Marten Spedition und Logistic GmbH & Co. KG (Marten), based in Rinteln in Lower Saxony, is putting a truck powered by natural gas into operation and will monitor the benefits.

The drive energy is supplied by compressed gas (CNG), a particularly attractive alternative to conventional diesel vehicles from both economic and ecological points of view:

• CNG has biogas added, giving it a high energy content, which at 13.3 kWh per kg is around twice that of LPG.  
• The potential for saving CO2 emissions is considerably higher than that of LPG if at least 20% biogas is added.
• Compared to diesel, CNG fuel is cleaner and cheaper.
• Natural gas offers ecological prospects for the future: by increasing the admixture of biogas, the ecological balance can be further improved.

As a result Marten has decided to include the alternative drive in its own fleet of 32 trucks. A 410 HP Scania swap body vehicle is currently in use for general cargo transport in the region around Rinteln as far as Hanover. At 138,000 euros, the purchase price of the truck was around 20,000 euros higher than that of a diesel vehicle, but these costs will be written off over the period of use thanks to the cheaper fuel and the exemption from the truck toll.  The natural gas truck has a total of eight tank containers, each holding 90 kg (four on each side), which are housed behind massive side protection.

"With the use of 540 kg CNG we can achieve a range of 450km with the vehicle when it’s loaded up to the permissible total weight," reports Managing Director, Sascha Marten.

As the CNG filling station network is better developed than LNG, operation is unproblematic from a fuel supply point of view, especially as the vehicle has a double connection. This means it can also fill up at car pillars if there’s no truck nozzle at a filling station.

Mr Marten is satisfied with the company’s CNG truck experience so far. He continues: "If the motorway network of filling stations continues to expand alongside exemption from the truck toll, I’d imagine we purchase one or two more CNG vehicles, as our experience so far has been very good.”

Marten Spedition was founded in December 2011. Around 45 employees work for the logistics company, which specialises in general cargo transport, part and full loads and storage. The company manages a storage area of 5,000 m².