Analysis of China natural gas trucks

www.chinatrucks.com: During the 12th five-year plan period, national natural gas pipe networks will cover more than 300 major cities, and natural gas will be transported from Xinjiang, Sichuan and Shanxi to Coastal areas. And the pipe distance will amount to 300,000 km in the following 12 years.

Natural gas will become the most important energy till 2030. There are rich natural gas resources in China.

Operation costs of natural gas trucks are lower than conventional trucks in China. If costs of natural gas are 1.75 Yuan per stere, at least 160,000 Yuan to 180,000 Yuan can be saved for 200,000 km.

Development of natural gas trucks is rather fast in China currently. Major China truck makers like Shaanxi Auto, FAW Jiefang, Dongfeng, Sinotruk, CAMC and SIH release natural gas tractors, dumpers, and cement mixer trucks. And they also took with their latest natural gas trucks to Auto Shanghai 2011 this year.



Shaanxi Auto F3000 natural gas heavy truck


Although natural gas trucks need less operation costs, it still needs some time for traditional truck drivers with diesel engine trucks to get used to natural gas trucks.

The natural gas recharging facilities need improvement. It is a gigantic project to construct gas charging stations and build pipe lines. Zhou Xiaoqing, manager of Auto sales company of Shanxi CNG Group, was interviewed as saying that natural gas supply construction needs more government supports, for example, there are rich natural gas resources in Shanxi province, but there is only one natural gas recharging station for taxi in Taiyuan. Currently, Shanxi CNG Group is trying to pave more pipelines, supports from government and social channels are specially needed.



Zhou Xiaoqing, manager of Auto sales company of Shanxi CNG Group


Truck makers are optimistic about further development of natural gas trucks. Shaanxi Auto started to sell natural gas trucks since 2005, and over 100 NG trucks were sold out in the first year, and a few more NG trucks were sold in the following years, and 2,000 natural gas trucks were sold out in 2010. Shaanxi Auto sales targets this year will amount to 10,000 units in 2011, and the figure is 50,000 units in the following five years.

At the same time, Foton Auman promotes marketing of natural gas heavy trucks. China Petrol Beijing Branch Company and China Petrol Natural Gas Transport Company ordered 150 Foton LNG tractors in 2010, and Foton Auman natural gas heavy trucks take some market shares in Xinjiang. Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Company indicated that they will promote sales of natural gas trucks in cities with more natural gas recharging stations, and their priority options are for municipal administration vehicles. Sinotruk delivered 100 HOWO natural gas tractors in Shanxi.



Dongfeng natural gas heavy truck


In some areas, natural gas recharging stations are increasing dramatically. Xinjiang Guanghui LNG Company currently owns over fifty stations till now, and forty of them were constructed this year, and the number will amount to sixty stations to the end of this year.

On August 19, Shandong Kunlun Shengli Energy Company, branch of China Petrol, signed LNG strategic cooperation agreement with Shandong Transportation hall to construct LNG recharging stations in highway, national roads and provincial roads as well as service stations in coastal ports and inland rivers.