A very successful combination

Swiss vehicle manufacturer David Wiederkehr AG has combined a CNG-powered Scania with a rear loader waste collection unit. The truck is now being used by Hauri Transporte GmbH to collect green waste in the foothills of the Bernese and Solothurn Jura. This brings it full circle, because this is how the biogas Scania collects its own fuel to a certain extent – really clever.

The Scania G 410 B6x2 with its 410 hp 13-litre CNG engine is in use on one of the collection tours for Hauri Transporte GmbH. Source: CNG-Mobility.ch

“We decided to build on a CNG engine because several communities are now asking for more sustainable solutions for refuse collection vehicles, but an electric truck would simply be too expensive for us as manufacturers for a demo vehicle,” says Kevin Stiefel from David Wiederkehr AG in Zofingen, explaining the reasons behind the construction of the CNG-powered refuse collection vehicle. Were there any challenges to overcome during this process? “Of course,” explains the body shop manager, “the hydraulic pump reacted a little bit slower due to the different torque curve of the CNG engine, which we had to adjust via the control system.” But for the team of the Aargau-based specialist in trailer and vehicle construction, this was a perfectly solvable task.

Thanks to remote maintenance, Kevin Stiefel from David Wiederkehr AG in Zofingen is able to call up important information on operating and maintenance data “live” on the demo vehicle. Source: CNG-Mobility.ch

The Scania G 410 B6x2 is equipped with a 410 hp 13-litre CNG engine and features an Olympus rear loader waste collection unit from specialist Terberg Rosroca. It is currently used almost exclusively for Hauri Transporte GmbH. “The demo vehicle is equipped with remote maintenance technology, so we receive important information about operating and maintenance data as well as information about the current location,” reveals Stiefel. The refuse collection vehicle with driver Pascal Stettler at the wheel is currently making its way up the Balmberg Pass during our visit.

Thanks to the power mode, even the rather hilly terrain is no problem for the Scania with CNG drive. Source: CNG-Mobility.ch

Stettler is happy with the CNG Scania. “I’ve already gone for a test drive and I didn’t even notice at first that I wasn’t driving the diesel-powered vehicle. If I can, I drive with the CNG engine in eco mode. You can then feel the different torque curve, which is why I’m happy about the Scania’s performance mode on the slope,” he adds. The active Hornussen player from Burgdorf had to readjust  a bit from the low-floor cabin with the low entry before to the Scania with a conventional entry. But Stettler says: “Keeping an overview is certainly an issue for a garbage collection vehicle, especially in neighbourhoods with narrow streets or trees. Of course, communication with the two loaders or customers also works better if there is a clear overview.” At the same time, however, everything is just a question of attitude, says the experienced driver as he guides the Scania around the next bend.

Driver Pascal Stettler is satisfied with the CNG Scania. Source: CNG-Mobility.ch

In the case of a diesel vehicle, a full tank is sometimes also enough for one-and-a-half green waste collections in the partly hilly foothills of the Jura mountains, whereas the CNG Scania is refuelled every evening. However, the biogas comes straight from the biogas plant in the neighbourhood. The advantage: thanks to biogas, the 16.3-tonne truck is operated in an almost CO₂-neutral manner. And with the organic raw material that it delivers to Kompogas Utzenstorf AG, it collects its own fuel on its collection runs, so to speak. “This is also one of the reasons why we secured the demo vehicle with a CNG engine,” explains Marc Gast, Head of Disposal & Transport at Gast AG in Utzenstorf.

The Scania delivers fresh green waste to Kompogas Utzenstorf AG, which in turn produces new biogas for the next tours of the CNG-powered refuse collection vehicle. Source: CNG-Mobility.ch

“We have been using CNG vehicles for quite some time now thanks to the biogas plant in the immediate vicinity of our headquarters and have had good experiences with it.” This applies both to the travel, transport and disposal specialist, Gast AG in Utzenstorf itself, and to the subsidiary, Hauri Transporte GmbH from Niederwil in the Canton of Solothurn. “Of course, electric trucks would also be exciting, but at the moment, the infrastructure for day-to-day use is simply not yet ready,” analyses Gast. For the time being, Scania’s CNG waste collection vehicle with a 3.9-metre wheelbase is part of the company’s otherwise very sustainable vehicle fleet. “For us, biogas trucks are an attractive and economically viable option for doing something for the environment,” says Marc Gast.

A quick wash and then the CNG Scania is ready for its next assignment. Source: CNG-Mobility.ch

“The Scania consumes around 50 kilos of biogas per 100 kilometres,” says driver Stettler, “which of course entirely depends on how hilly the route is or how much green waste you have loaded.” The Olympus rear loader from Terberg Rosroca, which scores points with its high payload, minimal overhang, an ejection plate perfectly adapted to the structure and a press with high clearing performance, has also managed well to date. “The system works perfectly  and is simply a bit more modern to operate than our previous system,” he says mischievously and sets about cleaning the CNG Scania before its next collection run. (jas, 20 September 2022)