Blog MOTOR JIKOV has built a large CNG filling station for DB Schenker

The fleet of passenger cars and delivery vehicles of logistics company DB Schenker has been refueling with compressed natural gas (CNG) from the new MJ SAT filling station supplied by MOTOR JIKOV Strojírenská a.s. since late October. “I would like to thank the designer and main supplier, MOTOR JIKOV, for the very fast and flawless execution of the construction,” said Tomáš Holomoucký, Director of SCHENKER spol. s r. o., during the grand opening at the company headquarters in Rudná near Prague. The company plans to convert half of its passenger car fleet to CNG by the end of the year; currently, eight vehicles operate on compressed natural gas. “It is now certain that shortly, we will supplement our fleet with delivery and larger transport vehicles on CNG. Next year, we are considering around twenty trucks,” added Tomáš Holomoucký.

MOTOR JIKOV Strojírenská a.s. supplied the logistics company with the MJ SAT station, equipped with a J. A. Becker und Söhne compressor with a capacity of 159 cubic meters per hour and two CNG tanks with a total capacity of 4,480 liters. “A distinctive feature of the station is its placement. The dispensing stand faces one side into the company's enclosed area and the other side toward a partially publicly accessible parking lot. It was necessary to address the customer's requirement for strict separation of spaces on both sides of the dispenser, which is also reflected in the partitions inside the shelter above the dispensing stand,” explained Jaroslav Vohnout from MOTOR JIKOV Strojírenská a.s. The double-sided ADAST dispenser is fitted with three hoses and NGV1 and NGV2 outlets, along with two integrated UNIDATAZ payment terminals—one on each side—allowing payments via company cards, CNG cards, and in the future, bank cards.

The challenge for the station designer was the placement of the dispenser on sloped terrain and ensuring two-sided access. “The levels on both sides differ by almost forty centimeters. During the design process, I was additionally limited by the length of fueling hoses. The specific conditions included the already completed surroundings of the building, including access roads, which could not be altered,” said Helena Matějčková, the project designer for MOTOR JIKOV Strojírenská a.s., who has worked on seven large CNG filling stations to date.

Schenker spol. s r. o. anticipates a return on investment within several years. “We initially calculated three years, but that was based on higher diesel prices; it may be a little longer now. However, the financial savings are just one benefit CNG offers. The ecological benefits are equally important,” emphasized Tomáš Holomoucký. This is supported by Jiří Slíva, Director of the Division of Special Machining and Manufacturing at MOTOR JIKOV Strojírenská a.s.: “Nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions are 80 percent lower during gas combustion compared to traditional engines, carbon monoxide (CO) emissions are reduced by 90 percent. Emissions of particulate matter, which are considered most harmful due to their mutagenic and carcinogenic effects in diesel engines, almost reach zero,” he highlighted.

DB Schenker is a leading global provider of integrated logistics and freight forwarding services. In the Czech Republic, it operates a fleet of 160 distribution vehicles, mainly with higher payload capacities. The company plans to gradually replace these with CNG-powered vehicles. Future projections estimate the annual consumption for the entire fleet at 210,000 cubic meters of CNG.

DB Schenker