Seat triples production of CNG vehicles
Demand for environmentally and climate-friendly CNG-powered vehicles is rising. The Spanish Volkswagen subsidiary Seat has announced a massive increase in production.
90 CNG vehicles of the Leon, Leon Sportourer ST, Ibiza and Arona models leave the plant in Martorell near Barcelona every day. Too few to satisfy the growing demand for CNG models. That's why Seat has increased capacity to up to 250 units per day. The Spanish company has a leading role within the VW Group in the technological development of CNG vehicles. In 2018, Seat tripled its sales of CNG vehicles, and this year sales increased by another 13 percent. Volkswagen's Audi, Skoda and VW brands are also successfully producing vehicles that run on natural gas and biogas. The range extends from small cars to SUVs and upper mid-range vehicles.
"By expanding production, Seat is sending out a strong signal for greater sustainability," says a delighted Pascal Lenzin, national coordinator for CNG mobility in Switzerland. A car powered by fossil natural gas emits around 25 percent less CO2 than a gasoline-powered car. With biogas, a CNG car drives almost CO2-neutral and is thus on a par with an electric vehicle - provided it is powered by electricity from renewable sources. Pascal Lenzin: "If Switzerland wants to achieve its climate targets, then all available drive technologies must make their contribution."
In Switzerland, an average of 22.4 percent biogas is blended with fossil natural gas, and at many pumps CNG drivers can increase the biogas content themselves to up to 100 percent.
Further information on sustainable mobility at cng-mobility.ch.
