Audi Plans Methane-Powered A3

| Germany
Audi TCNG

Audi TCNG

Under the motto of “Audi balanced mobility”, Audi has committed to attaining neutral CO2 balance across the entire mobility chain. The Audi e-gas project, a milestone along this route, is capable of simultaneously solving several pressing problems faced by the sustainable energy-supply industry. In the process chain clean power, hydrogen and methane are produced: three key sources of energy for future mobility. Included as a component of Audi’s plans is production of a natural gas vehicle for their A3 range. Read more »

Extreme Field Trial Commences for Biomethane Snowplough

| Sweden

Swedavia AB, owner and operator of major airports in Sweden, has begun a field test in partnership with the Volvo Group and the Schmidt Group to test what they say is the world’s first snow removal vehicle powered by biomethane. The vehicle is equipped with Volvo engines that run on biomethane combined with conventional diesel, which in the long term can be replaced by biodiesel, enabling completely carbon-neutral operation. Read more »

Opel’s Astra Undergoes Holistic Hybridization – Achieves 90 g/km CO2

| Germany, Rüsselsheim / Stuttgart
Opel's Astra Caravan

Opel's Astra Caravan

Natural Gas Engine and Electric Drive Combination

Adam Opel GmbH (Opel), in a collaborative project sponsored by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, has developed an innovative gas hybrid prototype that emits only 90 g/km CO2 from a start-stop system, recovery of braking energy and a ‘proactive hybrid coordinator’ developed by the Institute for Combustion Engines and Motor Vehicles (IVK) of the University of Stuttgart.

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UPS Grows Alternative Fuel Fleet by 30%

UPS CNG-powered vehicles will be clearly identified.

USA, Atlanta

UPS has followed the deployment of 300 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles earlier in 2009 and others in 2008 with an order for another 300 for its U.S. delivery fleet. 200 hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have also been ordered. The purchase means the UPS alternative fuel fleet, already the largest such private fleet in the United States, will grow 30% — from 1,718 to 2,218 low-carbon vehicles. “UPS has been utilizing alternative fuel vehicles for more than 70 years and is clearly the industry leader in hybrid electric and CNG vehicle purchases,” said Robert Hall, director of UPS’s ground fleet.

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Dixie Chopper Unveils World’s First Natural CNG-Powered Mower

| USA, Coatesville
Dixie Chopper's CNG Mower Model - Xcaliber Eco-Eagle

Lawn Mower Pollution Addressed

The Dixie Chopper compressed natural gas (CNG) mower, officially known as the Xcaliber Eco-Eagle, was unveiled at the Alternative Fuels & Vehicles National Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida on April 19th. Powered by a 990cc Generac engine, the Eco-Eagle comes with a 66-inch cutting deck. Dixie Chopper believes that since natural gas is plentiful in the U.S., demand for this mower will only grow as natural gas becomes easier to obtain for the average property owner.

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