CNG trucks come to South Africa!

DAF goes the dual-fuel route

We can bring you this news thanks to a decision by Babcock – the distributor of DAF Trucks in southern Africa. The company has decided that the time is right to bring dual-fuel trucks to South Africa and, according to Mark Gavin, Sales Director for Babcock’s Transport Solutions business, they really represent an enticing proposition for local transport operators.

“Worst case scenario, in a 600 000 km operation, the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a dual-fuel vehicle works out to R230 000 less to run than a standard diesel vehicle. This is with obtaining fuel-saving benefits of 80 cents per kilometre. Best case scenario, a whopping R720 000 can be saved with a dual-fuel vehicle over the same mileage,” he reveals.

 

Why CNG?

According to Gasrec, a United Kingdom-based designer and builder of bespoke CNG refuelling facilities, natural gas is becoming an increasingly mainstream alternative to diesel for heavy-duty and long-haul transport. Fleet operators and policymakers alike are attracted to the lower fuel cost and the smaller carbon and air quality footprints.

One of the big advantages of CNG is the simplicity of the refuelling process. It is easier than diesel – there are no gloves or other equipment to be seen and it’s fully automatic; you just have to attach the nozzle.

“The other benefit is CNG can be taken from the gas mains, compressed, and then dispensed straight into a truck. There’s no need to move the gas by tanker,” notes the company in a blog.

Gasrec believes that, right now, CNG is a better option than electric propulsion. “Gas covers more bases than electric with its ability to achieve a 1 600 km range with a 40-tonne payload or a 1 000 km range with a 44-tonne payload. Add to that an engine half as quiet as a diesel, a 15% lower carbon footprint than diesel, and a 70 to 90% lower air quality footprint and all the elements of a successful and viable technology are there. Until hydrogen arrives – and that may be another two decades – gas will hold sway as a diesel alternative,” it predicts.

 

Diesel trucks are converted

Based on these benefits – and on local customer demand too – Babcock has decided to offer this technology to South African transport operators. DAF cannot supply dual-fuel trucks from the Netherlands, so Babcock is taking diesel trucks and then converting them. “Basically, we’re taking a ‘normal’ diesel truck and fitting a conversion kit. The kit costs between R180 000 and R250 000. The real beauty of the system though is that the CNG kit can be removed from the vehicle at the end of its first economic life and transferred to a second vehicle. The used vehicle, as a result, can be resold into the market as a standard diesel truck once again,” explains Gavin.

The conversion partners manufacture and install banks of CNG tanks, which are fitted to the vehicle in various configurations. “These tanks are specifically designed to safely store the CNG at the correct pressure and temperatures – it’s a very specialised field. In addition, a secondary ECU is fitted as part of the conversion kit, which is able to regulate the correct amount of gas and/or diesel to supply to the engine depending on the real-time requirements. None of these components are manufactured by the OEM. However, this does not mean that the conversions are not supported. DAF vehicles with CNG kits are still supplied with the original manufacturer warranty, which is currently 36 months and unlimited mileage,” he notes.

In time, these trucks will also be able to run on liquid natural gas (LNG).

 

Limited CNG availability

Unfortunately, CNG is currently not readily available throughout southern Africa. It is currently only available in specific locations in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. “However, one of the benefits of having a dual-fuel vehicle is that, should the CNG run out and not be available, the vehicle can still run on the diesel fuel in its standard fuel tanks. Operators, however, will be able to get their own CNG tanks that can be refilled with gas when required,” Gavin points out.

Proven in South Africa

The first dual-fuel trucks – specifically XF 105.460 models – have already been supplied to Black Knight Logistics. Based on this operation, and further extensive testing, Gavin says that CNG offers transporters many benefits.

“They offer good fuel efficiency with a high energy content and excellent price/kilojoule ratio. Cost savings over diesel can be 20 to 40%. CNG is a cleaner-burning fuel that reduces residue, stench and carbon build-up, thereby lowering maintenance requirements, extending service intervals and prolonging overall engine life. CNG boasts a stable pricing schedule, as natural gas is not prone to constant price fluctuations as seen in crude oil products. Furthermore, VAT can be claimed on natural gas,” he notes.

 

Future for CNG looks bright

Based on all these advantages, it would appear that the future for CNG in South Africa looks bright. “It’s still early days at the moment but already around 20 DAF vehicles are running on dual-fuel systems. With the cost savings that are being realised it would make sense for more and more operators to adopt this technology.

“CNG is certainly going to give those operators that run dual-fuel vehicles an edge over their competitors due to the potential cost savings that are being realised. Couple this with the reduced emissions and carbon footprint benefits – and these dual-fuel trucks are definitely a game-changer,” Gavin believes.

Does this mean that we won’t see conventional diesel-powered vehicles on our roads any time soon? Probably not. While the emphasis in first world countries is now on electric trucks and hybrids (and gas-powered trucks appear to have taken a back seat), diesel isn’t expected to die any time soon. The same will no doubt happen here. But look out for more and more companies that are running dual-fuel vehicles – their benefits are simply too good to ignore.