An Important Step on the Road to Decarbonising Heavy Duty Trucks in Germany: Liqvis GmbH, L.I.T. Cargo GmbH and IVECO Magirus AG Collaborate on a Flagship Project Using 100% Physical BIO-LNG

(Uniper) Liqvis GmbH and L.I.T. Cargo GmbH came to an agreement to use sustainably produced BIO-LNG as part of a short-term flagship project. As part of the project, the Liqvis site in Hamm, Germany, provided physical BIO-LNG to the site of its long-standing customer and partner L.I.T. L.I.T. used up to 16 IVECO S-way NP trucks running exclusively on the sustainable fuel, demonstrating that, even today, transport operations using heavy duty trucks can be almost climate neutral. Ulm-based IVECO Magirus AG also collaborated on the project, using a telematics system to record performance data such as fuel consumption, power, driving style analysis and other measurement data for the LNG trucks. Like all IVECO Natural Power vehicles, the environmentally friendly IVECO semitrailer trucks are BIO-LNG ready. The Euro VI Cursor 9 and Cursor 13 engines used in the IVECO S-Way NP can be operated entirely using the BIO-LNG certified in this project. No technical modifications or special adjustments are required and the warranty conditions and maintenance intervals remain the same as for the use of fossil-fuel-based LNG.

The project started on 19/05/2021 and was successfully completed at the end of June 2021. During this time, the L.I.T Cargo GmbH LNG trucks were exclusively supplied with 100% BIO-LNG from the Liqvis mobile LNG filling station at the NVG Nutzfahrzeugvertriebs GmbH site in Hamm. The BIO-LNG supplied by GasCom Equipment GmbH is produced using food waste and is certified in accordance with ISCC EU (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) standards. The total emission factor of 4.4 kg of CO₂eq/GJ (including transport), results in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of around 96% compared to conventional diesel fuel. As a result, CO₂ emissions were reduced by a total of around 80 tonnes during the project.

Sebastian Gröblinghoff, Managing Director of Liqvis GmbH: "This flagship project in collaboration with L.I.T. is an important milestone on our way to demonstrating the advantages and reliability of BIO-LNG in heavy duty trucks. LNG trucks have been travelling on European roads using conventional liquefied natural gas for several years now, which has significantly reduced emissions. By using sustainably produced BIO-LNG, even today transport operations using heavy duty trucks can be almost climate neutral. Alternative LNG drive systems play a leading role in sustainable and decarbonised logistics, as well as on economic conditions in comparison to conventional drive systems".

Claas Bunjes, Head of Mobility & Digital Solutions L.I.T. Cargo: "By introducing the first LNG trucks to our fleet, we have taken another step toward climate-neutral transport operations. Replacing fossil-based LNG with BIO-LNG means we can already provide transport operations that are almost CO₂ neutral — so we are making an active contribution to protecting the climate. To me, the advantage of BIO-LNG is that it is made of residual and waste materials and can be used directly without any restrictions and without any further conversion of the vehicle".

By establishing strategic partnerships for purchasing BIO-LNG from sustainable sources in Germany, Liqvis is also setting the course for CO₂-neutral heavy duty logistics. Liqvis GmbH and EnviTec Bioenergie AG have recently concluded a contract for supplying BIO-LNG. EnviTec Bioenergie Güstrow GmbH—a 100% subsidiary of EnviTec Biogas AG—will supply Liqvis with BIO-LNG from the third quarter of 2022. Starting in 2022, the BIO-LNG will be produced at the biogas plant in Güstrow, which has so far been used to produce biomethane but is now being converted to produce BIO-LNG. Liqvis will offer BIO-LNG as an alternative fuel for heavy duty trucks at its LNG filling stations in Germany from autumn 2022.

Liqvis is a wholly owned subsidiary of Uniper that is building and operating a needs-based LNG infrastructure for heavy duty trucks. Liqvis has been operating LNG filling stations in Germany since 2017. A steady expansion of this filling station infrastructure is planned for the next few years at strategic transport hubs with a particularly high volume of heavy duty traffic (e.g. Berlin-Grünheide, Hannover-Langenhagen, Kassel-Lohfelden and Bönen). To meet the increasing demand for this alternative fuel, systematic expansion of the German LNG filling station infrastructure is planned for the coming years. As such, this year LIQVIS stations will also be commissioned in the Bad Honnef, Ulm-Seligweiler and Magdeburg regions, for example.

L.I.T. (Logistics, Information, Transport) AG is headquartered in Brake, Germany and offers a wide range of services encompassing the entire logistics chain. The company group was founded in 1988 and has more than 3000 employees at 66 locations across 14 countries whose main task is to implement holistic concepts for transport and storage logistics. The portfolio of L.I.T. Group includes national and international transport, handling air and sea freight, storage logistics, fleet management, human resources management and IT services. The company owns 470,000 m² of storage space and a fleet of 1100 trucks with 2000 swap bodies and 700 trailers. L.I.T. also has expertise in intermodal transport. In 2020, the L.I.T. Group had a turnover of approximately 438 million euro.

IVECO is a CNH Industrial N.V company, a global leader in capital goods. CNH Industrial N.V is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CNHI) and on the Milan Stock Exchange (Mercator Telematics Azionario: CNHI). IVECO designs, manufactures and markets a comprehensive range of light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles, construction vehicles and special off-road vehicles. Its full product range consists of the Daily, a transporter for the 3.3–7.2 tonne range; the Eurocargo for transporting 6–19 tonnes; and the IVECO WAY series for the heavy segment over 16 tons. The IVECO WAY series includes the IVECO S-WAY on-road model, the IVECO T-WAY for off-road applications and the IVECO X-WAY for light off-road use. The product portfolio also includes products from the IVECO Astra brand, a heavy-duty vehicle specialist producing specialist vehicles, dump trucks and dumpers. IVECO employs over 21,000 people worldwide and is represented in 7 countries. Alongside its operations in Europe, IVECO has market presence in Asia, Africa, Oceania and Latin America, providing state-of-the-art technology. Over 4200 service and sales sites in over 160 countries guarantee technical support wherever an IVECO vehicle is used in the world. READ MORE