV architecture is the reduced battery size compared to purely battery-electric long-haul trucks. While typical BEV trucks require battery capacities of around 560 kWh, a REEV truck can manage with around 280 kWh. 

Even with slower AC charging at 22 kW, around 240 kWh can be recharged overnight – enough to power the vehicle almost entirely electrically for the next day. Thus, a megawatt charging infrastructure is not necessary for economical operation.

Significant TCO advantage in the cost-critical commercial vehicle market

The economic advantage of the range extender architecture results from several factors. The smaller battery of a REEV truck reduces vehicle costs and weight while increasing payload. Also, the high proportion of electric driving enables low energy costs, especially when charging at depots at night at industrial electricity prices.

Due to their low dependence on public high-performance charging infrastructure, REEV trucks can be seamlessly integrated into existing depot structures.

www.fev.com

MODS Launches Digital Enablement Service to Maximize ROI from Industrial Software Investments

MODS, a global provider of intelligent industrial software solutions, announces the launch of their Digital Enablement services, ensuring customers achieve immediate value, seamless adoption, and overall success from their digital investments.

An agile software provider, MODS moves beyond traditional implementations to deliver a bespoke experience that helps clients maintain business continuity through every stage of digital transition. 

MODS Digital Enablement supports the full journey from purchase to business-as-usual and beyond. 

The service combines training, system configuration, data readiness, an interim Super User, software customization, and continuous support into one flexible offering.

“At MODS, we don’t just provide software — we deliver success. Digital Enablement is a proactive change management and implementation service that ensures our customers realize value from Day 1, with quality-assured workflows, rapid adoption, and a clear path to measurable ROI.” – Jon Bell, CEO told That's Business.

From Purchase to Performance: A Proven Enablement Model

MODS Digital Enablement follows a six-step framework to deliver seamless implementation and long-term value:

Agree & Train – Full product demonstrations, user training, and skills-gap closure.

Optimize – Workflow assessments to identify and resolve process pinch-points before go-live.

Quality Assure – Data collection, digitization, validation, and system tuning to client needs.

Pre-populate – Systems are pre-loaded with project or asset data for immediate use.

Support – Ongoing change management, training, and implementation assistance.

Business as Usual – MODS can temporarily operate digital workflows on behalf of clients to ensure continuity during transition.

This approach significantly reduces implementation time and delivers value from the first day of use.

Designed for Real-World Project Workflows

MODS Digital Enablement includes bespoke software customization. Enhancements may include new features, integrations, templates, and workflow tools tailored to a client’s operational environment. Examples include: integration with enterprise systems (e.g., ERM), bespoke templates and automated reports, and new tools that streamline execution workflows. These customizations ensure faster returns on investment while aligning digital systems with existing processes.

https://mods.solutions

From SMEs to Corporates: How UK Employers Can Increase Productivity Through Employee Happiness

Learn how UK organisations of all sizes can enhance employee wellbeing, reduce staff turnover, and improve business performance.

For SMEs and larger corporations alike, improving working life isn’t just good ethics — it’s good business. Employees who feel valued, supported and trusted are more productive, loyal and engaged.

Here are the essentials:

1. Build a Culture of Respect

Encourage open communication, listen to feedback, and recognise contributions. Trust reduces micromanagement and increases accountability.

2. Offer Flexible Working

Hybrid models, flexible hours or compressed weeks can significantly reduce stress and improve morale — often at little cost.

3. Prioritise Wellbeing

Support mental and physical health through realistic workloads, access to wellbeing resources, and leadership that models healthy boundaries.

4. Invest in Development

Training, mentoring and clear career progression keep staff motivated and reduce turnover.

5. Recognise Achievement

Simple gestures, public thanks, small rewards, milestone celebrations, can have a powerful impact on morale.

6. Strengthen Leadership

Good managers communicate clearly, lead fairly and support their teams. Poor management remains one of the main reasons people leave jobs.

The Bottom Line

When employees thrive, productivity rises, absenteeism falls, and recruitment costs decrease. Whether you’re running a growing SME or a large corporate operation, investing in workplace happiness is a strategic advantage — not a luxury.

That's Food and Drink: Vegan Chocolat Expands Professional Range with Cos...

That's Food and Drink: Vegan Chocolat Expands Professional Range with Cos...: Vegan Chocolat has announced the launch of two new professional chocolate chip products designed to support food businesses seeking reliable...

GAP Group North East launches UK‑wide insulation panel recycling to tackle construction’s hidden waste and pollution problem

A North East–founded recycling business has launched a UK‑wide insulation panel recycling service to tackle one of construction’s most overlooked environmental problems: what happens to insulation at end of life. 

