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The Volvo Group is the first vehicle
manufacturer to produce demonstration trucks that can all be driven
without emitting any environmentally harmful carbon dioxide (CO2).
Exhibited in Stockholm, Sweden for the
first time today, seven trucks are equipped with diesel engines that
have been modified to operate on seven different types of renewable
liquid and gaseous fuels.
“Volvo is part of the climate problem,
but today we have shown that carbon dioxide-free transport is a
possibility and that we, as a vehicle manufacturer, both can and will be
part for the solution to the climate issue,” says Leif Johansson, CEO of
the Volvo Group.
The seven Volvo FM trucks are equipped
with Volvo’s own 9-litre engines that have been specially modified by
the Group’s engineers to illustrate the possibilities of carbon
dioxide-free transport.
According to the widely publicised
Stern report, approximately 14 per cent of total global carbon dioxide
emissions will come from the transport sector, with road transport
accounting for a total of 10 per cent.
However, there is no information on the
percentage of these emission levels that in turn originate from cargo
transport. A calculation based on European conditions and statistics,
whereby passenger cars represent 60% of carbon dioxide emissions and
cargo transport for the remaining 40%, indicates that cargo transport
will account for about 4-5% of total global carbon dioxide emissions.
Part of the solution
“As one of the world’s largest manufacturers of heavy trucks, diesel
engines and buses, the Volvo Group is part of the climate problem,” says
Leif Johansson, CEO of Volvo. “But environmental issues are one of the
areas which we have assigned the very highest priority, and based on our
resources and knowledge, we both can and will be part of the solution.”
The seven trucks exhibited in Stockholm can be operated on the same
number of different renewable fuels and/or combinations of fuels:
biodiesel, biogas combined with biodiesel, ethanol/methanol, DME,
synthetic diesel and hydrogen gas combined with biogas. Since all of
these fuels are produced from renewable raw materials, they provide no
carbon-dioxide contributions to the eco-system when combusted and,
accordingly, do not impact the environment.
“The diesel engine is an extremely efficient energy converter that is
perfectly suited to many different renewable fuels, liquid or gaseous,”
says Jan-Eric Sundgren, member of Volvo Group Management and Senior Vice
President, Public and Environmental Affairs. “With our know-how in
engine technology and our large volumes, we can manufacture engines for
several different renewable fuels and also create possibilities for
carbon dioxide-free transportation in such other product areas as buses,
construction equipment and boats.”
However, the supply of different renewable fuels is significantly
limited and there is no large-scale production or distribution for the
majority of the alternatives that could be utilised in carbon
dioxide-free transports.
“With these vehicles, we have shown
that Volvo is ready, that we possess the technology and the resources
for carbon dioxide-free transport, but we cannot do this alone,” says
Leif Johansson. “We also require large-scale production of renewable
fuels and putting such production in operation requires extensive
investments in research and development, and also well-defined, common
guidelines from authorities in as many countries as possible.”
Own analyses of fuels
Volvo has carried out its own analyses of the renewable fuels that are
most suitable for carbon dioxide-free transports. In these analyses,
Volvo considered important aspects such as the impact on the
environment, energy efficiency, the efficiency level in the use of the
land for cultivating crops for the respective fuels, the amounts of the
different fuels that can potentially be produced, the level of vehicle
adaptation required in purely technical terms, the costs of the fuels
and how easy it is to distribute the fuels.
“We know that in the foreseeable future there will be insufficient
biomass or renewable fuels to fully replace fossil fuels,” says Jan-Eric
Sundgren. “That is why it is important that decisions on the production
of future fuels are preceded by such comprehensive assessments –
otherwise there is the risk that we focus on too many and quite simply
unsuitable alternatives, which will delay the introduction of carbon
dioxide-free transport.”
Promising results from gasification
Despite the current shortage of both biomass for the production of
renewable fuels, and finished fuels, the Volvo Group does not view
carbon dioxide-free transport as a utopian idea. One of the reasons for
this is the second generation of renewable fuels that are produced
through gasification and that generate both large volumes and a greater
number of fuels to choose between.
“Gasification is a promising line that may lead to a significantly
larger substitution than today’s technology,” says Leif Johansson. “Our
own history has taught us that much of what we once thought impossible
we have since been able to solve a few years later. This can be applied
to such important areas as energy efficiency and exhaust emission
control. I am an optimist and believe in a similar trend in carbon
dioxide-free transport.”
Seven different cars – seven different fuels
The trucks exhibited in Stockholm were operated on the seven following
renewable fuels/fuel combinations:-
Biodiesel
Biodiesel is produced by the esterification of vegetable oils. Rapeseed
oil and sunflower seed oil are the most common raw materials in Europe.
Biogas
Biogas is a gaseous fuel that is largely comprised of hydrocarboned
methane. Biogas can be extracted in sewage treatment works, at rubbish
dumps and at other sites at which biodegradable materials are found.
Biogas + biodiesel
Biogas + biodiesel are combined in separate tanks and injection systems.
A small percentage (10 per cent) of biodiesel or synthetic diesel is
used for achieving compression ignition. The biogas in this alternative
is in a cooled and liquid form that increases its range.
DME – Dimethyl ether
Dimethyl ether is a gas that is handled in liquid form under low
pressure. DME is produced through the gasification of biomass.
Ethanol/Methanol
Methanol is produced through the gasification of biomass and ethanol
through the fermentation of crops rich in sugar and starch.
Synthetic Diesel
Synthetic Diesel is a mixture of synthetically manufactured hydrocarbon
produced through the gasification of biomass. Synthetic diesel can be
mixed with conventional diesel fuel without problem.
Hydrogen gas + Biogas
This vehicle operates on a combination of hydrogen gas and biogas
whereby the hydrogen gas is mixed in small volumes with compressed
biogas (8% volume). Higher mixture levels are also possible. The
hydrogen gas can be produced through the gasification of biomass or
electrolysis of water with renewable electricity.
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