IANGV MEDIA RELEASE
Cairo, Egypt
Natural Gas Vehicles Key to Transport Fuel Revolution
One Million Plus NGVs in the Middle East by 2010
While much of the world groans under the strain of high oil prices and
seeks means of reducing dependence on Middle Eastern oil, a quiet
revolution is underway within the Middle East to achieve the same
objective. Despite being home to 65% of the world’s oil reserves,
pressure to improve air quality and maximise crude oil revenues is
driving Middle Eastern governments to implement alternative fuel
schemes that dwarf many of those in other oil dependent nations.
Government and private organisations in Egypt, Iran, United Arab
Emirates and other oil rich nations are well under way with programs
designed to reduce consumption of gasoline and diesel, not with ethanol
or biodiesel vehicles, but with natural gas vehicles. With the combined
benefits of low fuel cost, reduced air pollutants and greenhouse
emissions, and increased safety, as many as a million natural gas
powered cars, trucks and buses could be plying Middle Eastern roads by
the end of this decade.
Eqypt already has 70,000 natural gas vehicles in operation, aiming
for a target of 145,000 by 2010, while Iran, with 140,000 natural gas
vehicles, is well on its way to achieving a 2010 target of 600,000
vehicles including 20,000 buses at the rate of more than 12,000
vehicles per month. Other nations in the area have also begun
implementing natural gas vehicles, with several compressed natural gas
(CNG) opening in the United Arab Emirates within the past year.
Government officials have targeted 10,000 vehicles in Abu Dhabi alone.
Neighbouring
Pakistan is already a strong user of natural gas vehicles, with more
than 1 million on the country’s roads. While the number and growth of
natural gas vehicle is impressive in the Middle East, growth is not
just restricted to this area, with more than five million natural gas
vehicles currently on the road worldwide. Increasing numbers in Europe,
North & South America and Asia are expected to raise this to more
than fifty million by 2020.
International Association for Natural
Gas Vehicles (IANGV) President, Juan Carlos Fracchia, says that while
natural gas vehicle numbers are increasing at a high rate, more
widespread use would yield lasting benefits worldwide. “Natural gas
reserves are more evenly distributed throughout the world than crude
oil is,” he said. “Using natural gas for transport gives nations
increased energy security and control over fuel prices while at the
same time delivering cleaner air to their citizens and lower greenhouse
emissions to the world. For instance, Korea with no natural gas
of its own has found it valuable to import liquefied natural gas (LNG)
for use in vehicles.”
Increasing interest in natural gas vehicles
in the area will culminate in an international conference in
exhibition, to be held in Cairo, Egypt from November 7- 9 this year.
More than 700 delegates are expected to attend the event, hosted under
the patronage of Egypt’s Minister for Petroleum, His Excellency Eng
Sameh Fahmi, by the IANGV and EGAS of Egypt. As well as exploring
current technology and developments the conference will also be
exploring future technology and policy developments. More information
on the conference can be found at http://www.ngv2006.com.
Ends
About Natural Gas Vehicles
- there are more than 5 million natural gas vehicles currently operating worldwide
- in most countries natural gas can save vehicle owners 50% or more on fuel costs
- natural gas engines are the cleanest internal
combustion production engines in the world, with some already achieving
2010 US standards
- natural gas vehicles can reduce greenhouse emissions by as much as 30%
- natural gas can be derived from renewable and
waster sources, effectively making natural gas vehicles ‘greenhouse
neutral’
- natural gas can be used in all classes of vehicles
- most vehicle and engine manufacturers produce and
market natural gas vehicles somewhere in the world – General Motors,
Chrysler, Ford, VW, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Fiat, Opel, Iveco, Tata,
Volvo, Cummins, Detroit, Isuzu…
Contact Details
North America
Rich Kolodziej, President – NGVAmerica, USA – +1 202/824-7366
Europe
Dr Jeffrey Seisler, Executive Director – European Natural Gas Vehicles Association, Netherlands – +31.23.554.3050
South America
Juan Carlos Fracchia, President – International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles, Argentina – +54 11 5077-6100
Asia
Dr Garth Harris, Secretary-General – Asia-Pacific Natural Gas Vehicles Association, New Zealand – +64 9 524 0945
More information IANGV Media
International Association
for Natural Gas Vehicles (Inc.)
PO Box 128 446 Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand
Tel: +64 9 523 3567 Fax: +64 9 520 3122
email: iangv@iangv.org
PDF 
