A unit of German logistics giant DHL is expanding its fleet of LNG-powered trucks transporting car parts from the Czech Republic to Germany.
DHL Supply Chain said in a statement it has taken delivery of eight more Scania LNG-powered trucks. These vehicles join three new tractor units running on liquefied natural gas which DHL put into operation in October 2020.
This move would enable DHL Supply Chain to reduce CO2 emissions by 187 tonnes a year, it said.
LNG filling station expansion
“Last year’s purchase of LNG-powered trucks proved very successful and at the same time aroused great interest from some of our customers in this type of ecological transport,” Kateřina Rázlová, director of the automotive division at DHL Supply Chain, said.
According to Rázlová, the rapid expansion of the filling station network in Germany and the Czech Republic was an important factor for the continued expansion of this alternative fuel in DHL’s fleet.
“It has made it possible to service a greater number of destinations with LNG and has improved route-planning flexibility,” Rázlová said.
The LNG-powered trucks currently transport parts for cars from the crossdock in Nepřevázka to Glauchau in the Zwickau district and to Wolfsburg, Hannover, Heilbronn, Kassel and Neckarsulm.
There are now LNG filling stations every approx. 200 km in Germany while the Czech Republic currently hosts three such stations, according to DHL Supply Chain.
The first of eleven trucks will cover 160,000 km per year for DHL, while the others trucks have routes with a total length of 132,000 km in their annual operating plans.
Bio-LNG
In addition, DHL is also looking to fuel the trucks with bio-LNG, produced from organic waste.
“The use of BioLNG will enable another significant reduction in emissions,” Rázlová said.
“The first bio-LNG filling stations will open on the DHL Supply Chain truck routes in Germany as early as this year and, according to available information, the sale of bio-LNG is also expected in the Czech Republic within 3 to 5 years,” Rázlová said.
The purchase of eight new LNG-powered tractor units is part of the Go Green Deutsche Post DHL environmental protection programme with the ambitious goal of reaching zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“We are also planning other alternative fuels for the future,” Rázlová said.