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Economical and eco-friendly alternative:
natural-gas buses from MAN
MAN has decades of experience and a wide range of products in the field of CNG technology
The number of gas-powered vehicles is steadily increasing. Every month sees more than a quarter of a million new CNG vehicles registered around the world. Current forecasts predict that by 2020 there will 65 million of them on the road. This also applies to local public transport, where more and more natural-gas buses are being operated as an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to the conventional diesel drive. Extracting, cleaning and transporting the fossil fuel with the lowest carbon content require comparatively little energy. As a result, natural gas boasts the highest CO2 efficiency of all fossil fuels in the "well-to-wheel" comparison. Without any need for technical modifications, CNG engines and buses from MAN can also be run on treated biogas, which makes operation CO2 neutral. A characteristic of natural gas is that it burns very cleanly by comparison with other fossil fuels, so that engines emit low levels of air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. This makes natural-gas buses an alternative that remains significantly below the levels required by Euro 6, currently the most stringent emission standard, completely without filter technology or additives. Since mid-2013 MAN has also been offering the complete range of CNG products in Euro 6 versions.
MAN CNG buses - an alternative that pays for itself
An analysis of the lifecycle costs of diesel and CNG buses shows the benefits for customers who choose natural gas as their power source. The purchase price of an MAN Lion's City CNG is around 20 percent higher than that of a diesel-powered vehicle in the same model range. Based on a service life of ten years at an average of 60,000 kilometres per annum, with a constant price of €1.40 per litre of diesel and €1.00 per kilogram of natural gas, the MAN Lion's City CNG saves fuel costs totalling approximately €150,000 by comparison with the diesel-powered version. The higher purchase price is thus quickly amortized. Of course, service and maintenance costs also have to be included in the analysis: due to the technology employed for the MAN Lion's City CNG, these are slightly higher. However, at a little under ten percent the additional cost relative to a diesel bus is moderate.
Natural gas and bio-gas are eco-friendly, economical, future-proof alternatives to conventional diesel power particularly for urban bus companies that are able to use an existing infrastructure to supply them with energy. Around the world there are many countries where the price of natural gas is lower than that of diesel fuel. Operators of natural-gas-powered buses are often able to take advantage of state incentives offered by governments wanting to increase the percentage of natural gas in the fuel mix. CNG buses also run particularly quietly because combustion in the gas-powered engine, like its petrol-driven counterpart, is initiated by spark plugs and therefore smooth as silk. And on top of all that, MAN's gas-powered engines convince with their long service intervals, are easy to service and can be fully diagnosed using MAN-Cats II.
Long experience in CNG drives and a wide range of products
MAN has more than 40 years' experience with natural-gas buses and has since the year 2000 delivered over 7,500 natural-gas buses, bus chassis with natural-gas engines and individual natural-gas engines.
There are currently two series of engines (E08 and E28) available for bus and bus-chassis applications in five output classes from 220 hp to 310 hp.
MAN also has an offering for complete buses, with no compromises: natural-gas-powered drives can be ordered as alternatives for just about every model in the MAN Lion's City range, from the 12-metre long solo bus to the 18.75-metre long articulated bus. Moreover, the MAN Lion's City CNG is also available in a version for hot countries. Special applications, for example a pre-separator for the air-intake system, ensure reliable operation in very dusty regions where temperatures are high. For the UK, MAN also offers the EcoCity, a right-hand-drive version especially adapted for this market. Easy to build on city-bus chassis from MAN with natural-gas engines round off the comprehensive portfolio.
The modular rooftop system can be selected individually for all models: a standardised aluminium frame provides space for between four and ten gas cylinders under the roof fairing.
MAN not only offers reliable technologies but is of course completely familiar with the servicing and repair of the high-pressure gas systems. If the customer requests it, training courses will ensure that MAN's know-how is competently transferred to the customer's own service personnel or an external service team. In addition, the global supply of spare parts for gas-powered buses is assured. This guarantees the smooth operation of the gas-powered buses made by MAN.
The MAN Group is one of Europe's leading industrial players in transport-related engineering, with annual revenues of some €15.8 billion in 2012. MAN is a supplier of trucks, buses, diesel engines, turbo machinery and special transmissions and has around 54,300 employees worldwide. MAN's business areas are all leaders in their markets.
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