BMW pilot project shows LNG efficiency for long-haul prime mover activity
BMW Group has wrapped up a pilot project with Iveco to test trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) for their future long-haul operations.
The Iveco’s Stralis NP 400 was able to complete a 530km round trip between the BMW manufacturing plant in Steyr, Austria, and a facility in the German centre of Regensburg on one full tank.
Thomas Irrenhauser, who supervised the two-week pilot project for BMW, said he saw LNG as a reasonable and sustainable alternative to diesel, saying its emission of nitrogen dioxide were up to 60 per cent lower and noise levels were down 50 per cent.
Iveco brand president Pierre Lahutte said he was seeing a number of international manufacturers and logistics operators considering LNG for their transport requirements.
“We are very proud that BMW has taken in Iveco’s vision of the future of the sector, with natural gas being the next step towards sustainability,” he said.
Iveco said the use of LNG offered more autonomy, as a vehicle with electric traction would have had to recharge several times during the 530km round trip, while offering a saving of between 20-40 per cent in fuel costs and a 15 per cent reduction in fuel consumption when compared to diesel.