In brief

British family-owned GBA Logistics has been committed to solving logistics problems for its customers since 1987. Founded as GBA Services in Hesketh Bank near Preston, it is now a leading logistics company offering traction services, time-critical, temperature-controlled and high-security transport. The company currently employs more than 400 people and operates from 18 different locations. Now it has secured a seven-figure finance package from HSBC UK, which has seen it acquire a new fleet of 10 CNG-powered Scania trucks. This is the first of several major investments in trucks powered by alternative fuels for GBA Logistics. The British company is working towards its goal of zero emissions by 2040. The CNG vehicles will be used on certain routes in the north and east of the UK, with the possibility of expansion to other regions. “This is an exciting time at GBA as we continue to expand our existing fleet of 200 vehicles,” said Deena Hamilton, Sustainability Manager at GBA. “As part of our sustainability goals, we are committed to reducing our emissions and taking credible steps to invest in greener technologies. We look forward to further decarbonisation opportunities as we move towards a sustainable future.” GBA Logistics has also already achieved its 2022 target of a nine per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions from truck operations through the conversion to CNG and biogas respectively, supported by HSBC UK.

Limeco recycles regional waste and purifies Limmattal wastewater – and does so sustainably. With its plants, the Regiowerk für Limmattal produces CO2-neutral heating and cooling (district heating), renewable electricity and green gas. Over the next 10 to 30 years, Limeco will have to completely renew its waste incineration and wastewater treatment plants. Within this framework, the Limmattal Energy Centre is to be built. The complex generation project is to be implemented in stages and will make as large a contribution as possible to the energy and climate change. “In combination, our plants function as a multi-energy hub: intelligently linked and controlled, they ensure that the right amount of the right energy in the right quality is available at the right place at the right time,” explains Limeco Managing Director Patrik Feusi. Three interdisciplinary teams developed solutions for the spatial, structural and logistical realisation of the overall renovation. The first result was the White Paper 1, which served as the basis for the work of the test planning teams. “The test planning has brought us a big step forward,” Markus Bircher, head of strategic projects at Limeco, is convinced. The three teams identified urban planning, traffic, operational and spatial planning challenges and outlined solutions. The three solutions for the intelligent multi-energy hub will now be presented in a multimedia exhibition at Heimstrasse 46 in Dietikon from 14 to 24 January 2023.

A new multi-energy station has been built in the Grand Paris Sud conurbation near Réau (77) by Epa Sénart in partnership with Sigeif Mobilités and Engie Solutions, the station’s operator. It enables transport companies in the region to obtain sustainable fuels, as both the liquefied LNG and the compressed CNG come from sustainable sources. The biogas and bio-LNG at each of the 4 pumps will primarily come from biogas plants in the Ile-de-France region, mainly in the Seine-et-Marne department. And in the future, the multi-energy station will also offer liquid nitrogen for refrigerated trucks. The filling station will enable commercial vehicles and trucks powered by CNG or LNG to access the environmental zones that are becoming increasingly popular in many metropolises and conurbations due to their Crit’Air 1 environmental classification. “The players in our supply chain ecosystem are now in a position to make the transition to greater sustainability under the best conditions. And at the same time, we can use as local a fuel production chain as possible to do so,” explains Aude Debreil, General Director of Epa Sénart, with satisfaction.

Iveco France was delighted to announce that another 80 CNG-powered Crossway will soon be delivered to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. With these new vehicles, which will be in service by early 2023, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes will be the first region in France to have a total fleet of 400 CNG buses, 200 of which will run on biogas and thus be virtually CO₂ neutral. In the presence of Paul Vidal (delegated advisor for intercity and school transport in the region), Stéphane Espinasse (sales and product manager of Iveco Bus and president of Iveco France), Solène Grange (general manager of Iveco France) and Jérôme Navarro (sales representative for coaches in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region) recognized the commissioning of 80 new Crossway CNG coaches, 63 of which will run on biogas. Paul Vidal explains, “The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region is convinced that the energy transition in the transport sector will be based on a broad energy mix. With over 11 percent of the total 5000 buses using a fuel other than diesel, our region ranks first in France in the number of alternative fuel vehicles in use, ahead of Ile de France.”

Powertrain specialist FPT Industrial presented the powertrain concept of the future at the 5th edition of the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. Federico Gaiazzi, Vice President Commercial Operations Asia, Australia and New Zealand, showed the new F1C Euro VI Step E, available in diesel, hybrid and CNG versions, as an efficient drive for light commercial vehicles. On the other hand, the Cursor X Concept caused quite a stir. This engine concept and the strategy behind it are characterised by four M’s: Modular, Multi-Application, Mindful and Multi-Energy. Modular refers to flexibility and different application requirements, Multi-Application to use in different sectors and Mindful is the built-in ability to interact with other networked systems to adjust performance and predict maintenance. And the Multi-Energy point – particularly exciting – refers to the fact that FPT-Industrial’s new powertrain can use a variety of energy sources. The Cursor X Concept is said to be able to cope with diesel, CNG, biogas, hydrogen and electricity, giving customers the highest possible performance with the lowest possible environmental impact.

