Leading Victorian waste management company, Corio Waste Management, has added a second Isuzu compressed natural gas (CNG)-fuelled compactor to its fleet, to better service its public litter and recyclables contract with the City of Casey in Melbourne's south-east.
A requirement for a larger payload sees the FSR 850 CNG take over duties from its smaller NPR 300 CNG stable mate, which has since made the journey west to collect quarantine waste from ships unloading at the Port of Geelong.
According to Corio Waste Management General Manager, Mathew Dickens, when a larger truck was required to meet increased demand of the City of Casey contract, choosing another natural gas-powered Isuzu was an easy decision.
As a qualified environmental scientist and carbon accounting/management expert, Mat immediately recognised the environmental benefits of Isuzu CNG - including zero particulate matter (PM) emissions and up to 50 per cent reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx) compared to similar sized conventional diesels.
But operating CNG has also delivered other bonuses for Corio Waste Management and its drivers.
"The first truck now has now covered about 70,000 kilometres and performed faultlessly; driver feedback is extremely positive - it's very quiet compared to a diesel and there's no discernable loss of power," Mat said.
Of course, a competitive business environment also requires that the decision to go for a 'greener' option needs to be made with consideration to the bottom line. In this respect the adoption of CNG has proven to be a revelation.
"With the NPR 300 CNG we experienced a considerable reduction in servicing costs compared to an equivalent diesel, but the best financial efficiency is gained through reduced fuel costs," Mat said.
The FSR 850 CNG is refuelled at Corio Waste Management's Dandenong depot, while a similar facility has also been installed in Geelong to service the NPR 300 CNG.
Installed by Advanced Fuels Technology, the refuelling systems feature compressor units that are plumbed into the gas pipeline and also connected to holding tanks so there is always gas on hand for a fast fill. Trucks can be filled in as little as 10 minutes.
Having negotiated a longer term contract with its gas supplier, Corio Waste Management is enjoying some excellent fuel cost savings.
"Depending on the price of diesel - which can fluctuate considerably - we are achieving a reduction of between 30 to 50 per cent in fuel costs," Mat said.
"A fixed gas rate also allows better balance sheet control because you know what the price of your fuel will be in six, 12 months or further into the future."
While public CNG refuelling infrastructure is still in its infancy in many parts of Australia - a factor that is slowing down wider adoption of the technology - Mat said this should not be a hindrance to the uptake of CNG.
"For any operators looking to add a CNG truck to their fleet, the best option is to set-up a refuelling facility at their depot," he said.
"Infrastructure can either be hired or purchased outright; getting into CNG doesn't have to be expensive - in the longer term it makes great sense."
Based on the strong performance of Corio Waste Management's current CNG trucks combined with clients' interest in being associated with a cleaner fuel, the company is looking to expand its CNG fleet in the near future.
CNG is also helping the company on its way towards the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2020.
FSR 850 CNG.
The FSR 850 CNG model features a 14 tonne GVM and is powered by the CNG 220 engine, a 7790 cc multi-point injected, 6-cylinder turbocharged and intercooled unit producing 162 kW of power at 2,400 rpm and 735 Nm of torque at 1,400 rpm. This torque output is greater than that of its diesel equivalent in conventional FSR 700 and FSR 850 models.
The engine is mated to Isuzu's 6-speed MZW-6P manual transmission with air assisted shift and synchromesh on gears 2-6.
The FSR 850 is fitted with a single 150 litre carbon fibre wrapped aluminium tank, two 100 litre steel tanks and an additional 90 litre steel tank for a total fuel capacity of 440 litres, which provides a combined cycle driving range of about 400 kilometres
See more about Isuzu Trucks Australia at http://www.isuzu.com.au/
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