In the north of Santa Catarina, the Mime Araquari Sul station became the first in the State to offer high-flow CNG for heavy-duty vehicles. Equipped with dispensers from Argentina-based Aspro, the new facility of SCGÁS (Santa Catarina gas company) is strategically located on the BR 101 highway, km 56, the most important corridor in the State, which connects the large flow of heavy vehicles between the states of the southern and southeastern regions.
According to the SCGÁS engineer Ronaldo Lopes, adjusting the fuel flow cuts the vehicle’s filling time practically in half. “Today, with the implementation of this new infrastructure, the estimated supply time for 240 m³ is approximately 15 minutes,” he explained. Efficiency in refueling time adds to other well-known benefits of CNG, a less polluting alternative to other fossil fuels.
For Santa Catarina, the opening of the first CNG station with high-flow refueling infrastructure also means that the State consolidates at the forefront and contributes to the opening of the natural gas heavy-duty vehicle market at a regional and national level. “The use of this fuel in heavy vehicles implies operational savings for the different carriers, in addition to an important environmental advantage, consequently developing this market and offering conditions to make more projects viable in a sustainable way and improve the economy as a whole,” Lopes said.
In order to continue developing the Santa Catarina market, SCGÁS’ strategic plan foresees to expand the network of high-flow stations. In addition to the newly opened location in Araquari, the State should have new supply points for trucks next year. “It is likely that, by the first half of 2023, we will have two more stations in Santa Catarina on the BR 101 highway,” added the engineer.
Natural gas is an energy source that is gaining more and more space in heavy vehicle applications. In Brazil, this market has been preparing for the development and expansion of the use of gas as an alternative to diesel. Large world truck manufacturers such as Scania and IVECO follow the global trend; they have already identified business opportunities in the opening of this new market in Brazil and they prioritize their strategies to offer products that consider the energy transition towards low carbon mobility.
Source: SCGÁS
