| Re: Volvo - First to market gas powered trucks for long hauls
@Volkman, nice find there.
From the above article: Quote: |
Volvo Trucks is enhancing its focus on alternative fuels with the launch of the new Volvo FM MethaneDiesel. This truck is powered by up to 75 percent gas. Thanks to its fuel-efficient technology – which extends the vehicle’s operating range – it can considerably reduce CO2 emissions from heavy and long-distance transport operations
| Quote: Better exhaust filtration technology and lower emissions
Compared with conventional gas-powered spark-plug engines, Volvo’s gas technology offers 30 to 40 percent higher efficiency, and this in turn cuts fuel consumption by 25 percent. This means that if a Volvo gas-powered truck is run on biogas, emissions of carbon dioxide would be able to be cut by up to 70 percent compared with a conventional diesel engine.
Since the price of natural gas is often significantly lower than that of diesel, financial savings are also possible; this is often a necessary precondition for widespread acceptance of new technology.
| Quote: Facts, Volvo FM MethaneDiesel
The Volvo FM MethaneDiesel is powered by up to 75% natural gas or biogas – both of which consist of methane gas. The engine technology is based on a conventional diesel engine equipped with gas injectors, a special Thermos-like fuel tank that keeps the gas liquefied and chilled to -140 degrees Celsius, and a specially modified catalytic converter. By using liquefied gas, more fuel can be stored in the tanks compared to if the fuel is compressed. This gives the methane-diesel truck a far greater range than that of traditional gas-powered trucks that utilise spark-plug technology. In a truck with a gross weight of 40 tonnes, the fuel tank holds enough gas for a range of up to 500 kilometres in normal driving.
The new Volvo FM MethaneDiesel is offered with a 13-litre engine producing 460 horsepower and 2300 Nm of torque. The fuel consists of up to 75 percent liquefied gas and the rest diesel, but the proportions can vary depending on how the vehicle is used.
Volvo Trucks’ field tests show that methane-diesel technology offers the same high operating reliability as a conventional diesel engine. Driveability is similar to the one of a conventional diesel truck. If the gas tank runs dry, the system automatically switches over to diesel. The driver is alerted via a control lamp that comes on in the instrument panel.
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