Volvo Trucks starts field testing of LNG

“Increased use of gas is a bridge towards climate-neutral transports,” commented Lars Mårtensson, Environmental Director at Volvo Trucks. “Biogas production is already taking off in many countries. We’re currently in a transition period, moving from decades of dependence on oil to a society built on renewable fuels. When trucks can operate on 80 percent pure biogas and 20 percent pure biodiesel, carbon emissions will be 80 percent lower than with conventional diesel technology,” he added.

The field test trucks are equipped with special tanks for liquefied methane gas. Liquid gas is the optimum fuel for methane diesel technology. When liquid methane and diesel are used in a ratio of 75-25, a truck performing long haul or intercity duties has an operating range 500 to 1000 km, depending on driving conditions. This is twice the operating range of methane diesel vehicles running on compressed gas and four times that of gas trucks with Otto engines.

“In order for our methane diesel gas technology to have a wide impact, the distribution network for methane gas needs to be developed. The new filling station is an important step in that direction,” says Mårtensson.

Filling stations have previously only existed for CNG (compressed natural gas). If methane gas is cooled down to minus 160 °C instead of being compressed, it becomes liquid and its volume is reduced by half. In this case, it is called LNG (liquefied natural gas), or LBG (liquefied biogas) if it is a biogas. Both these gases are also called LMG (liquefied methane gas).

Three filling stations for liquefied methane gas have been planned in Sweden to date. Besides the completed one in Göteborg, Aga will open a filling station in Stockholm, and Eon will open one in Malmö. Volvo Trucks is a partner in all the projects. There are plans to build additional stations if demand increases.

Source: Volvo Trucks