Construction is responsible for around 62% of all waste generated in the UK and roughly a third of everything sent to landfill, despite national targets to drive that figure close to zero.

Insulation is essential for cutting operational carbon in buildings, but once removed from a roof, façade or cold store it is still too often treated as disposable. 

In practice, that means composite and foam‑cored panels going into mixed skips, then into landfill, shredding or low‑grade incineration routes, where they can persist for centuries, releasing microplastics or releasing trapped blowing agents, harmful gasses and other pollutants.​

GAP Group North East’s new service gives contractors and facilities managers a compliant, direct‑to‑processor route for end‑of‑life insulation panels, helping to divert complex materials away from landfill and uncontrolled disposal. 

Panels collected from projects across the UK are processed through GAP Group’s specialist fridge‑recycling lines in Gateshead and Perth, where metal skins and insulation cores are separated and the gasses removed so that recyclable fractions can be recovered and hazardous components handled under strict environmental controls.

The environmental stakes are high. Older insulated panels – especially legacy cold‑room and composite units – can contain foams blown with ozone‑depleting substances or high‑global‑warming‑potential gases, which regulations say must be captured and treated rather than simply released during shredding, burning or uncontrolled disposal. 

At the same time, plastic‑foam cores such as EPS and other petrochemical‑based materials do not biodegrade and can break down into persistent microplastics that spread through soil and water, adding to the wider plastic pollution crisis.

Peter Moody, CEO at GAP Group North East, told That's Business: “Insulation has helped cut energy use in buildings, but if we just dump the panels at end of life, we are swapping one environmental problem for another.” 

Moody added “By putting insulated panels through the same kind of highly regulated lines we use for fridges, we can recover metals, control and capture blowing agents, and stop these materials ending up as uncontrolled pollution or long‑term landfill burden. That means a real reduction in embodied carbon and environmental risk for our customers’ projects.”

By routing waste panels through its established plants, GAP Group North East can:

Separate and recycle metal facings, reducing the need for virgin metal production and cutting associated carbon emissions.

Treat foam cores and blowing agents in line with ozone‑depleting substance and climate regulations, rather than allowing gases to escape during demolition, burning or landfill.

Provide a clear audit trail so contractors can evidence responsible management of one of their more complex waste streams and demonstrate progress against ESG and net‑zero commitments.

The new insulation panel service sits alongside GAP Group’s wider multi‑stream offer – including fridges, small WEEE, vapes, batteries, displays and more – enabling construction and FM customers to consolidate difficult, compliance‑sensitive waste streams with a single national recycler.

 For a sector under pressure to cut waste to landfill from 13% of total arisings towards a 1% target, services that unlock higher‑value recovery from “forgotten” fractions such as insulation panels are becoming a critical part of credible sustainability strategies.

GAP Group North East is a direct‑to‑processor specialist recycler handling a wide range of electrical and specialist waste streams, including fridges, small WEEE, vapes, batteries, lighting, cables and insulation panels. 

Founded in the North East of England but operating UK‑wide, the company runs processing facilities in Gateshead and Perth and provides fast, compliant national collections, detailed reporting and strong ESG support for business customers.

https://gapgroupuk.com

The Green Gloss: When “Eco-Friendly” Advertising Isn’t What It Seems

Is this where vegan leather comes from?

Walk into any high-street shop or scroll through online listings and you’ll see a familiar promise: eco-friendly, conscious, planet-kind. 

One label in particular has become a marketing darling... “vegan leather.” It sounds ethical, modern, and environmentally responsible. But scratch the surface and a less comfortable truth emerges.

What is “vegan leather,” really?

In most cases, vegan leather isn’t a clever plant-based breakthrough. It’s plastic, usually polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These are fossil-fuel-derived materials that don’t biodegrade and can shed microplastics throughout their life cycle.

Yes, they avoid animal hides. But avoiding animals doesn’t automatically make a product environmentally friendly.

Why the term feels misleading

The problem isn’t that alternatives to animal leather exist — they should. The issue is how they’re presented.

Calling plastic bags, shoes, or jackets “vegan leather” allows brands to:

Wrap synthetic materials in ethical language

Lean on the growing interest in vegan and cruelty-free lifestyles

Imply environmental virtue without addressing plastic use

At a time when consumers are urged to cut down on single-use plastics, refill containers, and choose natural fibres, this feels like a bait-and-switch.

Eco-friendly… compared to what?

