Page 37 - ITLN January - February 2025
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“I wouldn’t call LNG a fully
sustainable solution, but it is an
interim solution,” Ramasubramanian
stated. “It’s halfway between diesel
trucks and electric vehicles—which
presumably is a sustainable solution—
provided you understand where the
electricity is produced.”
Highlighting LNG’s environmental
benefits, he explained, “It clearly
addresses the needs of heavy-duty, long-
(L-R) A. Ramasubramanian of Blue Energy Motors, Charles Devlin D'Costa of GreenLine and distance trucking and performs better
Rajarshi Chatterjee of ITLN (Moderator). than CNG trucks.”
However, Ramasubramanian also
acknowledged the financial hurdles
involved in adopting LNG trucks.
“LNG trucks are 60-70 percent
more expensive than diesel trucks,” he
revealed, attributing the additional costs
to the engine and fuel tanks. Despite the
higher upfront investment, he assured
that “customers can achieve a break-
even point within 2.5-3 years, which is
equivalent to diesel trucks.”
One of the key players in the LNG
logistics space is GreenLine, a green
mobility solutions provider under the
Essar Group. At the end of 2023, the
company announced a massive ₹5,000
crore investment to acquire LNG trucks.
This included ₹850 crore for adding
1,000 LNG trucks to its fleet in FY24 and
(L-R) Joachim von Winning of Frankfurt Airport and Rajarshi another ₹4,000 crore to deploy 5,000
Chatterjee of ITLN (Moderator). more trucks in FY25.
Sharing GreenLine’s journey,
D’Costa said, “GreenLine rolled out
close to 30-40 percent better than the first LNG truck in India around two
any other fossil fuel,” remarked A. years ago. Today, we have a fleet of
Ramasubramanian, Chief Technology Ashok Deo around 600 trucks.”
of ICCT
Officer of Blue Energy Motors. This D’Costa emphasised that
statement encapsulated the tone of the LNG trucks are not only
fireside chat, titled “Fueling the future: more environmentally
LNG technology and its path towards friendly but also more
automotive sustainability.” fuel-efficient than their
This session featured diesel counterparts.
Ramasubramanian and Charles “LNG is up to 30
Devlin D’Costa, Vice President percent greener
of GreenLine. It focused on and 15-20 percent
how liquefied natural gas more fuel-efficient
(LNG) is emerging as a game- than diesel
changing fuel for the logistics trucks,” he noted.
industry, bridging the gap He also highlighted
between diesel and electric how GreenLine
vehicles while reducing carbon supports its customers’
emissions significantly. sustainability initiatives:
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