Scania is ranked among the world’s 100 most sustainable corporations, according to Corporate Knights Global 100 list. The list, which was announced at the Davos World Economic Forum, includes companies from 22 countries encompassing all sectors of the economy.

The Global 100 key performance indicators include energy, carbon, water and waste productivity. Other indicators are leadership diversity, CEO-to-average worker pay, percentage tax paid, safety, innovation, employee turnover and if a senior officer has his/her pay linked to sustainability.

Scania was ranked in place 36, next highest in the auto industry after Toyota. Scania is also the only manufacturer of heavy vehicles among the 100 companies represented.

“This is a clear recognition of the fact that Scania takes sustainability seriously and that our efforts are paying off,” says Erik Ljungberg, Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations. “We are particularly pleased that we rank even higher in the crucial sales to CO2 indicator.”

“Scania can deliver reliable and cost effective buses that have engines with well-tried technology for running on gas, biodiesel and bioethanol. As a result, Scania is now easily the largest make in the Swedish bus market,” says Leif Nyström, head of Scania’s bus and coach sales in Sweden. 

Biggest order ever

The order from Nobina, the Nordic region’s largest passenger traffic operator for buses, is Scania’s biggest order for gas engines to date and represents a breakthrough for the new generation of gas engines introduced by Scania in the autumn of 2010. Of the 121 buses for Nobina, 109 will be run on biogas and the rest on biodiesel. They will be put into service in public transport in Uppland and Skåne provinces in the summer of 2012.

“The choice of main supplier in this major procurement process was based on the environmental performance of the buses and on the fact that Scania is expected to best meet our requirements for low running and maintenance costs during the vehicles’ lifecycle,” says Nobina’s Bus Fleet Manager Martin Atterhall.

Half of the buses are ethanol modelsScania can supply buses and trucks that run on renewable fuels: biodiesel, bioethanol and biogas, as well as on natural gas. 

 “About half of the buses that we are delivering this year to Swedish public transport companies are ethanol models. Through the deal with Nobina we are taking a major step into the market for gas-fuelled buses,” says Mr Nyström.

Bioethanol most common biofuel

Today, there are only a few biofuels that are commercially available for running vehicles. Bioethanol is the far most common and is obtainable all over the world. Biodiesel is suitable for any type of operation, including long-haul transport of goods and passengers. Biogas holds tremendous potential, for instance if produced from sewage and waste dumps, and is gradually gaining ground.

The choice of biofuel is determined by local conditions, taxes, subsidies etc. All biofuels deliver a considerable reduction in carbon dioxide emissions if they are produced in a sustainable way.

“If you’re able to foresee and prepare for the future just a little bit better than everybody else, you will have a competitive advantage,” says Ulf Ceder, Business Intelligence Analyst at Scania. 

Ulf Ceder

Within the automotive sector, this is particularly true for manufacturers and operators of commercial vehicles. New trucks and bus concepts take many years to develop, and the vehicles stay in operation for a long time. Global trends such as urban congestion and climate issues have a strong effect on these sectors.

“We live in an uncertain and rapidly changing world, where gut feeling and forecasts aren’t enough,” says Ceder. He is responsible for “scenario development” at Scania, assessing how the future might unfold. Scenarios begin where forecasts normally end and include important driving forces, trends and uncertainties. They are not predictions of the future, but rather scenarios that help to prepare for the future by asking the question “What if?”

Scania has developed three separate visions of what the future might look like in 2030:

New balance, in which sustainability is the norm across societies, companies and nations.  For the transport sector this scenario means increasing demand for sustainable mobility-system solutions. The use of fossil fuels is regulated, and the use of renewable fuels and electrification, especially in cities, is prominent.

Public transport is thriving, as are methods of interaction that do not rely on physical mobility – web conferences and e-commerce, for example. An increasing part of longdistance road traffic has been replaced by sea and train transport, with “space utilisation rate” the new benchmark; “just-in-time” transport is used only in emergencies.

Perpetual growth, in which short-term economic profit is prioritised in a market-driven world. Private mobility is a priority, and worldwide most people have their own cars, typically electric vehicles. The need for more and cheaper energy has led to a diverse mix of sources ranging from oil sand to biofuels. The overall situation is not sustainable and efficient global logistics systems are extremely important.

There is an integrated global logistics system that includes both trucks and buses. Much of the transport goes between “green districts”, cities with their own legislation and subsidies. In such a segregated world (in terms of the environment and the economy), societal tensions and unrest are a problem.

Fight for resources, a worst-case scenario, in which the focus is on natural resources and their scarcity. The result is a protectionism that hampers innovation and global trade.

Low and uneven economic growth is creating social gaps between and within countries, increasing the need for and the cost of security. This in turn is driving up transport costs, leading to the growth of regional supply chains.

