January 31, 2020. Scania started this week at the São Bernardo do Campo plant in São Paulo ABC, the production of trucks fueled with compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and biomethane (obtained from organic waste). In addition to European countries, Brazil is the only one that produces this line of vehicles. The local factory will start exporting vehicles in the next few days, starting with Argentina.
The CNG and LNG versions can also use biomethane in any proportion, that is, they are flexible vehicles. In Brazil, imports of natural gas trucks have already been produced, but local production is unprecedented, the company says. The Swedish headquarters of the group has been producing this type of vehicles since 2014. For manufacturing in the country, adaptations were made, such as reinforcements for use in more severe terrain.
With this project, which consumed a good part of Scania’s investment plan of R$ 2.6 billion between 2016 and 2020, the brand starts the plan so that most of its products will work with alternative fuels. The next steps include the production of hybrid vehicles, which are expected to be included in the new investment program from 2021 to 2024, of R$ 1.4 billion, and, in the long term, electric vehicles.
The President of Scania Latin America, Christopher Podgorski, explains that the company wanted a “cleaner transport solution here and now, and that natural gas is a great opportunity due to its abundance in the country.” According to him, CNG emits between 10% and 15% less carbon dioxide (CO2) compared to diesel.
