May 26, 2023. Chart, Scania AB, and coachbuilder Irizar are collaborating on the liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled version of Irizar’s i8 coach, which will be commercially introduced later this year. Irizar made its debut in the LNG Class II and coach segment in 2021 with the i4, built on a Scania chassis and incorporating Chart designed and built twin cylindrical horizontally mounted cryogenic fuel tanks. The same product and configuration then appeared on the larger i6 introduced for medium and longer distance routes.
Compared to its diesel counterparts, each of the LNG fueled coaches emits 25% less CO2, 85% less NOx and harmful particulates are virtually eliminated from exhaust gases. A driving range in excess of 1.000 kilometers is, at least, the equivalent of the diesel model and more than twice that of the CNG versions. The LNG fuel system is also lighter and takes up less space than an equivalent CNG system.
Chart and Scania have been collaborating on LNG fuel tanks for over the road trucking and buses for many years and Chart tanks feature on multiple Scania built vehicles. These include the Interlink LD, the latest version of the inter-city bus used for short and medium routes, school bus traffic and other suburban routes that was hailed as the world’s first alternatively fueled inter-city bus when it was launched in 2018.