“We need to reflect on the consequences of all three and be prepared to deal with them,” says Ceder. “By considering several possible futures we can develop more robust strategies and the competence we need to continue as a leading company 20 years from now.”

Inter Airport Europe covers a vast array of terminal operations, infrastructure and technical installations. With its green options and modular product system, Scania can supply solutions for a great many of these, as evidenced by the exhibits at Inter Airport 2011 in Munich. Scania fire and rescue vehicles – usually chosen for reliability, uptime and performance – are in operation at major airports on all continents.

For more information and pictures, visit the pressroom >

Scania G 400 4x4 sweeper/blower/snow plough.

Two hundred Scania city buses, which shall be operated by the Breda Rio Group, are about to start picking and dropping off passengers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They have been designed in order to improve urban mobility in the municipality. When it comes to urban passenger transport, the vehicles bring a completely new concept to Rio de Janeiro: maximising comfort and accessibility.
“This delivery is a breakthrough for Scania’s concept of city buses that fulfils Rio de Janeiro’s — and other cities’ — criteria for developing efficient and passenger-attractive public transport systems,” says Wilson Pereira, head of sales of Buses and Coaches at Scania Brazil.

“I see huge future potential. Upcoming major international sports events, like the 2014 Soccer World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics will further increase the demand for reliable and comfortable buses.”

The buses to be incorporated into the fleet are of the Scania K230 4×2 model. They are 12.5 metres long and a floor that lowers, used to facilitate the entry and exit of passengers. The K230 4×2 has 35 seats with space reserved for the transport of wheelchair users, and can also hold up to 47 standing passengers.

Bus Rapid Transport system
The public transport system in Rio, Bus Rapid Service (BRS), is an intelligent solution for urban transport in medium to large cities, using exclusive bus lanes for the circulation of vehicles, thereby connecting passengers with other transport modals quickly and easily. The system also includes better organisation of bus stops and adapts to the size of the vehicles in operation.

Rio de Janeiro already has three rapid transport lines in operation in the South Zone, and this ensures a 40 percent reduction in travel times along the different routes. After implementation of the system, the average speed of trips in the region has almost doubled, from 13 km/h to 24 km/h. According to Rio de Janeiro’s City Hall, the city shall receive more than 20 BRS corridors in years to come.

The crop never waits. It has to be taken care of: now. That’s why Scania’s engines are designed and built for the highest demands on reliability, giving a long service life and unbeatable uptime.

And should you need fast service or repair there’s always an authorized Scania workshop nearby. All engines are equally service-friendly, with most of the vital service points easily accessible.

How much power do you need?
Whatever your need, you can be sure Scania has the right engine solution. Do you need a 9-litre inline five-cylinder engine, a 13-litre inline six, or a powerful 16-litre V8? No matter what you choose, you gain the same Scania advantages – like low fuel consumption, low life cycle costs and tried and tested quality.

Moreover, Scania’s engines are extremely compact and carry no unnecessary deadweight. This means they are easy to package and build into all possible types of agricultural machines.

Scania engines ready for the future: Stage IIIB, Tier 4i and Stage IV and Tier 4f. Learn more about the engines at Agritechnica in Hanover, Germany, 15 – 19 November.

With its new industrial engine platform, introduced already in 2009, Scania customers not only comply with Stage IIIB and  Tier 4i, they are also ready to take on the step to Stage IV and Tier 4 final due in 2014. Scania uses the same modular engine platform for all steps in emission legislation.

At Scania, environmental issues have been important since the mid 1970s. Since then, Scania has continuously worked to reduce the environmental impact from not only its own operations but also from the trucks, buses and engines that the company manufactures.

Scania’s environmental work is a part of the daily operations and the company’s ambition is to always be one step ahead of future environmental legislation. This is reflected in one of Scania’s values which is ‘elimination of waste’. Scania’s strategy, along with continual improvements, has helped significantly in achieving its environmental goals.

The year is 2025. More and more people are choosing to ride buses instead of driving cars. City bus lines have their own dedicated lanes, like streetcar lines without rails. Via feeder routes from the suburbs, passengers travel to safe, well-lit stations in the urban core where buses on the trunk lines stop. All ticket handling occurs outside the buses, reducing the risk of delays.

In Johannesburg, South Africa, Rea Vaya, the city’s new BRT system, is earning high praise from passengers.

Buses have also increased in length in order to accommodate more passengers. This scenario will become a reality in most major cities around the world, according to Rolf Hedberg, Product Manager, Scania Buses and Coaches, with special responsibility for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

Escaping oil dependency
In 15 years, BRT systems will be a critical part of the infrastructure, Hedberg says. He lists several reasons for this: the environment, air quality and a desire to escape oil dependency. Experiences with BRT, especially in Latin America and South Africa, have also been very positive so far.

