Volvo: gas a natural alternative
The Swedish giant says liquefied natural gas and biogas are excellent non-diesel alternatives for trucks that can offer major CO2 reductions right nowA week after Daimler caused a sensation with its GenH2 hydrogen fuel cell concept truck, Volvo Trucks – with whom Daimler has partnered to further hydrogen fuel cell research and development – has restated the benefits of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and biogas as an alternative to diesel.
The Swedish trucking heavyweight says it's seeing "increased interest" from operators in its LNG and biogas Volvo FM and FH models, which it says offer equivalent performance to diesel-engined trucks while reducing CO2 emissions by up to 100 per cent.
Compared to ordinary standard European diesel, Volvo says a truck run on LNG can reduce net 'tank to wheel' CO2 emissions by 20 per cent, while a truck powered by biogas, also known as Bio-LNG, can reduce these emissions by up to 100 per cent.
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Commercially viable alternative
"Today, LNG-fueled trucks are the most commercially viable alternative to ordinary diesel for heavy long-haul operations," says Lars Mårtensson, Director of Environment and Innovation at Volvo Trucks.
"This fuel is available in sufficiently large quantities and at a competitive price. Using more gas trucks creates favourable conditions for making a transition to a larger share of liquefied biogas over time."
However, just as with battery-electric vehicles and FCEVs (fuel cell electric vehicles), a major challenge lies with the rollout of the required infrastructure – in this case giving truck drivers sufficient access to gas refueling facilities.
"By investing in LNG trucks, we are showing that Bio-LNG is an important alternative to reduce dependency on fossil diesel," says Mr Mårtensson.
"However, to speed up the transition to climate-neutral transport, it is necessary to continue investing in liquefied gas filling stations and carrying out measures to make it easier for hauliers to invest heavy in heavy gas-powered vehicles."
The infrastructure challenge
Mr Mårtensson says a mix of alternative fuels will be crucial in the transition to carbon-neutral transport.
"Embracing new technology will be the key to achieving climate neutrality," he says.
"The share of LNG trucks will gradually increase in Europe. But gas trucks won't be able to meet all transport challenges. Electromobility will play an important role locally, as well as regionally going forward, and the development of batteries and charging infrastructure will be important factors in its expansion."
And while advances are clearly being made in hydrogen fuel cell technology, especially by companies such as Daimler and Hyundai, Mr Mårtensson says there are still many challenges to overcome.
"Although promising developments have been made in hydrogen fuel cell technology, there are still practical and financial obstacles to overcome before it can provide significant climate benefits in heavy-duty transport," he says.
"A lot can already be done to reduce climate impact with today's engines. For instance, both new and older diesel trucks from Volvo can run on HVO, a biofuel producing very low net CO2 emissions. The challenge is that the availability of biofuels continues to be so limited."
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