Spain’s national police force, Guardia Civil, is venturing into new territory with the introduction of the first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) -powered vehicle to its fleet. The Director General of the Civil Guard, Arsenio Fernandez de Mesa has received from the Managing Director of Gas Natural Fenosa, Manuel Gil and Special Sales Manager of SEAT, Antonio Calvo, a bi-fuel Seat Leon TGI which can run on CNG or gasoline.
The Civil Guard is the first Spanish police body that will test a car of this kind. The vehicle will be used for their own Mobile Material Service and later by other departments like the Protection and Security Unit (UPROSE) and by the Fiscal Service at Barajas Airport.
From the economic point of view, natural gas in Spain is cheaper than traditional fuels (gasoline and diesel), with savings that can reach between 30% -50% for diesel and between 50% -60% for gasoline per kilometer.
The Seat Leon TGI has a CNG range of 420 km with an average fuel consumption of 3.6 kg of CNG per 100 km, while gasoline mode adds an additional 920 km to the range. The vehicle is ECE R34 compliant (Europe) and also meets the US DOT FMVSS301 for fuel system integrity. Mainly, it requires no fuel leak both gasoline and compressed natural gas, and storage elements must never lose their tightness.
The delivery of the Spanish-manufactured Seat Leon TGI is the result of the collaboration agreement signed between the Civil Guard and Gas Natural Fenosa last October, followed up with analysis of the environmental improvements resulting from the use of natural gas for both land and sea vehicles.
(Source: Ministry of Interior, Spain)
