Do you want to establish LNG’s economics for you? Do you want to plan for the next 10 years? Have some guarantees? Or establish the resale value of your LNG truck? Good luck. But, try doing that for diesel in today’s environment of looming diesel exclusion zones, onboard diagnostics, ever stricter emissions rules and general distrust against diesel. You won’t be able to establish the real economics of the moment. Tell us what you want/need and we will give you our best estimate.
However, we are experienced with LNG and if we know your particular set of circumstances better, we will be able to point you in the right direction. It all depends on the operational profile of your fleet, of the kind of vehicles you use, where you drive them and what routes you serve very frequently. The size of your total fleet, the composition of your driver’s corps but also the attitudes of your customers will play a role.
Finally, tax considerations in and around Austria will weight in massively. And in Austria, this is a work in progress. As a general rule, you may assume that LNG vehicles will cost you 15% more on the purchase than a comparable diesel vehicle will cost you. This surcharge melts away considerably as its only reason for existing is that LNG vehicles are being produced in considerably smaller numbers than their diesel brethren. As there are more LNG vehicles each year, production runs are bigger and this brings prices down. At the same time, you will have to shell out more for your diesel vehicles in the future as more and more stringent requirements concerning air emissions require better and more expensive filtering technology. We are on the cusp of seeing LNG vehicles becoming cheaper than diesel vehicles.
Usually, you will recoup the surcharge on buying the vehicle through a lower fuel price per km. In most cases, this would turn out to be around 10-15%. And don’t forget – your LNG vehicle is silent and clean like an E-vehicle which is much more expensive and does not allow the same operational profile LNG vehicles allow you.
One of the declared goals of LNG Austria is to help politicians and civil servants modernize the statutes and other rules governing LNG as a fuel.