OREANDA-NEWS. October 21, 2014. GAZ Group handed to the Russian Post for trial operation the GAZelle BUSINESS CNG vehicles running on compressed natural gas (methane) - the most economical and environmentally-friendly form of fuel for commercial vehicles.

The handover ceremony took place on the day of opening the 12th International exhibition for gas-powered vehicle technologies Gassuf-2014, which is taking place at the VDNKh (Exhibition of Economic Achievements) in Moscow.

“The transport fleet of the Russian Post is one of the largest in Russia. Therefore, the reduction of costs for fuel and improvement of environmental performance are the tasks that are constantly in the center of our attention”, said Sergei Zimin, head of the Transport Department of the Russian Post.

The use of natural gas reduces fuel costs by 60% compared to gasoline and by 50% compared to a diesel fuel. Natural gas has environmental characteristics which are significantly better than the conventional fuels: due to more complete combustion of fuel, the concentration of carbon monoxide in the exhaust of the gas engine is several times less than that of the gasoline engine, and it is completely devoid of such hazardous pollutants as sulfur dioxide and lead compounds.

Petr Zolotaryov, Director for Development of the CNG Project of Russian Machines Corporation: Transition of vehicles to gas fuel is an efficient way to improve the competitiveness of companies and the Russian economy as a whole. Interaction between fuel companies, vehicle manufacturers, equipment suppliers, corporate clients and small businesses allow us to count on a rapid growth of gas-powered vehicles share in the transport system of Russia.

Oleg Markov, Director for Sales and Marketing in LCV Division of GAZ Group: Since 2010, GAZ has serially produced vehicles with bi-fuel gas-petrol engines. The demand for these vehicles is constantly growing, today they account for 10-12% of our sales in the segment of light commercial vehicles. The transition to a gas fuel increases the economic efficiency of vehicle fleets and allows our customers to significantly reduce the payback periods of investments.

GAZelle BUSINESS CNG includes four gas cylinders with capacity of 53.4 liters and a maximum operating pressure of 200 atm. Fuel distance on a gas fuel is 300 km, that on gas and petrol - 700 km. The vehicle is equipped with a single engine control unit with a mass airflow sensor, it ensures smooth switching from one fuel to another and also supports the optimum ratio of air and gas in a combustible mixture.

The partnership of GAZ Group with the leading manufacturers of gas-cylinder systems - the Italian company OMVL and the Russian ITELMA as well as full testing prior to the launch of gas modifications into serial production ensured the maximum reliability of the equipment operation and optimal calibrations of the GAZelle BUSINESS CNG engine. All system components are certified according to the requirements of the UNECE Regulations 67 (01) and approved for use in the EU countries.

Also, a promising development of GAZ Group – a medium-duty truck GAZon NEXT CNG – is presented at the exhibition Gassuf-2014. The vehicle has a new gas engine produced by the GAZ Group Yaroslavl Motor Plant - YaMZ-534 CNG, developed in partnership with Westport (Canada) - a world leader in the development and production of natural gas systems for transport. YaMZ CNG-534 provides high indicators of power, cost efficiency and service life. The vehicle meets the environmental standards Euro-5. The vehicle has seven gas cylinders with a volume of 52 liters with a maximum operating pressure of 200 atm. Fuel distance of the vehicle is 370 km.