Earlier this month, a TATA Daewoo high horsepower truck fueled by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) was handed over at the KOGAS LCNG charging station in Daejeon, to commence a long-awaited pilot project. As part of a collaborative arrangement with FPT Industrial, the truck is equipped with a 400hp dedicated natural gas engine from the Italian manufacturer, built onto a TATA Daewoo commercial vehicle chassis.
The HDV can run 800 to 1,000 km on one charge, averaging about 2.9 km per liter of fuel consumption, depending on workload and topography. KOGAS and TATA Daewoo will pilot the vehicle at the GAS TongYoung Base Station and Daejeon LCNG Fuel Station to verify economical and environmental performance.
KOGAS has been promoting the supply of natural gas vehicles to CNG buses since 2000, thereby contributing greatly to the improvement of urban air environment. Now, the LNG vehicle has already proven its environmental, economic and technological advantages compared to hydrogen cars and electric cars and is a practical alternative to improve the air quality at the present stage. It can serve as a bridge to the era of environmentally friendly future transportation.
In particular, about 120,000 diesel trucks over 8 tonnes are currently in operation in Korea, contributing about 60% of the fine dust emissions of the transportation sector. Converting 60 thousand trucks (50%) to LNG by 2030 can reduce particulate emissions by 1,474 tons of fine dust anually, which is 55% of Seoul’s fine dust.
As of August 18, LNG is about 20% cheaper than light oil for lorries receiving oil subsidies and about 40% lower than gasoline for lorries without oil subsidies.
The Korean government is committed to implementing a range of measures in support of expanded us of LNG, including facilitating financial support for the purchase of LNG-fuelled vehicles and the construction of filling stations, the latter in conjunction with the private sector.
Related articles:
- LNG HDVs Poised for Dissemination in Korea
- KOGAS Plans Nearly USD 900 Million Investment in LNG for Mobility
- Daewoo Opts to Build CNG Buses in Mexico
