A report Thursday suggests that several factors are creating opportunities for alternate truck powertrains.
Frost & Sullivan Mobility Industry Analyst Saideep Sudhakar says that energy price volatility, global liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade, tighter emission norms, and the emergence of noise pollution-free zones are all boosting the medium-heavy duty compressed NG (CNG) and LNG truck market.
By 2025, nearly one in 10 medium and heavy duty trucks sold will run on natural gas, the report says.
“Compressed ignition engines with high-pressure direct injection (HPDI) technology are gaining traction and are expected to garner wide OEM support to reach sizeable scalability by 2025,” Sudhakar says.
“The NG market is witnessing the first wave of consolidation across integrators and tank manufacturers. Japan, Russia, India and Indonesia are emerging as the next big adopters of NG vehicles.”
Global Medium-Heavy Duty CNG and LNG Truck Market is part of Frost & Sullivan’s Automotive & Transportation Growth Partnership Subscription and finds that China, Europe and North America will account for approximately 83.4 percent of the global NG truck sales in 2025. Asia will benefit from the oversupply of LNG. Although the market is set to enjoy a double-digit growth rate, the higher cost of acquisition, low oil prices, and lack of government subsidies could give commercial fleet owners concern, the report says.
“Cummins, FPT and Weichai will be key Tier 1 engine suppliers shaping the future of the NG market across developed markets, with an extensive NG engine portfolio for a wide variety of duty cycle applications,” Sudhakar says. “While CNG trucks currently hold a higher percentage of the market share, LNG may dethrone CNG by 2025 due to the greater penetration of long-haul trucks.”
