Global Oil & Gas: German car giant BMW testing LNG-powered trucks

German car giant BMW has completed a pilot project aimed at testing trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The two-week test was commisioned by BMW’s plant in Regensburg, Germany and implemented together with the Italian truck manufacturer Iveco and Spedition Duvenbeck.

As part of the test, an Iveco LNG-powered truck transported engines on a daily basis from the BMW plant in Steyr, Austria to Regensburg, according to a BMW statement.

The Iveco Stralis NP designed for long-haul operations and equipped with a 400 hp engine, could complete the round trip of some 530 kilometers with just one tank and almost emitting no particulate matter, the statement said.

For comparison, a truck with electrical power would need to recharge several times during the same trip while a CNG-powered truck would need a three times larger tank to complete the same operation, according to the statement.

BMW said it sees LNG as a “sustainable alternative” to diesel in the long term as LNG substantially reduces emissions and the engine produces much less noise.