Kuehne+Nagel goes for gas with Volvo

By Categories: NewsPublished On: Tuesday 29 September 2020

Global logistics provider Kuehne+Nagel has chosen eight gas-powered Volvo tractors to serve contracts with Costa and Whitbread, with the aim of reducing emissions and improving the sustainability of their transport operations.

The FH Globetrotter 6x2s are the first Volvos to be operated by Kuehne+Nagel in the UK. The pusher-axle tractors have 155 kg LNG tanks and use Volvo’s 12-speed I-Shift automated transmission, which helps to maximise fuel efficiency. The specification also includes the latest generation I-See predictive cruise control system, which analyses the topography to optimise speed and gear changes.

They pull temperature-controlled double-deck trailers on national trunking routes from the customer’s Wellingborough RDC to sites in Avonmouth, London and Manchester. Each vehicle is expected to cover 125,000 miles per year, with refuelling taking place using an on-site facility operated by Air Liquide.

Andrew Blake, national distribution manager at Kuehne+Nagel, said: “We’d previously run dual-fuel trucks for seven years, but it was our involvement in the Dedicated to Gas trials which confirmed that LNG was the right approach to take. We’re projecting an initial 20 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions on these routes using standard LNG, with the intention of moving quickly to bio-LNG to increase this reduction to at least 80 per cent in the near future.”

The Innovate UK-funded ‘Dedicated to Gas’ project evaluated the viability of Euro VI gas heavy goods vehicles as an alternative to diesel and demonstrated their potential to unlock significant CO2 savings and reduce running costs.

Volvo uses compression ignition technology in its gas engines: a small amount of diesel is injected into the cylinder to initiate combustion prior to the main injection of gas. This enables the Volvo G13C engine to deliver the same 460hp and 2,300 Nm of torque as its diesel-only counterpart, with matching service intervals and reliability.

These engines also provide adequate secondary vehicle retardation thanks to the patented Volvo Engine Brake as the diesel engine’s high compression ratio is retained.

Andrew Blake said: “From an engineering perspective we have absolute confidence in Volvo’s natural gas powertrain to deliver the performance we need in an intensive around-the-clock, 44-tonne application. We looked at the spark ignition options available in other vehicles, but we didn’t want any trade off in terms of performance or fuel efficiency.

“The arrival of the Volvo marque into our fleet has been really well received. When we told our drivers we’d opted for the premium FH Globetrotter cab, there were some huge smiles amongst the team.”

Kuehne+Nagel’s new vehicles have been supplied on a five-year Volvo Financial Services contract hire deal which incorporates a Volvo Gold Contract repair and maintenance package, supported by a 100 per cent uptime promise.

All scheduled servicing and maintenance will be carried out at Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia’s Wellingborough dealership, located less than five miles from the customer’s RDC.