An IVECO Stralis NP 460hp truck from the UK has completed what is believed to be the longest ever journey by road on a single fill of LNG to demonstrate the suitability of natural gas-powered vehicles for domestic and European road transport.

Setting off from London, the Stralis NP 4×2 tractor unit was pulling a tri-axle box van trailer and running at a gross vehicle weight of 30 tonnes. After a short ferry crossing from Dover to Calais it completed the 1,728km road journey without needing to refuel – exceeding the vehicle‘s official range of 1,600km to set a new distance record. This equates to an impressive LNG fuel cost saving of circa £200 ($391) for the outward journey, or 40 percent, versus diesel.

“Last year we completed John O‘Groats to Land‘s End on a single fill in a 400hp Stralis NP, but this time we wanted to set the bar even higher,” said Martin Flach, alternative fuels director of IVECO. “It was a chance to demonstrate how fuel-efficient the Stralis NP is, and to put our latest 460hp gas-powered engine to the ultimate test.

“We brimmed the tank before we left London, and the first time we stopped for fuel was in Madrid two and a half days later. Running on 100 percent natural power means there‘s no diesel or AdBlue to worry about, making it the simplest solution for both the fleet manager and the driver.”

Despite the heavy traffic on the UK side of the English Channel, a strong head wind in France and the hilly Spanish section of the route, the Stralis NP recorded an impressive average fuel consumption of 22.6 kg per 100 km.

Prior to the trip, IVECO carefully planned the journey using MyBestRoute: a web-based application developed by Michelin for Stralis NP customers. It allows drivers and fleet managers to select the optimum route for any European journey, including plotting LNG refuelling stations and estimating the total cost of the trip for diesel and natural gas-powered trucks.

IVECO was using the journey to demonstrate that natural gases – including CNG, LNG and biomethane – are all viable, realistic, safe and cost-effective alternatives to diesel, available from a growing network of fuel providers in the UK and across the continent.

Compared with an equivalent Euro VI diesel, a Stralis NP running on LNG emits around 90 percent less NO2 emissions, 99 percent less particulate matter, and up to 15 percent less CO2 – rising to 95 percent less CO2 when using biomethane.

The Stralis NP is available as a 4×2 and 6×2 maximum weight tractor unit, with power outputs of 400 or 460hp. IVECO also offers medium and heavy rigid trucks running on natural gas, together with an extensive range of Daily Natural Power light commercial vehicles from 3.5 to 7.2 tonnes.

IVECO was the first commercial vehicle manufacturer to look at the potential of natural gas in 1991 – an anticipation that allowed the company to develop a full range of natural gas trucks, vans and buses. Currently, more than 25,000 IVECO gas-powered vehicles have been delivered into service.