Volvo Trucks is partnering with British biofuel supplier Gasrec to help business customers cut haulage costs and reduce carbon emissions by increasing the availability and use of bio-based gas-powered vehicles in the UK.
The companies will focus on supplying vehicles to potential customers in the areas already served by Gasrec’s growing refueling network. Volvo Trucks and Gasrec will also exchange technical information and promote Europe-wide standards for the gas vehicle industry.
Gasrec is Europe’s largest supplier of Bio-LNG, a blend of liquefied natural gas and liquid biomethane (LBM), a renewable energy fuel produced from organic matter such as household food waste.
The company is developing the UK’s first network of open-access Bio-LNG refueling stations, which is set for completion in 2015. Gasrec aims to wipe out nearly two-thirds of the nation’s heavy goods vehicle (HGV) emissions with the network of bio-based gas refueling stations.
Gasrec opened the first of its eight facilities in May near Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal. The other planned refueling sites will be located near motorway junctions to ensure that 85 percent of the UK’s HGV’s population is within four hours’ drive of a station.
Volvo produces trucks tailored to run on renewable liquid and gaseous fuels. When substituted for diesel, Bio-LNG can cut fuel costs and carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent. The use of Bio-LNG, rather than diesel, also improves air quality and reduces nitrogen oxide emissions and particulate matter, Gasrec says.
Earlier this week, Volvo Group launched an electric bus-service initiative called ElctriCity, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Beginning in 2015, the electric buses will run between Johanneberg Science Park adjacent to Chalmers and Lindholmen Science Park in Hisingen.