In his speech for the opening of the Bedrijfsauto 2012 conference in Amsterdam mid-April, State Secretary Atsma (Infrastructure and Environment) declared his intention to pave the way for type approval of dual-fuel (diesel and natural gas) technology, thereby removing an obstacle for market penetration in The Netherlands. Recognising that for certain operating conditions they provide a sustainable economic alternative, Atsma is keen to get them legalised as soon as possible.
The present limitation on dual-fuel technology is because there is no provision in either Dutch legislation or the European emission legislation to describe how such engines can be tested for compliance to mandatory emission requirements. Secretary Atsma is therefore in agreement with the RDW ( ‘Rijksdienst voor Wegverkeer’) — an executive agency responsible to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment as the admission authority for Dutch vehicles — toward drawing up an approval regime, including an environmental test.
Dual-fuel trucks driving on a mixture of diesel and gas — CNG, LNG or biomethane (bio-CNG or bio-LNG) are, depending on the raw material and production – provide an economical alternative to diesel fuel. Especially for trucks travelling long distances, the economy of dual-fuel operation is very attractive.
A year ago, the RDW together with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment and TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) started a trial. In that context, several hundred lorries have been converted for mixed fuel and are already on the roads.
Some municipalities are experimenting with dual-fuel trucks partially fueled by biomethane that is extracted from the fermentation of urban waste.
(This article compiled using information from a Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment press release)
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