Scania leads the shift to sustainable CNG transport solutions

May 31, 2023

Scania Southern Africa is accelerating its ambitions to drive the shift to sustainable transport solutions. In partnership with Coca-Cola Sabco Mozambique, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, Scania is piloting the first Scania compressed natural gas (CNG) G410 truck powered by a Euro 6 Otto engine.

The partnership with Coca-Cola Sabco Mozambique will yield substantial cost efficiencies and environmental benefits.

“Alternative fuels offer many transport operators an early pathway to achieving their sustainability goals,” says Mark Templeton, sustainability manager, Scania Southern Africa. Scania develops and provides the most extensive portfolio of engines on the market that can run on alternatives to fossil fuel.

“A key factor in the success of sustainable transport solutions is their CO₂ reduction potential,” says Templeton. “With nearly 195 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, Mozambique accounts for around 1% of the world’s natural gas reserves. It therefore makes economic sense to use these in-country resources to fuel our customers’ operations in this region.”

Scania’s natural gas-powered trucks deliver environmental benefits through an improved emissions standard and reduced noise levels. The Scania CNG Euro 6 Otto engine has the equivalent diesel engine powerful torque and performance outputs, while reducing CO₂ emissions by 10 to 20%. When running on the equivalent CBG (Compressed Biogas), these reductions can increase to 70% based on the feedstock.

“Our gas-powered trucks are ideally suited for regional distribution,” explains Templeton. “They offer a driving range of up to 480km.” Unfortunately, CNG availability is limited to the southern region around Maputo. This best suits the Coca Cola hub and spoke distribution strategy, where the truck departs and returns to the bottling plant every day.

Coca-Cola Sabco is a proud industry leader in developing increasingly sustainable ways to manufacture, distribute, and sell its products. “People matter. Our planet matters. We believe in doing business the right way by following our values,” says Duncan Wyness, general manager, Coca-Cola Sabco Mozambique. “Profitability is important but not at any cost. Introducing our new gas-powered vehicles is one aspect of our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and environmental impact.”

“These are values we share,” emphasises Templeton. “Coca-Cola Sabco Mozambique is a pioneering customer. Together we look forward to achieving positive change in the transport industry while developing strongly sustainable locally sourced gas energy. This is a foundation that other customers can follow.”