During Elmia Lastbil in Jönköping, Sweden, Scania Sverige AB, the engine, bus, and truck manufacturer symbolically handed over the keys to the dairy cooperative major Arla, which in the near future will take delivery of 48 Scania trucks designed to run on biodiesel RME (rape methyl-ester). With the delivery, Arla will achieve a fossil-free vehicle fleet in Sweden fuelled by biofuels such as RME, HVO or ED95 (ethanol).
Owned by over 11 200 dairy farmers, Denmark-headed Arla Foods amba is an international dairy cooperative major with owners and operations in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. With extensive logistics and distribution of dairy products, transportation has a significant impact on the cooperative’s climate footprint.
In Sweden, Arla is at the forefront of sustainability and currently has trucks that operate on RME, HVO, and the Swedish-developed commercial vehicle ethanol fuel, ED95.
Arla has assumed the challenge of becoming fossil free in 2020, which is far more ambitious than the government’s target. We’re glad that we’re already there, thanks to Scania’s ability to deliver vehicles for alternative fuels, said Berne Carlson, Fleet Manager at Arla.
In 2019/2020, Scania will supply 48 RME vehicles to Arla’s distribution units in Järfälla, Linköping, Jönköping, Gothenburg, Örebro, Ronneby and Visby completing the fossil-free fleet. The deal was marked by a symbolic handing over of the keys during Elmia Lastbil, the largest trucking event in the Nordics.
Scania can provide vehicles and engines for all types of alternative fuels. We do not believe that there is a single fuel that is the solution for all, but we must realize that local factors such as availability and infrastructure influence what solution fits best, said Fredrik Lundström, Head of Sales at Scania Sverige.
RME and ED95 rebound?
According to Scania, the biodiesel fuel RME (rape methyl-ester) can reduce fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 66 percent, and also have a positive effect on particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) reduction compared to petroleum diesel.
Changes in Swedish fiscal regulations that came into effect in January 2018 have also had a positive impact on RME availability as the fuel qualifies (as it did previously) for tax exemption making it a cost-competitive biofuel. It is something that Swedish RME producer and participant at Elmia Lastbil, Ecobränsle i Karlshamn AB, also noted with RME sales rebounding strongly
Ethanol (ED95), a blend of 95 percent ethanol and 5 percent ignition improver was originally developed by Swedish ethanol producer SEKAB is, says Scania, one of the best biofuels in terms of availability and reduced environmental impact. Ethanol is a global commodity and can have up to 90 percent CO2 reduction depending on how, where and with what feedstock it is produced with. Recently the company launched a new 410 hp ethanol engine for long-haul applications.
All Arla ED95 vehicles run on Swedish-produced ethanol. In a bid to reignite commercial interest in ED95, Scania, Lantmännen, SEKAB, and Arla have collaborated with a comprehensive concept, called Etha, to facilitate industry’s switch to fossil-free transport, where the collaboration includes the entire value chain from fuel production to actual transport.
force behind the company’s engine and commercial vehicle powertrain options.
