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At the invitation of Charles Billiard, Senior PR-PA & Communication Manager at Flixbus for France and the Benelux, we were informed today about Flixbus taking steps towards sustainability with bio-LNG.

During a meeting at the Shell Truck Only service station in Eindhoven, the aim was to discuss the progress in the use of alternative fuels, in particular the role of bio-LNG in reducing CO2 emissions in the coach sector. Flixbus, founded in 2011 by André Schwämmlein, has positioned itself as the leading network of long-distance coach companies in Europe since its inception and is now taking steps towards sustainability.

partner companies

The meeting was attended by representatives of several important Flixbus partner companies that are closely involved in the sustainability of bus transport. Among those present were Fokke Wim Velthuijsen, Head of Business & Country Lead Benelux at Flixbus, and Michał Dropko, Senior Project Manager at Flixbus. Representatives of partner companies such as Shell, Scania, Staf Cars and Kupers Touringcars were also present. These companies play a crucial role in realizing Flixbus' sustainable ambitions.

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Flixbus
Photo: © Pitane Blue - (from left to right) Pieter Thijs - Sandra Geilings - Michał Dropko - Charles Billiard - Bert Fonteijn - Bram Stakenburg

The process of using bio-LNG is already being used by Flixbus and Shell in the Netherlands. Shell supplies the biofuel from a facility in Amsterdam, which it develops in collaboration with partners. Nordsol and Renewi opened in 2021. In the future, Shell wants to scale up the production of bio-LNG to run entirely on clean fuels, a step that is already being taken in Germany. Bio-LNG is currently still being blended in the Netherlands, but this already results in a CO2 reduction of around 30%. Shell wants to increase this percentage to 100% in the coming years.

Staff Cars and Kupers

The benefits of bio-LNG were also made clear during a demonstration where Staff Cars from Belgium and Kupers Touringcars from the Netherlands showed how their buses were refueled with bio-LNG. However, this refueling process differs from traditional refueling. One of the drivers involved explained: “LNG comes from a storage tank with an internal temperature of -150 degrees. You can imagine that it takes some time for the installation to cool down, especially if the refueling has not been done recently. It is also important to clean the nozzle properly and connect it to the tank properly. If the connection is not good, leakage can occur.” 

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bioLNG
Photo: © Pitane Blue - Flixbus - Shell - refueling bioLNG

Safety is also of great importance, especially because of the extremely low temperature of the gas, which can lead to burns or frostbite.

Emission-free long-distance bus transport is still in its infancy. However, the advantages of bio-LNG are clear. This fuel offers a range of around 1000 kilometres, considerably more than electric buses, which can usually drive around 350 kilometres per charge. This makes bio-LNG an attractive alternative for coach companies that want to operate sustainably without compromising on operational flexibility.

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Sandra Geilings
Photo: © Pitane Blue - Sandra Geilings - SHELL

Shell, represented by Sandra Geilings, commercially responsible for road transport in the Benelux and France, gave an extensive explanation of the bio-LNG project during the meeting. This biofuel, produced from organic waste such as agricultural residues and food that has passed its expiration date, can be used in existing LNG engines without the need for technical adjustments. According to Geilings, bio-LNG offers an important transition solution for sectors in which full electrification is difficult to achieve in the short term, such as heavy road transport and the coach industry.

Flix, known for the green Flix buses, and car manufacturer Scania are working together on buses that can run on bio-LNG. In this way, they want to make long-distance travel more sustainable. Scania is actively involved in making the sector more sustainable. Bram Stakenburg, responsible for buses and coaches in the Benelux, shared Scania and Shell's ambition to further decarbonise the coach and transport sector during the meeting. They are working together on the development of public fast-charging stations for electric buses, which will be part of the Scania dealer network in the Netherlands and will possibly expand to the entire Benelux.

However, during the meeting there was also criticism of the role of the government in making passenger transport more sustainable. Bert Fonteijn, CEO of Kupers Touringcars, expressed his concerns about the feasibility of electric buses in the short term: “It is easy for governments to oblige public transport companies to drive electric buses within the tender, but that is not feasible to date given the far too low range.” He emphasized that coach companies are prepared to invest in sustainability, but that the resources for this must be available.

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Photo: © Pitane Blue - Flixbus - Staf Cars

Pieter Thijs, CEO of Staf Cars, joined this criticism and called the situation in Belgium no different from that in the Netherlands: “In Belgium, the government is always 'under construction', which means that few concrete steps are taken to support the sector.” Nevertheless, Staf Cars is already progressive, with the deployment of a bio-LNG bus for Flixbus. 

alternatives

In addition to using Bio-LNG as a transition fuel, Flixbus is also exploring other alternative solutions to make long-distance transport more sustainable. The company, which was founded in 2011 and has since become one of the largest players in the European long-distance bus market, aims to offer an increasingly greener transport option. This aim is driven by a growing awareness of the need to drastically reduce CO₂ emissions in the transport sector.

Flixbus has ambitious goals when it comes to sustainability. The company wants to be completely carbon neutral in Europe by 2040, and globally by 2050. Although bio-LNG currently plays an important role in Flixbus’ sustainability plan, it is not the only solution being explored. In collaboration with partners such as Shell and Scania, various alternative fuels and technologies are being investigated that contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions.

One of the possible alternatives that Flixbus is investigating is green hydrogen. While there is currently no confirmation that this is a technology that Flixbus is actively investigating, the interest in hydrogen as a fuel for long-distance travel makes sense. Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis, where renewable energy is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This hydrogen can then be used in fuel cell buses, where the only emission is water vapor. This makes it a very clean and promising technology for the future of long-distance travel.

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