In the pilot project, which according to Heion is the first-of-its-kind worldwide, several thousand liters of clean diesel will be used over several weeks in a real drive test on a highly frequented route in the Ruhr area in Germany. The consumption will be compared with that of conventional diesel.
Heion noted that thanks to its improved technology, the new fuel burns more efficiently and significantly reduces diesel consumption as well as CO2 and nitrogen oxide emissions. A CO2 saving of 6.5% has already been proven on the road.
“Even though rail is already the most environmentally friendly mode of transport, we want to further improve our ecological sustainability. The possibility of consumption and thus the CO2 reducing emissions is also interesting from an economic point of view for us and, given the current political situation, a major concern,” said Jan Läzer, managing director of Dortmunder Eisenbahn.
“The savings potential is globally relevant,” added Andreas Heine, from Heion. “In Germany alone, around 500 million liters of rail diesel are consumed. Diesel is still the most important fuel on the rails worldwide and will remain so for years to come. In the largest rail network in the world in the USA, pull 40,000 diesel locomotives on freight trains on a route network of more than 225,000 km. The proportion of diesel locomotives there is almost 100%.”
To make rail transport even lower in emissions, Heion Diesel offers a bridging technology until alternatives are used across the board.