From 18 September, a new city bus is tested on Lithuanian roads. The bus is powered by hydrogen-enriched (up to 20%) natural gas (H2NG). Scania and SG Dujos research team also plan to test a truck powered by similar fuels – hydrogen and natural gas mixes – on Lithuanian roads later this year.
Prof. dr. Saugirdas Pukalskas, Head of the Department of Automobile Engineering at VGTU, says that this project is the first step in Lithuania towards a very progressive and fast developing fuel based on hydrogen. “Using just hydrogen in transport still has a lot of challenges: lack of special transport, the longevity of the equipment, not enough developed technologies, lack of infrastructure for refuelling,” says VGTU professor S. Pukalskas.
VGTU cooperation with world leading company grew into a project, which, by using hydrogen and natural gas mixes, contributes to usage of more environmentally friendly fuels and reduction of transport pollution. “This technology allows us to produce hydrogen, mix it with natural gas and use it in vehicles which are designed for compressed natural gas fuel. This technology does not require special vehicles, as in the case of using just hydrogen. In addition, these mixes can be prepared and used in already existing, only slightly modified, compression stations, which are used now for compressed natural gas fuel,” describes S. Pukalskas.
According to VGTU professor S. Pukalskas, participation in this project is very important for specialists working at VGTU. Staff of the Department of Automobile Engineering have possibility to apply their knowledge and also contribute to the reduction of transport pollution and application of innovative technologies.
The test bus Scania will be tested in September-October on various regular routes in Vilnius, Kaunas, Šiauliai, Klaipėda, Telšiai, Ukmerge and Pabradė. It is estimated that the bus will travel about 8 thousand kilometres. During the tests, passengers will not be transported. The research aims to identify and compare the performance (fuel consumption, performance, ecological, etc.) of a bus powered by various gases (biogas, natural gas) and gas mixtures (various hydrogen and natural gas).
