Mercedes Benz

Natural gas powered vehicles are not just attractive to environmentalists, but also to hardheaded business people. As witness the Sprinter NGT, whose operating costs are considerably lower than those for a diesel engine. This advantage will be maintained into the future in e.g. Germany, where a reduced tax rate will apply to natural gas until 2018. In terms of energy density, natural gas is only half the price of diesel fuel or petrol.

Energy providers in Germany reward the purchase of natural gas powered vehicles with direct subsidies or fuel vouchers, and institutes such as KfW offer attractive credit terms. A number of vehicle insurers also offer environmental discounts. Natural gas vehicles registered as passenger cars, for example the Sprinter crewbus, are placed in the same, favourable vehicle tax category as petrol models with a catalytic converter in Germany, and are therefore much less expensive to operate than diesel vans. All in all this amounts to an operating cost advantage of up to 30 percent versus a comparable diesel, and this advantage is even greater in relation to a petrol model.

There are similar programmes in other European countries. Italy has government subsidies and a reduced fuel tax for CNG fleets, for example, while tax-free status is possible in France. Sweden encourages the use of natural gas vehicles with a reduced fuel tax, free parking in inner city areas and exemption from road tolls.

The Sprinter NGT with natural gas drive meets the EU4 standard. Natural gas engines emit practically no particulates, and emissions of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide are drastically lower compared to the diesel. They also have the advantage of very low noise. In addition to lower carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon and sulphur dioxide emissions compared to petrol engines, another advantage is a reduction of around 25 percent in CO2 emissions. If operated on biogas, the Sprinter NGT is even practically CO2-neutral.

Mercedes-Benz has opted for a bifuel drive system in the Sprinter NGT. The basic engine, a four-cylinder unit with a displacement of 1.8 litres, can also be operated on petrol. This provides an operating range of up to 1200 km. When operating on natural gas with a full tank, the standard Sprinter NGT is able to cover around 300 to 450 kilometres depending on the model.

The drive is able to switch between the two fuel modes by pressing a key to the left of the ignition lock. A control lamp indicates that natural gas mode is active, and a cockpit display indicates the current gas supply level. An additional control lamp shows that the gas has reached the reserve level. Refuelling with natural gas is a straightforward operation, using a connector directly adjacent to the petrol filler pipe.

Thanks to mechanical supercharging, the engine develops an output of 115 kW (156 hp) and a maximum torque of 240 Nm. Remarkably, these figures apply whether in natural gas or petrol operation. This means that the new Sprinter NGT easily betters the figures achieved by its predecessor (output 95 kW/129 hp, torque 185 Nm). The engine of the Sprinter NGT has already proved its worth in Mercedes-Benz passenger cars. The natural gas Sprinter is equipped with a six-speed manual treansmissions as standard, and is also available with a particularly comfortable automatic torque converter transmission.

The gas tanks are installed in a space-saving underfloor position, and do not restrict the load capacity in any way. The Sprinter with a gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tonnes is designed for up to six tanks with a maximum of 46 kg or a volume of 294 litres, while three tanks with a capacity of 39 kg/246 l are used in the 5.0-tonne model. Thanks to a continuously expanding network of filling stations - at present roughly 800 in Germany and around 2500 throughout Europe, a widely available supply of natural gas is assured.

The greatest possible safety is a matter of course for every vehicle bearing the Mercedesw star. Accordingly the Sprinter NGT not only meets the specific safety standards for natural gas vehicles according to EC Directive R110, but has also passed an extensive series of in-house tests. This means that underground car parks and ferry travel are no problem either. Whenever the engine is started, a dedicated control unit checks the natural gas system for any leakage. The gas tanks are protected against damage by an underfloor cover.

Depending on the model, the additional weight of the standard natural gas Sprinter compared to a Sprinter with a four-cylinder diesel engine amounts to a moderate 170 to 300 kg. This figure varies according to the number of gas tanks installed. Depending on model, the payload in standard specification varies between 1150 and 2466 kg.

The Sprinter NGT can be flexibly adapted to the individual requirements of its users: those needing a high payload, covering a low mileage or operating in an area with a particularly good supply of natural gas are able to dispense with a full complement of gas tanks. If operating range is more important than payload, however, the Sprinter can be equipped with additional gas tanks beyond the standard specification.

Numerous variants of the Sprinter NGT are available. The Sprinter 316 NGT with a gross vehicle weight of 3.5 t is available in standard length as a panel van, crewbus, pickup and chassis. The panel van, pickup and chassis are also supplied in long-wheelbase versions. As the Sprinter 516 NGT, pickups and chassis are also available with a gross vehicle weight of five tonnes. Market introduction commenced in May of this year for specific countries and specifications.