May 27, 2023. The Coflonorte Libertadores group is the first transport company in the center of the country to put into service an intermunicipal bus powered exclusively by compressed natural gas (CNG), which will be covering the Sogamoso – Bogotá route.
It is a Scania K320 IB 4×2 Euro 6 vehicle, with Opticruise automatic transmission, brake retarder, ABS, exclusive natural gas engine of 9,300 cubic centimeters, 1,500 Nm- and 320 horsepower, with ultra-low particulate matter and nitrogen oxides emissions, reductions of up to 45% in CO2 and lower fuel costs compared to traditional technologies.
The unit comes into operation within the framework of a project that includes Ecopetrol, Transportadora de Gas Internacional (TGI), Vanti, Naturgás, Scania and the Innova Foundation of the Coflonorte Libertadores group.
The bus engine was designed to run solely on natural gas, which is why the transport company indicated that the performance is similar to that of buses with diesel engines.
Likewise, it has capacity for 42 passengers and has three CNG storage tanks that give it a range of 500 to 700 kilometers. In addition, it has the ECO10000 code, which identifies it as an environmentally friendly vehicle.
“This is the second bus dedicated to natural gas that exists in Colombia: one is on the coast, in Expreso Brasilia, and this one is in Grupo Libertadores,” said Vanti’s Vice President of Large Clients, John Jairo Contreras Moncada.
In order for the unit to better cover the route between Boyacá and Bogotá, Vanti has a proposal to build a CNG service station in the Tunja Transport Terminal and another in Sogamoso.
