MAN is helping make the UAE cleaner and greener. A MAN Lion’s City CNG bus went on trial in the beginning of 2012 using cleaner and greener Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) technology with good results.

The bus operated for eight months in the UAE along with regular diesel-powered buses to achieve a direct comparison. The comparative emission values have now been evaluated and published by MAN. The result is a higher exhaust gas quality compared to diesel buses and fewer amounts of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxides and particles in the air.  Additionally the state-of-the-art safety features which the Lion’s City fulfilled, complying with the worldwide strictest security standards – the ECE-R110 guideline – set a new standard in road safety in the region.

A market leader with more than 50 years of experience in natural gas-powered vehicles, MAN Truck & Bus has been a pioneer in the introduction of cleaner public transport solutions to the Middle East region. The company took part in the pilot project supporting the region’s goal to ensure that natural gas accounts for 20 per cent of the total amount of fuel consumed on the country’s roads in the near future.

The emissions of the CNG engine comply with Euro 6 exhaust norms plus norms for enhanced environmentally-friendly vehicles (EEVs) which means it has further reduced particulates emissions. Compared to the Euro 4 diesel which is the highest emission standard used in the GCC countries for buses, the CNG is reducing emissions on average by more than 85 per cent nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and particulates and contributes much to a cleaner and less polluted air.

“For the GCC these results mean that if the public transport buses now operating were exchanged with CNG buses, the emissions would be significantly reduced.” Thomas Weinmann, MAN area sales manager, bus, stated.

“Additionally … the evaluation showed that the total operating costs per kilometre are about 8 per cent less compared to a Euro 4 diesel powered bus, operating under the same conditions.

“The MAN Lion’s City CNG is the first bus of its kind which complies with the ECE-R110 guideline and also fulfils the requirements of the applicable national regulation for natural gas vehicles in the UAE.”

A representative of TUV Rheinland, the region’s most important international inspecting and auditing company for legal requirements and voluntary standards, stated. “We found that the bus has state-of-the-art safety features and the materials such as Type 4 fibreglass/carbon full wrap cylinders are of high-end quality. Fire controlling systems, shutoff valves, pressure regulation systems and gas detectors ensure more road safety and MAN’s experience and expertise in gas technology has been proven over the last 30 years.”

Commenting on the results, David van Graan, head of MAN Centre Middle East and vice president for sales amd marketing said: “The Gulf countries suffer a sizeable energy and emissions burden on account of their unique climatic conditions. Governments of this region are keen to reduce this energy dependence in terms of fuel consumption as well as invest in cleaner sources of fuel. For the future, CNG utilisation in public transport is the best and most economical method of ensuring sustainable reduction of emissions.”

The MAN Lion’s City CNG Bus – based on 100 per cent CNG technology specially developed for very hot regions – is a 12-metre-long low-floor solo bus, driven by a turbocharged six-cylinder engine powered by natural gas. The engine delivers 228 kW (310 hp) while its emissions are well below the limits set for EEVs, currently the most stringent. The engine’s exhaust gases are especially low in nitrogen oxides and particulates. In addition, a six-speed automatic gearbox equipped with a retarder detects up- and downhill gradients, automatically adjusting the gearshift points as it does so, thus helping to reduce fuel consumption. An additional benefit for the environment is the perceptible reduced noise emission with only 74 db as compared to 78 dB of a diesel bus. An optional safety feature is the electrical stability program (ESP) to prevent the bus from flipping in extreme situations.

MAN Truck & Bus AG, headquartered in Munich, Germany, is the largest company of the MAN Group and a leading international supplier of efficient commercial vehicles and innovative transport solutions. In fiscal 2010 the enterprise, with around 31,000 employees, posted sales of more than 55,000 trucks and over 5,400 buses and bus chassis of the MAN and Neoplan brands worth 7.4 billion euros.

Since 2006, MAN Truck & Bus Middle East has been the regional representative of MAN Truck & Bus AG which is headquartered in Munich, Germany. The regional branch operates through an extensive network of 35 private capital dealers and importers in 14 countries namely Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE and Yemen.

Accommodating for the demanding operating conditions in the Middle East, MAN Truck & Bus Middle East provides full-fledged turnkey solutions for both goods and passenger transportation by road through its light (TGL), medium (TGM) and heavy-duty (TGS WW) ranges of trucks, and MAN and Neoplan buses that provide basic to VIP luxury transport and travel requirements.