Schwedt/Leipzig, January 11, 2018 With yesterday’s delivery of five IVECO CNG Stralis NP 440S40 CNG heavy goods vehicles – including the one thousandth Stralis NP – IVECO and VERBIO Logistik GmbH (a VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG subsidiary) have taken a signifi-cant step towards establishing CO2-neutral heavy goods transportation. Powered by biomethane generated from 100% straw from VERBIO’s own production plant at the Schwedt location, the engines in these vehicles achieve a 90% CO2 reduction as well as a significant reduction in fine particle and nitrogen emissions compared to classic diesel-powered heavy goods vehicles. This is an achievement for both climate protection and cost efficiency in heavy goods Transport.
Heavy goods vehicles are the backbone of the German economy. Not all freight can be trans-ported by rail, which is why heavy goods transport represents a significant proportion of German traffic. The economic and ecological demands on goods transportation have increased immensely in the era of Dieselgate and the discussions concerning nitrogen emissions. IVECO was one of the first manufacturers of CNG heavy goods vehicles, having invested in CNG more than twenty years ago. IVECO has been offering efficient and environmentally friendly CNG vehicles covering the entire spectrum of the heavy goods sector since 1996.
Heavy goods transport is characterised by the need to transport heavy loads over large distances. In this sector e-mobility is definitely not an option in the foreseeable future. However, both me-thane-powered engines as well as CNG (compressed natural gas) or LNG (liquefied natural gas) – CNG in very cold, fluid form – can be used to transport heavy vehicles in international transport with a range of up to 1,600km.
VERBIO chose the single-mode 400PS CNG option in view of its planned vehicle use. With tanks on both sides the vehicles have a range of up to 550km using approximately 140kg CNG or bio-methane. The new Stralis NP engine is equipped with high performance hydraulics. They can be integrated smoothly and immediately into the existing sliding floor trailer park. Both in motion and in power take-off transmission, the engines are up to 50% quieter than their diesel equivalents.
Handing over the vehicles in Schwedt, Pierre Lahutte, IVECO Brand President, said: "VERBIO is a key customer in the alternative natural gas fuel sector, as the fuel is also provided from renew-able sources. This provides clear evidence that heavy goods transport can be both climate-neutral and economical."
VERBIO is winning with its own original industrial-scale technology for creating biomethane from straw and residual waste products, a worldwide first on this scale. The final product verbiogas is used throughout Germany as a biofuel for CNG vehicles in both the public and private sectors, as well as for heavy goods vehicles.
"The IVECO Stralis CNG heavy goods vehicles are, for us, a logical and modern way to expand our vehicle fleet. In our fleet of around eighty heavy goods vehicles we already have twelve dual-fuel trucks powered by a diesel-CNG/biomethane mix. The single-mode CNG/biomethane en-gines used in the five new IVECO trucks will now make even better cost and CO2 efficiencies possible. The 400 PS Stralis model from IVECO is a powerful engine which meets the demands we have for bulk transport using heavy goods vehicles, not only meeting climate protection needs but also meeting our practical and economic needs," explained Bernd Sauter, VERBIO’s logistics director.
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Information about VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG (VERBIO)
VERBIO is one of the leading independent producers and suppliers of biofuels, and is also the only large-scale producer of biodiesel, bioethanol and biomethane in Europe. The annual production capacity amounts to approximately 470,000 tonnes of biodiesel, 260,000 tonnes of bioethanol and 600 gigawatt hours of biomethane. The Company produces its highly efficient fuels using internally generated, energy efficient production processes and innovative technologies. VERBIO’s biofuels achieve CO2 reductions of up to 90 percent compared to petrol or diesel. VERBIO delivers its products directly to European oil companies, oil trading companies, independent filling stations, freight forwarders, municipal utilities and vehicle fleets. In addition VERBIO markets high-quality pharmaceutical glycerine for the consumer goods and cosmetics industry (glycerine is produced as a by-product in the production of biodiesel) as well as animal feed and fertiliser, a by-product of bioethanol and biomethane production. Within the Group, VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG acts as a management holding company. The operative business is conducted by the subsidiaries VERBIO Diesel Bitterfeld GmbH & Co. KG, VERBIO Diesel Schwedt GmbH & Co. KG, VERBIO Ethanol Schwedt GmbH & Co. KG, VERBIO Ethanol Zörbig GmbH & Co. KG, VERBIO Agrar GmbH, VERBIO Logistik GmbH and VERBIO Polska Sp. z o.o. The VERBIO share (ISIN DE000A0JL9W6/WKN A0JL9W) has been listed in the prime standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since October 2006.
Information about IVECO
IVECO is a member of the CNH Industrial N.V, a global leader in the capital goods sector. CNH Industrial N.V is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CNHI) and the Milan stock exchange (CNHI). IVECO designs, produces and sells a comprehensive range of light, medium-weight and heavy goods vehicles, construction vehicles and speciality vehicles for off-road use. The complete product range consists of the Daily, a 3–7 tonne transporter, the 6–18 tonne Eurocargo, the Trakker for off-road use and the Stralis range, both over 16 tonnes. In addition the product portfolio includes products offered by IVEO Astra, a specialist in special-purpose heavy goods vehicles and dumper trucks. IVECO has more than 21,000 employees worldwide and a presence in seven countries. IVECO has locations with the most modern technologies in Europe as well as in Asia, Africa, Oceania and Latin America. In excess of 4,200 service and sales centres in over 160 countries ensure that technical support is guaranteed wherever in the world an IVECO vehicle is put to use.