Audi Logistics at the Neckarsulm is turning to liquefied natural gas (LNG) trucks in its push towards sustainable, climate-friendly operations.
The Neckarsulm site will deploy two LNG-fueled trucks, Audi said in its statement.
“With the planned comprehensive use of alternative technologies such as LNG trucks, we are pursuing a climate-friendly solution for our logistics transport in line with our cross-site environmental program Mission:Zero. We are thereby laying a further building block for achieving our CO2 goals”, said Achim Diehlmann , head of Environmental Protection at the Neckarsulm site.
LNG trucks have already been used successfully at the Brussels site since 2018. LNG as a fuel is an alternative with potential for the future. In the coming years, a fully bio-sourced version is to be available, which will allow 90 percent of CO2 to be saved per transport as compared to diesel engines.
So far, the use of alternative drive technologies for medium distances and long-distance transport has hardly been possible due to lacking infrastructure and technical restrictions.
Together with a carrier, transport planner Alexander Graefe at the Neckarsulm site has now found the first alternative to diesel trucks that is also suitable for longer transport distances.
Two trucks powered by LNG are now supplying the site with parts for the Audi A6 and A7 models. Another is to be added to the fleet by the end of the year, Audi said.
Audi has been conducting finished vehicle transports with “green trains” via Deutsche Bahn since 2010. In cooperation with Deutsche Bahn, this concept has been expanded gradually and consistently to include material transports and further sites.