How to Stimulate the Sales of Liquefied Natural Gas Vehicles - A Case Study in Belgium

Sammanfattning: Liquefied Natural Gas is a clean and lower carbon alternative to diesel in the heavy road transport sector. It is established as a system in Netherlands and is in the preliminary phase in Belgium with three existing LNG filling stations. Belgium is one of the most heavily trafficked countries in Europe with poor air quality, making it an interesting market for establishing a LNG system. Truck manufacturers lack a sufficiently clear picture of the market in Belgium to formulate marketing strategies for Liquefied Natural Gas Vehicles. The aim of this work is to outline parameters for marketing strategies to stimulate the sales of L-NGV in Belgium. This work is accomplished via the generation of a case study. In order to formulate marketing strategies, the driving forces and barriers in LNG uptake are identified. This is made through interviews with Belgian transport companies with experience in LNG. Feedback and communication with relevant Scania employees are gathered in order to place barriers and drivers in the context of a manufacturer perspective. The results show substantial evidence that there are a suite of drivers that have a great potential to drive a significant increase in L-NGV in Belgium. This works also indicates that there are several risk-related issues for the transport companies that first need to be solved in order for substantial growth in L-NGV. In particular, the transport customers sometimes perceive risks greater than they are in reality. The key risks affecting risk-aversion were found to be the uncertainty of Total Cost of Ownership, residual value of the vehicle, secondary market, and the performance of the technology. Many of these risks can be reduced by marketing strategies, but some are more challenging than others. Suggestion for future research is to compare the residual value for L-NGV and diesel-powered trucks.