BG's 20% dual-fuel savi
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by Juliet Parish • British Gas is offering operators a dual-fuel conversion for light trucks costing up to £4.000. The deal follows the conversion of five of its own 7.5 tonnes as part of a pioneering gas-powered vehicle scheme.
BG's gas-powered quintet.comprising Leyland Daf Roadrunners and Iveco Ford Cargos, run in a mixture of compressed natural gas (CNG) and diesel.They are expected to save 20% on fuel over traditional diesels and to give further cost savings on maintenance.
Three more trucks will he converted by the end of next month. They will be based at Livingston, Scotland, where British Gas installed a refuelling station in March. The CNG vehicles will be used to deliver cookers and other gas appliances.
Until now,apart from one other 7.5-tonner converted to run solely on gas, British Gas has only converted petrol powered vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes to run on CNG.
So far 150 petrol-engined LCVs have been fitted with gaseous fuel injection (GF1s) kits—but there are plans to convert another 150 by the end of the year. Most of the vans are Ford Transits and Escorts. (CM 2-8 July 1992). BG's CNG trucks have two 90litre cylinders which enable them to run for 322km (200 miles) on a natural gas/diesel mixture before being refuelled. Once the CNG has run out they can operate for another 130Icm (80 miles) on normal diesel.
More gas cylinders can be fitted to the vehicle if an operator needs to travel great tances,but these carry z: tional weight penalty.
British Gas claims that modification can be app virtually any diesel engii conversion works by limi amount of diesel injected vehicle gains speed and n the shortfall in fuel by gas.
At full power the eneri is typically 20% from di' 80% from gas. When stai vehicle only diesel fuel is the combustion produce the diesel is injec-ted,the the add-in compressed gas to produce normal power.