Manager: Karl Nothegger Jr.
Title: Managing director
Company: Nothegger Transport Logistik GmbH, St. Ulrich am
Pillersee, Austria
Operation: European freight transport conglomerate operating 750 trucks
Problem:
Reducing exhaust emissions are a big deal to Nothegger Transport Logistik GmbH but not just to help eliminate air pollution. Back in 2012, the Austrian trucking firm purchased 30 new Kögel cargo rail trailers to help beef up its efforts to shift more of its long-haul European freight to rail.
Because of this shift, Nothegger says it has so far transferred some 31 million mi. of its cargo from roads to rails, eliminating 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide from its truck fleet annually.
Now Nothegger is taking another step in the “clean air” direction by ordering 220 two- and three-axle highway tractors from Swedish truckmaker Scania. Equipped with Scania-made 13L 450-hp. biodiesel engines, the trucks are capable of running on 100% biodiesel.
Austria provides tax incentives to those that use pure biodiesel, making it an attractive choice. As a result, biodiesel costs less per gallon than petroleum-based diesel at filling stations.
Yet when it came to maintaining those engines, Nothegger faced a serious question: Would engines running on fuel containing high amounts of biodiesel generate higher maintenance costs, in effect wiping out the savings generated by the lower cost at the pump and the tax incentives?
Solution:
Scania notes that the power output from its new line of 13L inline six commercial truck engines—available in 450- and 490-hp. versions—declines 8% when operated on 100% biodiesel due to the lower energy content of the biodiesel fuel.
“Pure biodiesel always produces notably lower carbon dioxide emissions compared with conventional diesel, but precisely how much lower depends on how the biodiesel has been produced,” explains Örjan Åslund, head of product affairs for Scania. “Certain types of biodiesel can give a carbon dioxide reduction of 80% or more.”
Maintenance interval changes are required when Scania’s engines are operated with high-content biodiesel fuels, Åslund points out.
“The attributes of biodiesel fuel lead to an increased proportion of ash in the exhaust fumes, leading to shorter service intervals and a slightly increased consumption of fuel,” he explains. “This consumption of both fuel and AdBlue [the brand of diesel exhaust fluid used by Scania’s trucks] consumption may increase by 10% in an engine run on 100% biodiesel.”
“The maintenance scheme depends on the type of operation, which is decided in a dialogue between the Scania workshop and the customer,” he adds, noting that Nothegger signed a repair and maintenance contract with Scania to help deal with those issues.
For the most common type of freight operation in Europe, namely traditional longhaul, Scania developed a set maintenance interval for its biodiesel engines that includes an engine oil and engine oil filter change every 27,960 mi. or annually; a fuel filter change roughly every 18,641 mi.; an oxidation catalytic converter change every 155, 343 mi.; and a renewal of the DPF every 7,300 hours.
Åslund stresses that another important aspect of biodiesel is that it is an uncomplicated alternative fuel to use. “Drivers simply need to fill up and drive away,” he explains. “If they find themselves somewhere where no biodiesel is available, they can just mix whatever remains in their tanks with conventional diesel. The one condition that remains is that biodiesel engines must always be serviced as though they were being continually operated on biodiesel.”
With its maintenance contract in hand and savings generated via tax concessions and biodiesel’s lower pump price, Nothegger expects to be able to cut its operating costs in the end. Based on total distance driven of roughly 93,205 mi. per truck, the fleet estimates its annual savings could be about $5,442.
