Audi site in Neckarsulm continues to drive sustainable logistics forward > Audi News > Audi St. Maarten
Audi site in Neckarsulm continues to drive sustainable logistics forward
- Trucks powered by environmentally friendly LNG gas (liquefied natural gas) will supply the site
- Potential savings of up to 20% in CO2 emissions and about 85% in NOx compared to diesel-powered units
Ingolstadt, November 23, 2020 – Pioneer of climate protection: Audi Logistics at the Neckarsulm site is becoming even more sustainable and relying on climate-friendly alternatives even for transports that cannot yet be carried out by rail. From now on, two trucks powered by environmentally friendly LNG gas (liquefied natural gas) will supply the site. They will replace conventional diesel vehicles and save up to 20 percent of CO2 and around 85 percent of nitrogen oxides.
“With the planned comprehensive use of alternative technologies such as LNG trucks, we are pursuing a climate-friendly solution for our logistics transport in line with our cross-site environmental program Mission:Zero. We are thereby laying a further building block for achieving our CO2 goals,” explains Achim Diehlmann, Head of Environmental Protection at the Neckarsulm site.
On the path toward CO2-neutral production, Audi is taking a consistent approach and considering the entire value chain. For example, logistics plays an equally important role as vehicle production itself. The first finished vehicle transports have been conducted with “green trains” via Deutsche Bahn since 2010. In cooperation with Deutsche Bahn, this concept has been expanded gradually and consistently to include material transports and further sites. Further new train concepts are already being implemented. Nevertheless, the infrastructure still requires the use of conventional trucks. Up to three CNG trucks (compressed natural gas) and one electric truck have been in use in local transportation at the site since 2016.
So far, the use of alternative drive technologies for medium distances and long-distance transport has hardly been possible due to lacking infrastructure and technical restrictions. Together with a carrier, transport planner Alexander Graefe at the Neckarsulm site has now found a first alternative to diesel trucks that is also suitable for longer transport distances. Two trucks powered by LNG gas are now supplying the site with parts for the Audi A6 and A7 models. Another is to be added to the fleet by the end of the year. “Transport by truck will always play a role in logistics. The question is how green we can make it,” emphasizes Graefe.
LNG trucks have already been used successfully at the Brussels site since 2018. LNG as a fuel is an alternative with potential for the future. In the coming years, a fully bio-sourced version is to be available, which will allow 90 percent of CO2 to be saved per transport as compared to diesel engines.
Audi bundles all activities and measures for reducing the ecological footprint in Production and Logistics in the cross-site Mission:Zero environmental program. The focus is on Audi’s key challenges of decarbonization, water use, resource efficiency, and biodiversity. One of the key objectives is to achieve CO2-neutral production locations by 2025.
On the path toward CO2-neutral production, Audi is taking a consistent approach and considering the entire value chain. For example, logistics plays an equally important role as vehicle production itself. The first finished vehicle transports have been conducted with “green trains” via Deutsche Bahn since 2010. In cooperation with Deutsche Bahn, this concept has been expanded gradually and consistently to include material transports and further sites. Further new train concepts are already being implemented. Nevertheless, the infrastructure still requires the use of conventional trucks. Up to three CNG trucks (compressed natural gas) and one electric truck have been in use in local transportation at the site since 2016.
So far, the use of alternative drive technologies for medium distances and long-distance transport has hardly been possible due to lacking infrastructure and technical restrictions. Together with a carrier, transport planner Alexander Graefe at the Neckarsulm site has now found a first alternative to diesel trucks that is also suitable for longer transport distances. Two trucks powered by LNG gas are now supplying the site with parts for the Audi A6 and A7 models. Another is to be added to the fleet by the end of the year. “Transport by truck will always play a role in logistics. The question is how green we can make it,” emphasizes Graefe.
LNG trucks have already been used successfully at the Brussels site since 2018. LNG as a fuel is an alternative with potential for the future. In the coming years, a fully bio-sourced version is to be available, which will allow 90 percent of CO2 to be saved per transport as compared to diesel engines.
Audi bundles all activities and measures for reducing the ecological footprint in Production and Logistics in the cross-site Mission:Zero environmental program. The focus is on Audi’s key challenges of decarbonization, water use, resource efficiency, and biodiversity. One of the key objectives is to achieve CO2-neutral production locations by 2025.