The Fiat Qubo Natural Power
Fiat’s commitment to supplying natural gas vehicles continues, this time with the release of the bi-fuel (petrol and methane) Qubo Natural Power. The Fiat Qubo Natural Power is available in two versions, the Active and the Dynamic, both powered by the same 70 HP 1.4 engine (Euro5) with CO2 emissions of 119g/Km. Current incentives available in Italy mean the vehicles currently sell for around USD 12,000. Fiat pioneered methane fuelled vehicles over 10 years ago and is now Europe’s leading manufacturer of original methane fuelled vehicles (OEM) and the first manufacturer to offer a wide range of bi-fuel models (see IANGV’s OEM Vehicle Directory for the “Natural Power” Fiat range).
Unlike diesel vehicles, methane fuelled vehicles do not emit particulates and their NOx emissions are almost 90% lower. Compared to petrol vehicles, methane fuelled vehicles emit around 50% less NOx, almost 75% less unburned hydrocarbons and 23% less CO2.
Fiat says methane fuelled vehicles are experiencing record growth in sales: in Italy, over the last 12 months, 7 out of every 100 vehicles registered have been methane powered and over 90% of these are Fiat models.
The new vehicle can cover 300 km thanks to a total capacity of 77 litres (13.2 kg of methane at 200 bar) between both tanks. Adding the petrol tank capacity of 45 litres (the same as on the conventional petrol version), it boasts a range of 940 kilometres in the combined cycle.
The Qubo Natural Power is equipped with a methane and petrol bi-fuel system with two independent circuits. The car normally runs on methane and only needs petrol for start up. After that, it automatically switches to methane. The switch to petrol is only needed if the gas runs out, but in practice the driver can switch from methane to petrol and back again at any time simply by pressing a button on the dashboard.
The vehicle is equipped with a 1.4 engine, developed and manufactured by FPT (Fiat Powertrain Technologies), combined with a five-speed gearbox and equipped with a phased sequential Multipoint injection system. The methane fuelled unit offers the same performance as a petrol engine. It generates 70 HP (51 kW) of power at 6,000 rpm and 10.6 kgm (104 Nm) of torque at 3,250 rpm (with methane fuel), with a top speed of 150 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 17.5 seconds.
(Este artículo también está disponible en Español)
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