DHL Freight is bringing environmentally friendly transport to its long-haul road freight by purchasing four Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) -powered Stralis trucks from IVECO in Belgium. These heavy-duty, long-haul trucks have a driving range of up to 1,500 kilometers and enable a total weight of tractor and trailer of up to 40 tons.
The trucks will be employed to create a sustainable transport solution for one of the world’s largest developers and sellers of athletic footwear and sportswear.
“As an excellent long-haul alternative to diesel, natural gas provides a great opportunity for DHL Freight to become front runner in sustainable road freight shipping,” said Uwe Brinks, CEO DHL Freight. “It offers the chance to reduce greenhouse gas and particulate matter emissions, in addition to benefits such as noise reduction and cost savings. With IVECO’s natural gas powered trucks, we can now provide customers with additional options for environmentally friendly long-distance transport and further contribute to DHL’s GoGreen environmental goals.”
The option to choose sustainable shipping has evolved in the last two decades, growing from a niche market mostly confined to local urban solutions to now being cost-effective and implementable for heavy loads over long distances. The trucks purchased by DHL Freight meet the strict Euro 6 emissions standards, making them an excellent choice for future operations.
The IVECO Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG-) powered Stralis provides substantial advantages that make it a sensible investment for the future. Compared to diesel, the use of liquid natural gas reduces particulate matter emissions by 99 percent and nitrogen dioxide by 96 percent. CO2 is reduced by up to 10 percent and can be even reduced up to 95 percent by using the renewable natural gas, biomethane. As for noise pollution, vehicles using natural gas produce up to 50 percent less noise than diesel vehicles. In addition to these clear environmental benefits, liquid natural gas provides economic benefits, due to its lower cost.
The 4×2 tractors from IVECO contain two Liquefied Natural Gas tanks that provide a driving range of up to 1,500 kilometers. The engine has 400 horsepower or 1,700 Newton meters, which is only slightly lower than diesel, which has 450 horsepower or 2,100 Newton meters. Nearly all of the regular features of the conventional IVECO Stralis, such as automated or manual transmission, are available in the LNG-powered model.
Source: DHL
