Scania receives biofuel laboratory funding

Truck, coach and bus manufacturer Scania has received funding from the Swedish Strategic Vehicle Research and Innovation Initiative to develop engines in its biofuel laboratory.

Senior vice-president of powertrain development at the firm Jonas Hofstedt explains that Scania is working towards multiple objectives including lower greenhouse gas emissions, fewer hydrocarbons and particulate outputs and reduced nitrogen oxide pollution.

In order to do this, the biofuel laboratory is looking into multiple fuel source engines, capable of running on energy sources derived from both gaseous methane and from ethanol.

The €3.3 million (£2.9 million) grant is to be spent spanning the gap between diesel-based and conventional combustion engines in a multi-source biofuel-powered engine capable of running on sustainable power.

In this way, engines for heavy goods vehicles are hoped to be created that offer the beneficial exhaust aftertreatment efficiency of spark-ignition Otto engines with the higher energy efficiency gained through diesel compression-ignition systems.