LNG no solution for truck emissions

Heavy goods vehicles running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) can emit up to five times as much nitrogen oxides as the latest diesel models, according to research commissioned by green group Transport & Environment.

A study of three LNG trucks available on the EU market found that NOx emissions were two to five times as high as the best-performing diesel equivalent in real world testing conditions. The three LNG models were found to produce similar amounts of particles as their diesel counterparts, contradicting claims made by their manufacturers that the vehicles all but eradicate particulate pollution. LNG lorries are not required to be fitted with particulate filters until 2023.

Moreover, the study suggests that the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from LNG trucks is also limited. The Scania and Iveco models registered a 9–10 per cent reduction in CO₂ equivalent compared to the average Euro VI diesel truck, based on 2013 figures. A third LNG model, produced by Volvo, performed better, emitting 14 per cent less than the best-performing diesel model from the same year. However, once the full emissions associated with the extraction of natural gas are taken into account, those benefits shrink further.

“Gas trucks are not clean and can actually be worse than diesel,” said Stef Cornelis, T&E’s clean trucks manager. “It’s time for policymakers to have a fresh look at the evidence and put an end to gas truck subsidies, LNG infrastructure investments and tax breaks for what is just another polluting fossil fuel.”

Source: Ends Europe Daily, 19 Sep 2019.
The study: www.transportenvironment.org/sites/te/files/publications/2019_09_do_gas_...