Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (the leading international group in Europe in the methane-powered passenger car and light commercial vehicle market), CNH Industrial (the global leader in the capital goods sector and in natural gas solutions for sustainable agriculture and transport that contributes to local economic development) and EGEA (a multi-utility company located in Alba which operates at national level in Italy to supply local public services in the energy and environmental sectors) will announce a new project during the Third World Forum on Local Economic Development, to be held in Turin from 13 – 16 October.
The project concerns the promotion and sustainable production of biomethane and its use in transportation, thus demonstrating the numerous environmental benefits that can be achieved.
With its brand Iveco Bus, CNH Industrial will provide a fleet of minibuses with eco-friendly natural gas engines for the transportation of delegates participating in the Forum. These engines can be powered by biomethane produced from animal waste at the EGEA plant in Ozegna, in the province of Turin.
FCA will also confirm its commitment to sustainable transport by supplying a 500L, a Doblò Panorama and a Doblò Cargo powered by natural gas, for the use of delegates at the Forum. These vehicles can also be powered by biomethane.
Methane-powered vehicles offer significant environmental benefits in terms of a reduction in polluting emissions and CO2 and, with the use of biomethane, these benefits will undoubtedly increase. Indeed, biomethane has a CO2 balance – from the source right up until the use of the fuel – that ranks it as the top energy source currently used in the automotive industry. This means that a vehicle powered by biomethane is comparable (in terms of total CO2 emissions) to an electric vehicle powered by energy from renewable sources.
“FCA began investing in natural gas powered vehicles in the 1990s. Since then it has become the market leader in Europe, with sales of over 650,000 passenger vehicles. We are now witnessing a turning point, where the combination of natural gas, a practical solution for sustainable transport, and biomethane, a renewable source, can bring immediate benefits to the environment. In addition, these alternative fuels can offer advantages to urban transport and, at the same time, help in the development of local economies,” said Daniele Chiari, Product Planning & Institutional Relations Manager for FCA for the EMEA region.
According to Pierre Lahutte, Iveco Brand President, “for Iveco and Iveco Bus, biomethane represents the most effective solution to reduce CO2 emissions and to comply with the targets set by the European Union. Iveco and Iveco Bus have been promoting this solution for some time because it brings benefits both in environmental and economic terms. Today we already offer the most complete range of vehicles powered by natural gas – which can also be powered by biomethane – with over 14,000 units sold, including light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles and buses.”
“The EGEA Group’s mission”, added PierPaolo Carini, Managing Director of EGEA SpA, “is to become a point of reference for the region in which it operates, playing the role of a ‘system protagonist’ and providing all the main public essential services for the growth and development of the local community. From this point of view, the biogas and biomethane plants mirror our activities, transforming production waste from the best of our region into a resource: an opportunity for growth and for cost savings. A significant reduction in waste which, at the same time, becomes the starting point for a new sustainable growth project which can be replicated in other locations.”
