BMW does not manufacture NG vehicles, but it relies on LNG and Bio-LNG for emission-free transport logistics at their manufacturing BMW plant in Regensburg (Germany). Two Iveco Stralis 460 NP easily complete the daily round trip delivering engines from Steyr, in Austria with one tank of fuel. With an electric drive, several recharges would be required for the 530 kilometers. The logistics company Duvenbeck relies in LNG for the job. Managing Director Jörg Witt: “CO2 reduction is an important task for our company in the coming years. In addition to our modern equipment, the targeted use of LNG vehicles on selected routes is an elementary contribution for our customers to achieve the emission targets that have been set. "
CO2 emissions are reduced by up to a quarter compared to conventional diesel. The emission of nitrogen oxides is reduced by more than 60 percent. Fine dust is reduced totally. If you are able to fill up with liquefied biogas (LBG or Bio-LNG) instead of LNG, you will be almost CO2 -neutral on the way.
For BMW Group, the gas trucks prove how worthwhile it is to establish sustainable alternatives in heavy haulage. LNG is only one option. “Our approach is open to technology,” explains BMW innovation expert Benedikt Anderhofstadt. "In order to achieve the climate goals, we are pursuing several long-term approaches." As part of the European research project “H2Haul” , BMW is also participating in model tests with hydrogen - this is another building block on the way to an ambitious sustainability goal for the company: By 2050, the entire BMW Group's transport logistics are to be climate-neutral.
Similarly, Renault has in also confirmed the logistics advantages of gas-fuelled trucks and utilizes them for the delivery in the French Sandouville on a fleet of biogas trucks. Instead of using LNG as in the case of BMW, due to the shorter distances, the French manufacturer and its forwarding agent rely on Scania trucks fuelled with CNG. The Breger Transports group delivers parts for car production from the 330 km distant location of the supplier Faurecia in Bains-sur-Oust (Ille-et-Vilaine) and thanks to the availability of biogas it even is virtually CO2 neutral for the Renault plant.
Carbon-neutral logistics are possible with bio-methane. The road to this ultimate goal can start today. In places where bio-methane is not available yet, or is not enough, it can start with fossil Natural Gas which will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 25%. The infrastructure and the vehicles are the same, so when the renewable option arrives there won't be any changes. NG and RNG can be blended if necessary.
One additional advantage, especially for countries where there is no production of Natural Gas, is that RNG can be produced locally, and contribute to replace expensive energy imports while eliminating environmental liabilities from landfills, agricultural waste, water and sewage treatment plants, etc.
Source: CNG-Mobility.ch