The first delivery van converted from diesel to compressed natural gas (CNG) in Spain was presented at the premises of Spanish transport company SEUR, in Madrid. SEUR will evaluate the performance and suitability of the vehicle for end-point distribution as part of a City of Madrid public-private partnership that includes vehicle converter Axala Green Solutions, fuel supplier Gas Natural Fenosa and GASNAM association.
SEUR says two more CNG vehicles will be added at the end of the trial period. If the project is successful, it will help significantly reduce the environmental impact of urban distribution and the problem of air quality.
David Sastre, Chief Strategy Offier at SEUR noted that “at SEUR, sustainable mobility is one of the pillars of our business strategy. Our commitment is based on three lines: to measure, to reduce and to offset. We measure our emissions of CO2 with the same importance that we measure the benefits, we reduce emissions by means of intelligent urban distribution, with which we have already delivered more than 500,000 emissions-free shipments, and we compensate the remaining emissions through six offset projects.”
From City of Madrid, Paz Valiente, Director of Sustainability and Environmental Control for the Madrid City Council, particularly stressed that “responsible transport must be an effort of all, and of course companies. Delivery fleets have a large impact on air quality, so we greatly value and appreciate the commitment to CNG vehicles like this. SEUR becomes an example for their contribution to sustainable mobility and commitment to clean energy in the city of Madrid”.
The role of the City in this project has been to identify this vehicle as eco-CNG, allowing access to and parking in Madrid’s Areas of Residential Priority (APR). APR are areas where vehicle access to non – residents is restricted in order to preserve the sustainable use of roads inside them as well as to reduce levels noise and air pollution such spaces.
Gas Natural Fenosa (GNF) will provide fuel from their CNG refuelling stations in Madrid. Benito Paramo, responsible for Mobility Projects Southern Central Area for Gas Natural Fenosa notes: “Gas Natural Fenosa believes in compressed natural gas as an alternative fuel to reduce local emissions. It also represents an advantage of cost savings of 30% compared to diesel.”
Although GNF continues to encourage original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to increase their range of new natural gas vehicles, it agrees vehicle conversions to natural gas present a “very interesting option”.
Axala Green Solutions has provided this first van for SEUR. The company converted the vehicle and was responsible for its approval and emission measurements. Juan Carlos Cortes, director of Axala Green Solutions, wanted to highlight that “these types of vehicle are the first tool to reduce emissions effectively within the city and make last-mile deliveries responsibly while contributing to the environment.”
To finish the event Benito Paramo of GNF delivered a cheque for EUR 1,000 to SEUR, representing the fuel to be used during the pilot phase.
SEUR is not a stranger to natural gas vehicles. The first was a Daily 35C14, based in Madrid, followed by two Sprinter 316 NGT vans (3.5 tons) and a Sprinter 516 NGT (5 tons) based in Tarragona.
(Source: SEUR)
