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Compressed natural gas van shows real saving

Energy saving

Thermodial compressed natural gas van

Thermodial will save € 23,500 annually by switching diesel fleet to compressed natural gas.

Thermodial, will save € 23,500 per annum by switching their fleet of 26 diesel vans to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vans, a Leinster region trial has shown.

Thermodial Director, Willie Kearney explained after a two week trial with a CNG van,

“The CNG van is an exciting innovation. We have worked out that the saving on the day-to-day running costs is 28%, which is significant for an SME such as Thermodial.”

Kearney added,

“As market leaders in the air conditioning sector, we are the first company to trial such a vehicle.”
Further, he pointed out, “This is a perfect example of an innovation that will drive down our overheads in a time of spiralling fuel costs.”

Thermodial trialled a CNG van in association with Bord Gáis Energy and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. John Kearney of Volkswagen added,

“We are delighted that Thermodial had the oppourtunity to test drive this cost effective alternative fuel technology. Thermodial have been a loyal Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles customer and the perfect company to trial this technology in Ireland. The Volkswagen Caddy is a strong player in the fleet market and together with this technology it’s no surprise that we are the No.1 Light Commercial Vehicles brand in Ireland. Why drive anything else?”

Cost comparison
The cost comparison on a Volkswagen Caddy operating on diesel versus the Volkswagen Caddy operating on CNG are as follows:

Fuel consumption

Diesel Caddy van CNG Caddy van Thermodial saving
Per 100 km € 6.93 € 5.02 28%
Yearly saving € 23,500 (based on a fleet of 26)

CNG van facts

  • The natural gas tanks in the Caddy have a capacity of 37 kg so that, together with the petrol reserve, this model can cover a distance of up to 700 km.
  •  The 13 litre petrol reserve extends the range of the vehicle.
  • Driving a CNG Caddy vehicle is the same as driving any vehicle. The driver doesn’t have manual switch between the compressed natural gas and the petrol reserve fuel.