The CEO of Mowasalat, Ahmed Al Mansoori, addressing the media at the Mowasalat headquarters in Doha yesterday. With him are (from left) Karwa Strategy Unit Director Mohamed Ali, Strategy and Business Development Director Nasser Al Khanji, and Mass Transit Director Jamie Buchan. Salim Matramkot
DOHA: Roads in Qatar will now have more “green” buses, with Mowasalat adding 63 new public buses fuelled by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
The launch of new buses were announced yesterday at a press conference attended by senior Mowasalat officials. The Minister of Transport and Mowasalat’s chairman H E Jassim Saif Al Sulaiti was also present.
Late last year, the company launched its first CNG bus in a pilot project, in line with directives of the then Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to utilise CNG as fuel in Qatar’s transport sector.
CNG is considered a green fuel as it considerably reduces emission of greenhouse gases. CNG vehicles are quieter compared with diesel vehicles and contribute to reducing noise pollution. CNG is also cost-effective, bringing economic benefits to end users, and is a sustainable and effective alternative to petroleum refined products.
Mowasalat launched the first CNG buses for the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Doha and for the first time in the region. Two CNG buses were introduced to serve the fleet of shuttle services for international delegates and guests.
The company, in collaboration with Qatar Petroleum and Woqod, plans to set up more filling stations to support its expanding fleet of CNG-fuelled buses. The first CNG filling station was opened in the Industrial Area last year and two Woqod petrol stations in Abu Hamour and Al Aseeri will soon have the facility, a company official said yesterday.
As part of plans to introduce more CNG-fuelled buses, the company is in the pilot phase of introducing a new technology termed dual fuel system for its buses. Twelve buses are under trial.
“The new technology patented in the US allows us to convert diesel buses into CNG system without changing the engine. The dual fuel technology also enables the use of diesel and CNG in the same bus,” said Mohammed Ali, Karwa Strategy Unit Director.
Diesel Dual Fuel (DDF) system is a patented aftermarket upgrade system which seamlessly metres Compressed Natural Gas from CNG tanks into the induction system of a diesel engine. A vehicle can be converted in 48 hours in this way. Conversion of existing diesel engines to duel fuel is cheaper than converting to typical CNG engines. A distinct feature of DDF is that the vehicle can run on diesel and CNG and can be switched back to original diesel engine system if needed.
DDF is more beneficial in terms of achieving emission standard to upper level, reduced noise level, better engine performance, extended oil drain intervals with longer engine life and energy savings. The Peninsula