“Buses have always been cost-effective, but the overall experience of a bus journey needs to become more attractive,” Hedberg says. “In a BRT system, the suppliers, transport authorities and city planners can adopt a comprehensive approach.”

For Scania, this means helping its customers find partners who will assume responsibility for vehicle support and other considerations such as IT communications and coordination with other types of public transport.
Building a BRT system takes one to three years, compared with five to 30 years for an underground rail system. To date, Scania has delivered about 2,000 buses to BRT systems around the world.

“The challenge over the next few years will be to persuade more cities to dare to fully invest in BRT and not be satisfied with a budget version,” Hedberg says.

Minimising congestion
Anders Folkesson, Product Manager within Sustainable Systems at Scania Buses and Coaches, cites congestion in the urban core as another reason for investing in BRT.

“There is a trend towards a cleaner environment,” he says, “but even if cars ran on electricity, that would not be enough. There is simply not enough space on the streets to enable everyone to drive their own vehicle. That benefits buses.”

There are other parallel trends. For example, buses are becoming longer in order to accommodate more passengers. Scania has delivered buses that are 20 metres long, but eventually even longer ones may be needed. In addition, the company expects more experiments with electric propulsion, including a technology called “inductive power transfer” where electricity is transmitted wirelessly from the ground to the vehicle. Another method is to charge the vehicles via “electric umbrellas” at bus stops.

Renewable fuels highly prioritised
Hedberg and Folkesson emphasise that BRT is not the only solution to current public transport problems. Expanding the network of filling stations supplying renewable fuels is high on the priority list, since a transition to renewable fuels is one of the most effective environmental conservation measures. Hybrid buses are high on the list, although their development has occurred more slowly than many had predicted.

“Everyone wants to try them,” Folkesson says, “but few want to pay what they cost. Hybrids are not yet commercially attractive enough. Virtually all hybrids being sold today are heavily subsidised in different ways.”

Scania’s aim is to make hybrid buses profitable on their own merits. Based on today’s interest rates and fuel prices, they must pay for themselves in four to six years.

“The big advantage of hybrids is that they harness brake energy,” Folkesson says. Scania developed hybrid buses at an early stage, conducting its first tests in 1986. Over the years, Scania has tested various hybrid solutions − both parallel and series hybrids.

Hybrid technology and driver training
Hybrid technology reduces fuel consumption by an estimated 30 percent, and together with an ethanol engine it reduces fossil carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90 percent, compared with a diesel-operated bus. In a parallel hybrid system an electric motor is connected to the gearbox, while in a series hybrid there is no mechanical connection between the combustion engine and the electric propulsion motor.

Not everything is a matter of vehicle development. Scania’s driver training programmes are also an important element in its effort to reduce environmental impact. Evaluations show that by using Scania Driver Support, a bus driver in urban traffic can save on average 10 percent in fuel consumption.

The European Bus System of the Future (EBSF) is a four-year-long EU project focusing on bus systems in urban areas. Rolf Hedberg represents Scania in the project. Its aim is to highlight best-practice examples. The test cities are Bremerhaven, Brunoy, Budapest, Gothenburg, Madrid, Rome and Rouen.
The project will end in August 2012. Its final report will contain proposed solutions that fit European conditions and requirements.

Read more: www.ebsf.eu

Gas-powered buses. In 1980, Scania delivered the first gas-powered buses in modern times. More than 2,200 buses with Scania gas engines are in operation, in Australia for example.

Ethanol buses. In the mid-1980s, Scania developed its first ethanol bus engines, and ethanol-powered buses have been in full-scale operation in congested urban traffic since 1989. To date, Scania has sold more than 800 ethanol buses.

Hybrid buses. The first test of hybrid buses took place in 1986. In the intervening years Scania has presented six hybrid bus concepts, among them the world’s first hybrids using renewable fuel. These ethanol-powered hybrid buses underwent trial operation in Stockholm traffic in 2009–2010.

Commercial renewable fuels. In 2010, Scania became the first manufacturer to supply buses that can operate on all three commercially viable renewable fuels available today – bioethanol, biogas and biodiesel.

David Taylor

David Taylor has been trapping lobsters for 50 of his 64 years, and he can’t imagine another life for himself. The Maine resident is so enamoured of his Crowley Beal 33 boat that in addition to using it for work he often spends his vacations on it. “I’ve also been known to come back from work, shower, and head right out again,” he says. “It doesn’t get better than that!”

Taylor built his 33-footer in 2008 from the ground up and with the aim of making it as light as possible. Many of the components on the 12,000-pound (5,455 kilogram) boat include foam. Building such a lightweight boat and equipping it with a powerful engine was important to Taylor, who combines his livelihood with a penchant for racing competitions.

