Blue Energy added that the new truck meant for long-haul, heavy-duty applications, titled the 5528 4×2, is equipped with a 1,000 litre LNG tank that has a range of around 1,400 kilometres in one fill, adding that it is working with various players- state-owned oil-marketing companies, private fuel space operators, as well as new entrepreneurs- to help set up more LNG stations along key trucking routes to alleviate range anxieties.
Pune: The Indian green mobility firm Blue Energy has rolled out the first commercially-available liquefied natural gas (LNG) out of its new Chakan plant on Monday, with the powertrains sourced from the Italian heavy vehicles maker Iveco, the latter saying that supplying engines is the first step towards stepping into more of the new energies market, especially in heavy-duty applications.
While the company has not yet revealed the price of the truck, the firm added that it will be priced around 40% higher than a diesel truck of its size, with the LNG truck having a lower total cost of ownership, and savings for the fleet owners with higher fuel efficiency, as well as lower carbon emissions than a diesel truck.
Blue Energy added that the new truck meant for long-haul, heavy-duty applications, titled the 5528 4×2, is equipped with a 1,000 litre LNG tank that has a range of around 1,400 kilometres in one fill, adding that it is working with various players- state-owned oil-marketing companies, private fuel space operators, as well as new entrepreneurs- to help set up more LNG stations along key trucking routes to alleviate range anxieties.
The company’s CEO, Anirudh Bhuwalka, said in an interaction that LNG stations will be progressively rolled out by various entities over the next year, in line with the union government’s plans to have 1,000 LNG stations in the next three years.
“The infrastructure for LNG trucking is underway. The state-owned oil companies have a mandate to set up LNG stations, and other players are looking into the business too. Around 25 LNG stations are slated to go live in the next three to six months, and by 2023, there should be 50 LNG stations in India,” he said.
Iveco is supplying the engines, manufactured at its Italian facilities, to Blue Energy, through its FPT Industrial powertrains platform.
