This week, Cestas, close to Bordeaux, marks a milestone in the history of the French industry. For the first time ever in France, the entire biogas value chain is represented in the same site, making circular economy a tangible reality.
With more than 20 years of experience and over 35.000 Natural Gas engines produced, FPT Industrial is a pioneer and global leader in the Natural Gas field, being also the heart behind many of the players involved in this project, that starts with a Pot-au-Pin site specialized in carrots and leeks and ends in a gas station nearby.
Every day, at the Pot-au-Pin, more than 30 tons of plant biomass are incorporated into a biodigester. Then, a fermentation occurs and the digestion of this material by bacteria generates biogas. This biogas contains a percentage of biomethane and other gases. During the refining process, the biogas is refined, and only the biomethane remains, ready to be injected into the Natural Gas network.
That’s why, close to the biomethane site, a new station has opened, which is dedicated to Natural Gas, where everyone can fuel their vehicle with Natural Gas in its compressed and liquefied form. A solution which is not just ready-to-use but which presents many other benefits: the final consumer experiences no impact to their daily routine, since the fueling process is the same as with Diesel, and the emission levels of CO2 are greatly reduced.
The inauguration of both the site and the station were made possible due to the collaboration between Pot au Pin Energie – and its Planète Végétal brand – , Air Liquide and Carrefour, while FPT Industrial powered many vehicles involved in the project, fully embracing the circular economy concept. On site, in fact, were the New Holland methane concept tractor and the Iveco Stralis NP, and guests travelled from one site to the another on Iveco buses, which were also fueled with Natural Gas.
FPT Industrial is, in fact, the only player in the world to offer a full range of Natural Gas engines, going from 136hp to 460hp, and for each emission level for industrial applications. A range that is meant to grow even more in the future. Furthermore, all these engines can run with biomethane, taking the CO2 emission levels close to zero. A greener path that many brands are now choosing: FPT Industrial, for example, has been delivering Natural Gas engines for years, among its customers the Beijing Public Transportation Company (BPTC), in China has been using FPT Industrial Natural Gas engines on its buses since 2012, and Modasa, in Peru, has been since 2013.
Last year, FPT Industrial launched the Cursor 13 Natural Gas, the most powerful 100% Natural Gas engine available on the market and the first NG engine on the market specially developed for long-haul missions. The Cursor 13 Natural Gas delivers power up to 460 hp @ 1,900 rpm and torque up to 2,000 Nm @ 1,100 rpm.
The year before was the time of the Cursor 9 Natural Gas engine, which has a six-cylinder architecture and is meant for applications such as heavy haulage, garbage collection, city and intercity transportation. The Cursor 9 Natural Gas offers power up to 400 hp @ 2.000 rpm, and torque up to 1.700 Nm @ 1.200 rpm, while at the same time having emissions lower than Euro VI limits.
FPT Industrial has also developed more compact solutions, both for industrial vehicles and for light commercial ones. As for the first category, the N60 Natural Gas engine is the most compact and efficient solution in the 6 to 18 tons truck. Characterized by a 6-liter displacement and a 6-cylinder architecture, this engine delivers high power, which can reach a peak of 204 hp@2700 rpm, and an high torque, 750 Nm @1400rpm with any load and on any route. Moreover, compared to its Diesel equivalent, it allows fuel cost savings up to 30%.
In the light commercial vehicle sector, FPT Industrial offers the Natural Gas version of its best-selling F1C engine. The F1C NG is a best seller, thanks to its robustness and reliability – which are the same of a Diesel engine – while the power is up to 136hp with 350Nm of max torque.
FPT Industrial NEF 6-cylinder Natural Gas
FPT Industrial research did not stop at Industrial vehicles. In the past years, FPT Industrial became a pioneer even in the agriculture segment for equipping the first New Holland methane concept tractor with an engine specifically designed for this kind of application.
FPT Industrial NEF 6-cylinder Natural Gas engine delivers the same performance as Diesel engines, in terms of power, torque, durability and maintenance intervals, therefore delivering the same in-field performance and operations to end-users. Comparing it to a Diesel engine, the NEF 6-cylinder NG engine allows a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 80% reduction of polluting emissions. Plus, an optimized combustion improves engine efficiency and leads to 10-30% operating cost savings when compared to Diesel, while vibration and noises are 5dB lower.
FPT Industrial is a brand of CNH Industrial, dedicated to the design, production and sale of powertrains for on and off-road vehicles, marine and power generation applications. The company employs more than 8,000 people worldwide, in ten manufacturing plants and seven R&D Centres. The FPT Industrial sales network consists of 93 dealers and over 900 service centres in almost 100 countries. A wide product offering, including six engine ranges from 42 hp up to 1,006 hp, transmissions with maximum torque of 200 Nm up to 500 Nm, front and rear axles from 2 to 32 ton GAW (Gross Axle Weight). FPT Industrial offers the most complete Natural Gas engines line-up on the market for industrial applications, including engine ranges from 136 hp up to 460 hp. This extensive offer and a close focus on R&D activities make FPT Industrial a world leader in industrial powertrains.
For further information, visit www.fptindustrial.com
