We are acting now: 90 percent less carbon emissions per truck

An Iveco Daily and an Iveco Stralis NP are in action. The former is a 136 hp panel truck which is used for the daily supply of our partners around the headquarters in Allendorf (Eder). The semitrailer truck Iveco Stralis NP has 400 hp. This supplies the Faulquemont (France) plant and the regional warehouse in Hannover.

An average trip by the Daily is 300 kilometers long. By using biogas, the vehicle emits only 16 kilograms of CO₂. A comparable diesel vehicle would emit 140 kilograms over the same distance. This is a saving of almost 90 percent CO₂ per trip.

The semitrailer truck covers 310 kilometers to Faulquemont. Thanks to the biogas drive, it emits only 8 kilograms of CO₂. A conventional truck emits around 260 kilograms of the greenhouse gas. Savings here are therefore even higher than 90 percent per trip.

Refueling with compressed natural gas (CNG) is already possible at several hundred filling stations in Germany and abroad – and it doesn’t take much longer than filling a diesel truck.

But how is biogas actually produced? It is either generated by biogas plants, such as the one at Viessmann’s Allendorf site – or with the aid of power-to-gas technology: in electrolysis, electricity splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is enriched with carbon dioxide through a chemical reaction. This produces methane that can be used for electricity production, heat supply, or even gas cars.

Less particulate matter, fewer nitrogen oxides, and quieter operation

Another ecological advantage of gas-powered trucks: they emit up to 99 percent less particulate matter and 60 percent fewer nitrogen oxides than comparable diesel vehicles. And they are 20 decibels quieter, too. Nevertheless, CNG trucks are still rarely seen in forwarders’ fleets. This is also due to the fact that only a few manufacturers offer these drive systems.

Another environmentally friendly alternative to vehicles with diesel engines are fully electric trucks, which are currently under development. However, with a maximum range of around 200 kilometers, they are not yet suitable for our purposes.