First NG Sprinter built from 'first principles'

Mercedes-Benz has started series production of a natural gas version of the Sprinter, with market launch targeted for May 2008. The Sprinter NGT meets Euro 4 emissions standards and is targetted at fleet operators. Mercedes says that emissions of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide have also been reduced dramatically compared with the diesel engine. CO2 savings are around 20% compared to gasoline, and the vehicle is virtually carbon neutral when powered by biogas. Running costs are said to be close to 30% lower than a comparable diesel model variants.

Mercedes says that operating costs of the new Sprinter NGT are significant. These savings are guaranteed in Germany at least, thanks to a reduced tax rate on natural gas that lasts until at least 2018. In addition German energy suppliers offer subsidies to operators who purchase natural gas vehicles, and some institutions offer cheap loans. 

Mercedes-Benz has gone for a bivalent drive on the Sprinter NGT. The basic engine, a four-cylinder unit with a displacement of 1.8 liters, will also run on petrol, extending the range up to 1200 kilometers.

Equipped with a belt-driven supercharger with a compressor, the engine develops 115 kW (156 hp) and reaches maximum torque of 240 Nm (177 lb-ft). Both figures apply both to natural gas and gasoline mode, a significant improvement over the earlier Sprinter NGT model. The natural gas-powered Sprinter is fitted with a six-speed manual transmission as standard,and comes with the option of a driver-friendly torque converter.

Filling up with natural gas is also easy using the filler connection just above the filler neck for the petrol tank.

Although Mercedes-Benz has offered a natural gas version of the Sprinter since 1997, this is the first time the company has built a compressed natural gas version of the Sprinter from first principles. In the past, the NGT Sprinters have used a conversion from a gasoline engine—the M 111 E 23.