The Association of European Gas Infrastructure Operators GIE has published a new version of its LNG map. It provides a comprehensive overview of the extremely dynamic LNG market in Europe. In a volatile environment, liquefied LNG has taken on an increasingly important role in energy supply thanks to its flexibility and thanks to its availability. Thanks to increased capacity and higher utilization rates, LNG gas terminals in the EU27 have already surpassed the 1000 TWh mark of regasified gas on November 1, 2022, an increase of 75 percent compared to the same period last year. By 2030, LNG terminals in the EU will expand their capacity to over 3000 TWh per year. “The construction of LNG terminals enables massive energy imports. This energy is crucial for security of supply and will be renewable tomorrow. Currently, natural gas is transported, but the LNG infrastructure can also accommodate bio-LNG and synthetic LNG without additional investment and can even be repurposed to transport other hydrogen carriers such as ammonia,” explains Arno Büx, President of Gas LNG Europe. “Investing in LNG terminals is a good opportunity to build the future renewable energy network quickly and efficiently while diversifying routes and current supply sources.”

The 185,000 gross register Carnival Celebration cruise ship has been laid down on its outfitting keel at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. “We are very proud to build this beautiful LNG-powered ship for Carnival Cruise Lines. The float-out marks the beginning of a very intensive construction phase where the interior and venues will take shape,” said Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku. By the end of summer 2023, Celebration will be ready for her first sea trial with the state-of-the-art LNG propulsion system and then delivered in the autumn. The Carnival Celebration is the second ship of the Excel class to be built at Meyer Turku for Carnival Cruise Lines. Her sister ship Mardi Gras is already in service in Florida (USA). She entered service in 2021 as the first ship in North America with an LNG propulsion system. In addition, another LNG-powered ship, the Arvia, has just left port at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. The 344.5-metre-long and 42-metre-wide Ariva has 16 decks and can accommodate around 5200 passengers. More and more cruise lines are now turning to the clearly more environmentally friendly LNG ships, with Costa Smeralda already making a start in 2019.

Scania has previously developed fuel cell trucks in research projects. Now, four vehicles with a total operating weight of 40 to 70 tonnes will be delivered to Switzerland in 2024 and 2025. These will be the first Scania of their kind to be sold to customers. “As Scania has long promoted battery electric vehicles, it is reassuring that customers with other needs are also turning to us,” explains Tony Sandberg, Head of Scania Pilot Partner. “Especially when we can also offer them a solution that meets their specific requirements. The four fuel cell trucks are the first of several models to follow.” The Swedes’ first H₂ trucks will have to prove themselves in very different environments: At Emmi Schweiz AG, a dairy company; at Genossenschaft Migros Zürich in the retail trade; at Gysin Tiefbau AG, which transports heavy machinery mainly in the Basel region; and at Traveco Transporte AG, a national logistics company. Scania is also continuously expanding its range of electric trucks to cover even more segments and applications – at the same time the company is interested in using other technologies for decarbonisation. Whether CNG and LNG vehicles, which are also almost CO₂-neutral on the road thanks to biogas or bio-LNG, or fuel cell trucks that run on green hydrogen. “To accelerate the shift to zero-emission transport, we need to be open-minded,” Sandberg adds.

Dallas-based GreenPath Logistics (GPL) is one of the largest privately owned fleet companies in the US operating exclusively on alternative fuels. Its current fleet includes about 200 medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that run on compressed CNG and biogas, as well as hybrid electric trucks. The Hyliion-built Hypertruck ERX has an electric powertrain powered by a Class 8 commercial vehicle gas generator. GPL has a demonstration vehicle has tested the Hypertruck in a wide range of applications and throughout Texas. “We are committed to providing our customers with reliable, cost-effective transportation solutions that help them reduce CO₂ emissions and meet their sustainability goals,” said Shan Zaidi, president of NGV Global Group, GPL’s parent company. The latter has ordered more than 50 Hypertruck ERXs, with series production expected to begin in late 2023. “As an alternative fuel advocate, GPL shares Hyliion’s commitment to sustainability, and I am very excited to see how our technology can add further value for customers,” Thomas Healy, founder and CEO of Hyliion, said proudly after the successful completion of the fleet trial.

For the Harzer Verkehrsbetriebe (HVB), for the commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania and for local public transport, a new era is beginning in Germany, because finally, as in other parts of Europe for some time now, the first CNG city buses from Scania, powered by biogas, are going on tour. The seven Scania Citywide LFs, each with 32 seats, will travel in Wernigerode with locals and tourists in a virtually climate-neutral manner. “We are optimistic about the future with these new vehicles. The aim of the acquisition is to make urban transport in Wernigerode more attractive and more climate-friendly,” HVB Managing Director Christian Fischer holds. The Scania Citywide LF is powered by a highly efficient five-cylinder CNG engine with a capacity of nine litres and 280 hp. “This is the most modern and economical CNG engine for buses currently available on the market,” explains Jens Ludwigkeit, Sales Manager Buses at Scania Germany. HVB plans to run the buses on its five city lines exclusively on biogas from the manufacturer Verbio from Saxony-Anhalt. “We will save 100,000 litres of diesel through this project,” Fischer calculates. That corresponds to 300 tonnes of CO₂. Compared to the diesel vehicles that will be replaced by the buses from Sweden, there would be up to 90 percent less CO₂ emissions in the future. This means that Wernigerode will be the first almost CO₂-neutral city transport system in the eastern federal states of Germany.