GAZ Reveals GAZelle NEXT CNG With Bi-fuel Engine EvoTech 3.0

GAZ, the leading Russian manufacturer of gas-fueled commercial vehicles and one of the leading manufacturers in the LCV segment in Europe, presented a new modification of GAZelle NEXT fitted with the upgraded gas-gasoline engine EvoTech 3.0.

The increase in the powertrain cubic capacity to 3.0-liter (as compared with 2.7-liter in the previous engine version--EvoTech 2.7) enabled to increase the power to 120 hp when driving on gasoline (on compressed gas--109 hp), and the peak net torque up to 252 Nm (225 Nm on the compressed gas). The GAZelle NEXT CNG was presented at the 8th International Gas Forum, which was held in St. Petersburg on October 2-5, 2018.

The vehicle combines comfort, safety, and functionality of the NEXT family with the high economic efficiency and environmental friendliness. Compressed gas is the most cost-effective type of fuel used in commercial transport. Its use provides for the reduction in operating costs by 40-50 percent (depending on the mileage and features of a particular model) as compared with gasoline and diesel fuel.

An important design feature of the upgraded EvoTech 3.0 engine is the use of a cast-iron cylinder block instead of the aluminum cylinder block installed on previous versions. This enabled to reduce the thermal load and increase the powertrain stability at high temperatures. The changes affected other components as well, including crankshaft and camshaft, cylinder head and piston. The new design provides for the possibility of installing a dual-circuit air-conditioning system for minibuses and two compressors for refrigerated vans.

Four gas cylinders with a total volume from 33.2 (all-metal van) up to 41.6 (side modifications) m3 are installed on the vehicle. Vehicle fuel distance--up to 750 km, including 300 km--gas-powered driving. The gas-cylinder equipment produced by the Italian companies Emer and OMVL is certified according to the UNECE Regulations No. 110. The multi-level engine safety system includes a high-speed valve (confines gas leakage in case of gas tube damage), a fire valve (provides for gas release when the temperature exceeds 100 °C), a safety valve (provides for gas release when the pressure exceeds 300 ATM).