Volvo Trucks Initiates Field Testing of Liquid Gas

Today, Volvo Trucks will initiate public field testing with methane diesel trucks that can run on liquefied methane gas. At the same time, Sweden's first filling station for liquefied methane gas will open at Stigs Center in Goteborg.

This is a revolutionary step in the development of gas use in heavy vehicles, since trucks running on liquid gas combined with methane diesel technology has up to four times longer driving range compared to most traditional gas trucks.

Three Volvo FM trucks with 13-litre engines are currently being field tested. The technology is based on Volvo's proven Euro 5 diesel engine, which has been converted for gas operation.

The field test trucks are equipped with special tanks for liquefied methane gas. Liquid gas is the optimum fuel for methane diesel technology. When liquid methane and diesel are used in a ratio of 75--25, a truck performing long haul or intercity duties has an operating range 500 to 1000 km, depending on driving conditions. This is twice the operating range of methane diesel vehicles running on compressed gas and four times that of gas trucks with Otto engines.

The field test vehicles are being operated by transport companies DHL, Gotene Kyltransporter and Renova. The start of the field tests coincides with the inauguration of Sweden's first public filling station for liquefied methane gas at Stigs Center in Goteborg. The station is a collaborative project between Volvo Trucks, Fordonsgas Sverige and Goteborg Energi.

Filling stations have previously only existed for CNG (compressed natural gas). If methane gas is cooled down to minus 160 deg C instead of being compressed, it becomes liquid and its volume is reduced by half. In this case, it is called LNG (liquefied natural gas), or LBG (liquefied biogas) if it is a biogas. Both these gases are also called LMG (liquefied methane gas).
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Mazda B: The Truck

Mazda B-Series, Like the Ford Ranger.

Since the Mazda merged with the Ford Ranger platform in 1994, the B-Series has steadily declined in both sales and public interest as the compact truck coped with threats to its segment. As the 1990s roared on and the full-size truck segment emerged as a hot area for automakers, small trucks became increasingly marginalized as Ford, GM, and Dodge offered larger variations with room for the whole family, for not much more money. With the B-Series now built on the rapidly-aging Ranger platform, the little truck struggled on an uneven playing field, even as the rest of world enjoyed a burgeoning small truck market.
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Volvo Starts Selling 2010-Compliant Trucks

Volvo Trucks North America said Tuesday it has begun selling heavy-duty trucks that meet new U.S. emissions standards slated to take effect in 2010.

By mid-June, customers had placed orders via distributors for about 50 trucks using selective catalytic reduction technology to need the new standards, Volvo said.

The trucks will meet the Environmental Protection Agency regulations using SCR, which Volvo said boosts fuel efficiency and reduces carbon emissions. Initial production is scheduled for this fall.

Volvo said that by beginning the process early, its New River Valley plant in Dublin, Va., can begin producing trucks that can meet the new standards prior to the regulations taking effect next year.

The plant’s production processes have been modified in recent months in preparation for 2010 and to enhance the efficiency and quality of manufacturing, Volvo said in a statement.