In late November 2020, the oil company Hoyer opened its first stationary automatic fuel station for liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the “Hoyer-Autohof Soltauer Heide” in Lower Saxony. The almost 17 m high LNG tank has a diameter of three metres and contains 70,000 litres. The smaller tank beside it has a height of six metres and contains appr. nine tons of liquid nitrogen required for the extreme cooling to minus 161° Celsius. The complete technical and control equipment is accommodated in a container next to the tanks. Two tapping points allow the simultaneous refuelling of two LNG trucks.

When it came to selecting a fuel terminal the family company located in Visselhövede, Lower Saxony, chose the fuel terminal HecVision Eco. “In this innovative field of fuels, the experts from Hectronic could offer the most sophisticated solution”, explains Thomas Reichert, responsible for Business Development & Sales on the Management Board of HoyerCard.Europe. Especially because it was an unmanned station the smooth technical flow of the fuelling process, from the identification and legitimization of the fuel card up to the settlement of the refuelled amount, was a decisive success factor. A special authorization and payment process that is controlled by a video-supported user guidance on the 10.4” touch display guarantees a smooth operation with the HecVision Eco. After reading the safety instructions, the truck driver confirms by finger pressure on the display that he has attended the required safety training for LNG. If the driver pays with the allocated HoyerCard.Europe the card stores the information that the driver has concluded the safety training. Only then the terminal releases the fuel pump for the refuelling of LNG. Apart from the company fuel card the terminal accepts further fuel cards of related partners such as Alternoil as well as debit and credit cards. The vehicle selection is also part of the authorization process, as the temperature and pressure of the fuelling depends on the manufacturer of the heavy goods vehicle. Due to the interface between the fuel terminal and the plant control the LNG system knows, upon entering this information into HecVision Eco, how the respective truck model has to be fuelled.

Further filling stations at selected Hoyer fuel stations are following shortly. “As a family enterprise it is our goal to act fast and considerately in order to quickly provide our customers with a compehensive and safe supply for the mobility of the future”, Thomas Hoyer, managing partner of the Hoyer group of companies, describes the LNG strategy.