OREANDA-NEWS.  Tatarstan’s participation in a pilot project to promote a gas fuel gave impetus to new advanced CNG developments at KAMAZ.
These are vehicles running on liquefied natural gas (LNG). Such KAMAZ vehicles are more efficient and environmentally friendlier even in comparison with trucks running on compressed natural gas (CNG). LNG vehicles guarantee a longer range and a higher payload of chassis due to a cryogenic tank which is lighter than two or three CNG cassettes, a lower prime cost of fuel production and better environmental characteristics: KAMAZ vehicles running on LNG will meet Euro 5 and Euro 6 emission standards. Tatarstan’s short-term plans are to launch a small-tonnage LNG plant with a capacity of 56 thousand tonnes. It will enable to supply almost one thousand vehicles with fuel every year and solve the main problem of NGV development – a scarcity of filling stations.
It should be noted that KAMAZ launched a series production of bottle-gas driven vehicles already in 2011. Vehicles running on gas, namely gas/diesel vehicles (KAMAZ-53208, KAMAZ-53218, KAMAZ-54118, KAMAZ-55118), have been produced since as far back as 1987. More than 10 thousand units were produced altogether. According to Sergey Kolesnikov, Director of the Marketing Department of OJSC KAMAZ, modern KAMAZ NGVs are increasingly in demand, “Vehicles are mainly purchased by municipalities of different Russian cities for various needs, subsidiaries of JSC GAZPROM, motor carriers, construction firms, freight forwarders. Over 200 bottle-gas driven NEFAZ buses served guests and participants of the XXVII Summer Universiade held in Kazan.”
To date, various dump trucks for construction and agriculture, special equipment for public utilities and road maintenance services are produced on the basis of KAMAZ-65115 gas-powered chassis. There are all-wheel drive versions based on reliable KAMAZ-43114 and KAMAZ-43118 diesel vehicles, compact garbage trucks on KAMAZ-53605 and KAMAZ-4308 two-axle chassis, heavy dump trucks on KAMAZ-6520 chassis, and also suburban buses. In all, KAMAZ’s range of Euro 4 vehicles running on compressed natural gas includes 14 models.