Scania Chile P310 – natural gas powered garbage collection
Scania Chile S.A. has introduced a new range of compressed natural gas (CNG) powered vehicles to the Chilean marketplace. The event took place at the residence of the Swedish Embassy in the presence of Minister for the Environment, María Ignacia Benítez. The new vehicles are the city truck P310, which runs on natural gas or biogas, and the K 270 bus, both factory fitted to operate on natural gas.
The development and integration of environment friendly technology enables these solutions to comply with the stringent EEV (enhanced environmental friendly vehicle) standard, which is higher than the Euro V, and for instance allows the P310 truck to reduce CO2 emissions up to 90% when running on biogas.
Silvio Munhoz, Managing Director for Scania Chile, expressed confidence in the rapid introduction of these vehicles into the national market, and stated that “it causes us great satisfaction to present a true, real and comprehensive green solution for national transport, which we are sure will constitute a valuable tool for improving the Chilean people’s quality of life”. Munhoz commented on the importance of public and private sectors working cohesively, t0 “bring forth policies that create better incentives for stakeholders.”
Speaking at the event, AutoGasco General Manager, Manuel José Bennett, stated that “we hope this first step and experience in gas powered heavy duty transport will be replicated and that there will be appropriate incentives for it to spread. The right conditions exist in our country. We have a secure supply thanks to the Quintero Terminal and AutoGasco has a fuelling station network which spreads from regions II to XII”.
At the launch, a strategic alliance with Autogasco was also announced, with the aim of securing the availability of green fuel, aimed at increasing confidence to adopt heavy duty natural gas vehicles.
The P310 truck, configured for urban refuse collection, is claimed to be the first of its type in Latin America. It features a low-noise engine making the truck suitable for night shift urban operation.
The Scania K270 UB 4×2 bus is exclusively powered by natural gas and is available through Scania Chile for companies to test and verify its performance and cost effectiveness.
Additionally, the company also carries out the “capacitación de conductores Scania” (Scania drivers’ training) initiative, aimed at teaching drivers to obtain the maximum performance out of their vehicles and to drive them effectively, raising awareness on good practices which help to comply with green requirements and preserve a sustainable environment.
(This article compiled using information from a Scania Chile press release)
