Volvo Trucks Begins Liquid Gas Field Testing

Volvo Trucks announced today the start of a public field testing with methane diesel trucks that can run on liquefied methane gas. At the same time, Sweden’s first filling station for liquefied methane gas will open at Stigs Center in Goteborg. According to the Swedish manufacturer, trucks running on liquid gas combined with methane diesel technology has up to four times longer driving range compared to most traditional gas trucks.

Three Volvo FM trucks with 13-litre engines are currently being field tested. The technology is based on Volvo's Euro 5 diesel engine, which has been converted for gas operation.

The field test trucks are equipped with special tanks for liquefied methane gas. 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 of 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.

"Until the infrastructure for liquid methane gas has been fully expanded, it is also a great advantage for trucks powered by methane diesel engines to be able to run on diesel alone," explains Mats Franzen, Manager of Engine Strategy and Planning at Volvo Trucks.

The field test vehicles are being operated by transport companies DHL, Gotene Kyltransporter and Renova. Three filling stations for liquefied methane gas have been planned in Sweden to date. Besides the completed one in Goteborg, Aga will open a filling station in Stockholm, and Eon will open one in Malmo.

"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," stated Lars Martensson, Environmental Director at Volvo Trucks.