Natural gas vehicles have largely fallen out of favour due to the current debate about electric cars. Wrongly so. After all, when fuelled with bio natural gas, they already combine CO2-neutral mobility with a long range and build on an existing infrastructure. Reason enough, therefore, to continue to view the technology as a sensible building block for the energy transition. This is exactly what the company Ludwig Kreiling GmbH & Co KG is doing. Since the beginning of April, the Giessen-based waste disposal company has been using a skip lorry powered by natural gas.
Kreiling refuels its new Scania truck with its 340 hp exclusively on the premises of Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) - as does the MIT.BUS fleet. This means that 100 per cent CO2-neutral bio natural gas flows into the high-strength tank cylinders. "The tanks hold a total of 180 kilograms of gas. That's enough for 450 kilometres of local transport," explains Oliver Kreiling, Managing Director of the family business. "We are naturally delighted that SWG made the decision easier for us and is sponsoring the lorry," he adds.
In fact, SWG has been supporting the purchase of environmentally friendly natural gas cars and vans since 2004. Over the past 15 years, 650 customers have decided to take advantage of this bonus, opt for natural gas in their tank and - compared to a petrol engine - only pay around half the cost of fuel. "We ourselves have only had good experiences with natural gas drives at our subsidiary MIT.BUS, proving that natural gas is also a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative for heavier vehicles. So it was obvious to include trucks in the programme," explains Ina Weller, SWG company spokesperson and Head of Marketing & Sales at SWG.
Advantage for the environment
Of course, costs play an important role in a company. "As a specialised waste management company, protecting the environment has been close to our hearts for 120 years," continues Oliver Kreiling. And this is precisely where the alternative fuel offers many advantages: the nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbon emissions of the Scania skip loader are significantly lower than those of comparable diesel lorries. Soot particles and benzenes are virtually non-existent in its exhaust gas. "The engine also impresses with a significantly quieter driving noise," adds Benjamin Deibel, Transport Manager at Kreiling. The decisive environmental advantage, however, is the considerable CO2 savings. This is because Kreiling will cover around 35,000 kilometres a year with the new truck - practically CO2-neutral.
SWG and Kreiling, which has been in existence since 1899, have a long-standing partnership that goes beyond the transport of the natural gas lorry. For example, the specialists dispose of the slag and filter ash from the TREA. The secondary fuel required to operate the two innovative plants is produced by a Kreiling subsidiary. And in the SWG yard there is a press for paper and cardboard and a container for commercial waste - both from Kreiling. "The subsidisation of the lorry is the icing on the cake, so to speak," says Thomas Wagner, Head of Industrial and Business Customer Sales at SWG.
The subsidy programme for natural gas vehicles of all kinds will of course continue. Anyone who registers a natural gas car with the licence plates GI, WZ or LDK can fill up at the Aral station in Marburger Straße 229 in Giessen at half price for one year. All information is available on the Internet at
www.swg-energie.de/privatkunden/erdgas