Much of this advertising relies on relative claims:

“More sustainable than leather”

“A conscious alternative”

“Animal-free and ethical”

But relative to what, exactly?

If a “vegan leather” tote is:

Made from virgin plastic

Manufactured overseas

Designed to last only a season or two

…then its overall environmental footprint may be worse than a well-made leather item that lasts decades and can be repaired.

Durability matters. Longevity matters. End-of-life disposal matters. These rarely make it into the marketing copy.

The plastic problem we’re not talking about

Plastics marketed as fashion materials don’t magically escape the environmental issues we associate with packaging:

They don’t biodegrade

They can shed microplastics into water systems

Recycling options are limited or non-existent for mixed materials

Yet the same material, when shaped into a handbag rather than a carrier bag, suddenly becomes “eco”.

That’s not progress — that’s rebranding.

Are there better alternatives?

Yes — but they’re often drowned out by louder, cheaper options.

Some genuinely innovative materials include:

Cork leather

Apple or grape waste composites

Natural rubber

Waxed cotton or heavy canvas

Recycled fibres (when transparently labelled and responsibly sourced)

These aren’t perfect, but they’re usually more honest about trade-offs and don’t rely on greenwashed language.

Why clearer rules are needed

Terms like “eco-friendly”, “sustainable”, and “vegan leather” are still poorly regulated in advertising. That leaves consumers to decode vague claims while trying to do the right thing.

Clearer labelling could include:

The actual material composition

Whether plastics are virgin or recycled

Expected product lifespan

End-of-life guidance (repair, recycle, dispose

Without this, shoppers are left making ethical decisions with incomplete information.

Choosing better, not just “greener”

This isn’t an argument for or against leather, veganism, or fashion choices. It’s a call for honesty.

If a product is plastic, say so.

If it’s animal-free but not biodegradable, say so.

If it’s trendy but short-lived, don’t dress it up as planet-saving.

True sustainability isn’t about catchy labels — it’s about materials, durability, transparency, and accountability. Until advertising reflects that, consumers will keep paying a premium for products that sound green but behave very differently once they leave the shop.

Sometimes the most eco-friendly choice isn’t the one with the loudest claim, it’s the one that simply lasts.

Historic Routemaster Buses Take to the Streets to Mark 70 Years of Public Service

A special fleet of iconic London Routemaster buses will return to the capital’s streets today, Sunday 8th February, to mark the 70th anniversary of the Routemaster entering public service.

The commemorative road run is being organised by the Routemaster Association with support from Transport for London (TfL) and London Transport Museum and will recreate Route 2, the very route on which RM1, the first production Routemaster entered passenger service in 1956.

The event will begin with RM1 and other buses gathering at the Ace Café at 09:30am. From there, RM1 will lead a convoy to Golders Green Station and then follow the historic Route 2 through London, finishing at Crystal Palace where members of the public are welcome to see the vehicles up close, speak with owners and crews, and photograph these beautifully preserved buses.

The Routemaster bus remains one of the most recognisable symbols of London, celebrated worldwide for its innovative design, durability, and contribution to public transport history. Many of the vehicles taking part are privately owned and maintained by enthusiasts who are passionate about preserving this important part of Britain’s transport heritage.

Today, RM1 is cared for by London Transport Museum at its Depot in Acton as part of its historic collection documenting London and its journey over the past 200 years.

The event is free to attend, with no tickets or booking required, making it an ideal day out for transport enthusiasts, families, photographers, and anyone with an interest in London’s history.

Speaking ahead of the event, David Lee, Chairman of the Routemaster Association, told That's Business: “The Routemaster is more than just a bus, it’s a design icon and a symbol of London itself. Recreating the very first route it operated on, 70 years to the week after RM1 entered service, feels like a fitting and special way to mark this milestone. We’re delighted to welcome the public to join us."

Talking about the significance of RM1 and this milestone anniversary, Matt Brosnan, Head Curator at London Transport Museum said: ‘We’re delighted that RM1 can take part in this special Routemaster Association convoy marking 70 years since it first entered service. 

"As the very first Routemaster, RM1 is an icon of London’s transport history, and we’re pleased to have recently completed its restoration at our Depot in Acton, where it continues to be carefully maintained by our team. 

"It’s great to join up with the Routemaster Association and Transport for London for the opportunity to see RM1 back out on the road for this anniversary celebration. Members of the public will also be able to enjoy RM1 up close at our upcoming Depot open days in April, where it will be on display as part of our historic vehicle collection."

https://routemaster.org.uk