“The Scania 650 hp diesel engine is really powerful and dependable, and it can take quite bit of pounding,” he says. “It has awesome power when you put the hammer down.

“The engine is very good on fuel too,” he says, “and it’s amazing what the oil filter traps. The oil looks clean until you take that filter out. Also, I applied white gelcoat to the inside of the exhaust pipe, and it’s still white.”

Taylor also appreciates the engine’s design, including easy accessibility to the coolant pump’s impeller. “Scania certainly thought of all the things that need to be attended to and made it easy to get at them.”

With the right vehicles, an uncompromising focus on driver behaviour and use of the computer-based Scania Driver Support system, fuel consumption can be reduced to very low levels. This is the assertion of the Scania Transport Laboratory, and it’s done the research to prove it.

“On our best trips between Sweden and the Netherlands, we have reached 18.2 litres/100 kilometres, a level that many say is impossible,” says Anders Gustavsson, Managing Director of the Scania Transport Laboratory.

Fuel economy and road safety 
Scania Transport Laboratory is a wholly owned Scania subsidiary that tests and evaluates vehicle properties and performance in commercial road haulage. It also trains and coaches its drivers in economical and safe driving techniques.

Today the company consists of 65 drivers, 20 tractor units and 75 semitrailers. The fleet includes competitors’ trucks as well, to provide relevant comparisons in real-life conditions.

The practical assignment of the Transport Laboratory is to be responsible for part of Scania’s European production flow by hauling freight and components between the production units in Södertälje in Sweden and Zwolle in the Netherlands.

“From the start in 2007 we wanted the Transport Lab to facilitate communications between Scania’s product development and the daily operations of a haulage company,” says Gustavsson.
“The dialogue works very well,” he says. “Virtually every week, our drivers are visited by employees of Scania’s research and development departments, who want to talk about concrete ideas and improvement opportunities.”

Lower engine revs
One result is that the Transport Laboratory now operates tractor units that are configured with a faster rear-axle gear ratio. This leads to lower engine revs at cruising speed, which can reduce fuel consumption by 3 to 10 percent.

Another result is a new rear air deflector known as a “boat-tail” spoiler, which is mounted at the back of the company’s semitrailers. The spoiler increases the length of the vehicle combination by 30 centimetres, which is equivalent to the extra length permitted by the EU. The results are very promising.

“The fuel savings are close to 4 percent,” Gustavsson says. “For our trucks, which run 360,000 kilometres per year and consume an average of 26 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, it represents an annual saving of nearly 4,000 litres of fuel per truck and lower CO2 emissions.”

Train and coach drivers
But the biggest improvements in terms of fuel consumption and vehicle wear and tear are still achieved by means of consistent efforts to train and coach drivers, combined with systems such as Scania Fleet Management and Scania Driver Support, Gustavsson says.

“These are the most important steps for us to achieve our target of fuel consumption averaging 22 litres per 100 kilometres.”

 7 tips for better operating economy

1. Consistent driver training.
   Repeat and reinforce driver training for real and lasting fuel savings. Find methods and processes for coaching drivers regularly, preferably in real-time using the tools in the Scania Fleet Management Portal.
2. Correct vehicle specification.
   Devote time to determining the correct vehicle specifications for your operations. A faster rear-axle gear ratio leads to lower engine revs at cruising speed and can lower fuel consumption by 3 to 10 percent. Correct specifications may also mean not to have too powerful an engine.
3. Scania Ecocruise.
   Make use of Scania Ecocruise. This is an intelligent cruise control system that can save up to 4 percent on fuel.
4. Scania Driver Support.
   Make use of Scania Driver Support. This computerised support system guides the driver in real time by providing tips and feedback.
5. Properly adjusted air deflectors.
   Ask your Scania workshop to help adjust air deflectors properly. An improperly adjusted deflector will increase fuel consumption.
6. Regular vehicle checks.
   Check the axle and wheel alignment regularly and adjust tyre pressure.
7. Regular trailer checks.
   Check axle alignment and brake settings regularly in order to avoid traction losses.

Source: Scania Transport Laboratory

About Scania Transport Laboratory

• Average annual mileage of 360,000 kilometres per vehicle
• 20 tractor units (4×2)
• 65 drivers
• 75 three-axle semitrailers
• 13 daily trips: Sweden – the Netherlands – Sweden
• Volume 100 m³/semitrailer, load factor 92 percent. Average gross weight of each rig is 37 tonnes en route to Zwolle and 32 tonnes returning.
• Most of this traffic goes via Denmark, with a driver change in Vordingborg.
• Average fuel consumption of 26 litres/100 kilometres (target: 22 litres/100 kilometres).