NGVA rejects paper claiming LNG trucks are "dead-end bridge"

European natural gas vehicle (NGV) association NGVA Europe has rejected a recent paper that concluded that using LNG as a truck fuel can result in higher emissions compared with diesel, stating that it "does not meet the necessary scientific standards to be recognised ... as a scientific document."

The paper, which NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) commissioned from the Graz University of Technology, estimated that an LNG truck manufactured by Italy's IVECO produced only 7.5% lower well-to-wheel greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than one of the automaker's diesel trucks, over a 100-year global warming potential (GWP). Looking at 20-year GWP, the LNG truck even produced 13.4% higher emissions from the diesel truck.

The Graz paper also ruled out renewable methane as an option for decarbonisation, stating it was neither scalable or affordable. And it estimated that LNG trucks could produce even more particle emissions than diesel trucks.

"Numerous scientific studies, published in the last 20 years, have repeatedly successfully proven that methane-powered propulsion systems have a general advantage over diesel engines in terms of greenhouse gas emissions," NGVA Europe said. "In the case of the use of sustainably produced methane, for example produced out of straw or manure, even negative GHG values can be achieved on the well-to-tank-side."

NGVA Europe also cited evidence showing that bio-LNG production was both affordable and scalable as a solution for decarbonising vehicle transport. The association's full response can be read here.