Volvo has launched a long-haul biogas truck that runs on renewable fuel and can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 100%, the company said in a statement. The Volvo FH and FM, which are powered by bio-liquefied natural gas (LNG), are 4% more fuel-efficient and have a gas tank with a capacity that is 10% larger than previous trucks.

The specs: The Volvo FH and FM have 500 horsepower, compared to previous trucks which had 420 and 460 horsepower, and have fuel tanks that are 10% bigger, giving them a range of up to 1k km. They can be fueled almost as fast as diesel trucks from a network of more than 600 stations for bio-LNG and LNG in Europe. The new models can be run on both bio-LNG and LNG, using a small diesel injection to ignite the gas.

What is biogas? Biogas, biomethane, or bio-LNG, is a renewable liquified biogas that is produced from organic waste. This includes food waste, manure, sludge from treatment plants and other residual products. It is increasingly being seen as a substitute for fossil fuel-based LNG. In order to be liquified, all LNG is cooled to -162°C so that it takes up less space for storage on vehicles.

The EU wants to increase biogas production 10-fold by 2030. The European Commission’s energy transition program, REPower EU, includes plans to shift from fossil fuel-based LNG to bio-LNG, with the target of producing 35 bn cubic meters by the end of the decade. The bloc has confirmed that 78 bio-LNG plants will be ready by next year.

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