Argentina has just reached a milestone on the road to sustainable transport with the introduction of the country’s first-ever liquid natural gas-powered trucks.
In mid-September, Scania Argentina presented a fleet of six LNG trucks to Transportes Andreu, a haulier from Mendoza, in a ceremony in Buenos Aires that was attended by officials from ENARGAS, the country’s national gas regulator.
Leonardo Andreu, Director of Transportes Andreu, certainly believes that the trucks’ blend of efficiency and clean technology will help his company. “We are always looking to meet our customers’ needs in an innovative way, with the best technology and the least impact on the environment, and that is why we have acquired these LNG trucks. With these vehicles we will be more efficient in providing our services.”
A track record of sustainable transport
Scania and ENARGAS have been working together for some time to import gas-powered vehicles to Argentina, and the pioneering deal with Transportes Andreu adds to the already impressive progress the truck maker has made towards sustainable transport in Europe.
“For the first time, the country is going to have vehicles that runs completely on gas, and more specifically on LNG,” says Julián Rosso, Head of Sales Engineering at Scania Argentina.
“It is a proven technology and there are already more than 2,500 Scania trucks operating in Europe, which means that from a technological point of view, the product is an efficient, safe and aligned solution with Argentina’s energy matrix.”
Lower emissions, and less noisy too
In a neat twist that amounts to a ‘virtual pipeline’, Transportes Andreu will use the LNG-powered trucks to transport liquid natural gas. The six trucks are equipped with nine-litre, five-cylinder engines, and are capable of delivering 340hp with a torque of 1600Nm.
And the trucks are not only impressive in their carbon reduction and power capabilities.
“In addition to the trucks’ reduction in emissions, it is also important to note that their engines are much quieter. So from the operational point of view the customer will have an extremely powerful and efficient engine that also has a low environmental impact in terms of emissions and noise,” says Rosso.
“Liquefied natural gas is stored in two cryogenic tanks at a temperature of minus 163°C. With both tanks, you can achieve a range of more than 1,200km – equal to any vehicle with a diesel engine. As well as the efficiency and performance that characterises any Scania engine, these trucks’ exhaust gases are clean and mainly consist of water vapour, and they actually far exceed the Euro 6 emission standard in force in Europe.”
NOTE: GGM is working closely together with Scania and ENARGAS providing consultancy for the certification and homologation of these LNG units
Source: SCANIA GROUP