T he aroma of chips, mayonnaise, mussels, beer, and chocolate that
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permeates many a Brussels street looks set to become a little more distinct thanks to ERE
Working closely with Perkins, it has supplied a compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered rigid to a major gas and electricity utility anxious to do its bit to help free Belgium's capital of exhaust fumes. The 6x4 26-tonner was on display at the Brussels CV show last January, and was imported by Truck Technology, Although it is operated by Electrabel, it is owned by Sebelgaz, a consortium of local authorities entitled to supply gas and electricity to customers within their catchment areas.
They fund the vehicles required by repair, maintenance, and installation teams; Electrabel supplies the labour and operating expertise, explains Electrabel logistics and information director Christian Leonard.
The area within which the ERF will work comprises half of Brussels plus the Flemish-speaking area of the province of Brabant. With the ability to run at 42/44 tonnes, it will form part of a fleet of 300 vehicles, including more than 55 other vans and trucks powered by CNG, many of which are dual-fuel.
"We're trying to convince people that gas will be the clean road transport fuel for the next century," says Leonard.
Perkins Eagle
The EC12.34 DB3(G) is powered by a 122litre six-cylinder Perkins Eagle TxSi engine producing 340hp (254kW) at 1,800rpm. Maximum torque of 1,2091bft (1,639Nin) bites at a plateau of 1,000rpm-1,21Orpm.
The air-to-air charge-cooled TxSi is fitted with a spark-ignited (one coil per cylinder) lean-burn combustion system, a wastegated turbocharger and two-way oxidation catalyst. A drive-by-wire system electronically controls the ignition, air, and gas management system: in this application it is married to an eightspeed ZF gearbox. With very low Nox-60% below Euro-2 levels, says Perkins—and near-zero particulate emissions, ERF believes the truck is capable of meeting the proposed Euro-3 Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle Legislation for alternatively fuelled vehicles in 2000/2001.
Equipped with a crane and a hooklift demount system it carries up to 11 tonnes of cable drums and maintenance supplies. The ERF can also haul a drawbar trailer grossing at 18 tonnes with an emergency generator.
The ERF will only run on gas but Leonard sees this as a virtue as some of the dual-fuel vehicles in the fleet have experienced problems with cylinders overheating.
Leonard initially approached Perkins because he knew of its expertise with alternative fuels. Perkins in turn pointed him towards ERE Leonard soon realised that the lightness of the SMC-clad cab--"it weighs about a tonne less than almost any other cab on a truck of comparable size" would more than offset the additional burden imposed by 800kg of gas bottles. But why not opt for liquefied natural gas (LNG)? After all, the ERF could run on it with only a minor modification; an LNG tank wouldn't impose a significant additional weight burden, and would extend the ERF's range.
There are restrictions on the movement of LNG within Belgium, Leonard explains, and it is not as easy to find as CNG. In any case, he only needs a 400km range between refills.
Leonard has tested the ERE on hilly routes