LNG, biofuels, hybrid: these are, to be simple, the three main options manufacturers are facing with, in the need to imagine and develop, as soon as possible, alternative drive coaches able to comply with the diesel bans in European urban areas, that are going to multiply in the next 15 years.
Aware that, in the category of coaches, “there are simply no viable alternatives to diesel vehicles presently available on the market“, IRU (World Road Transport Organisation) has commissioned a study to ISSINNOVA aimed at identifying possible alternatives to diesel drives in the short and medium term, outlining pros and cons from a technological, economic and infrastructural point of view.
The study “Coach of the future” is based on the operating profile of a coach engaged on trips that exceed 500 kilometers and on an annual mileage of about 60 thousand kilometers, of which only 10 percent on urban areas. A ten per cent that, however, appears crucial to determine the technological evolutions of the sector.
So, what are the alternatives? Three, as already mentioned. Let’s be more specific. Liquefied natural gas is in first place (the study takes into consideration bio-LNG, an LNG blend of 80% natural gas and 20% biomethane). Liquefied natural gas is a mature technology in the truck sector, with an expanding supply network. Scania is betting on it: the Swedish manufacturer launched the world’s first LNG coach at the last IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hanover. This fuel “is suitable to be used over long distances due to its high energy content and density“.
Then, secondly, we find biofuels, split into two families: FAME (biodiesel) and hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVO). In terms of sustainability, HVO “offers greater emissions reduction potential”.
Third and last alternative is the diesel-electric hybrid, able to circulate at zero emissions in the urban area. Not a very common choice, indeed: no such products actually exists on market. As Volvo Buses president Agnevall underlined in an interview with Sustainable Bus, «The concept of a diesel-electric hybrid coach could work. But it depends on how far you need to carry the batteries. Batteries have additional weight and add fuel consumption. So you would add fuel consumption on the long distance to have full electric mode in city center. Technically, today it is feasible, financially and environmentally I don’t know if it could be convenient».
