In 2010, sales of commercial natural gas vehicles in Italy rose by 60.5% over 2009, a significant result given the overall growth of vehicle sales in the same period was only 6.16%, reports asca. The information was supplied by l’Osservatorio Metanauto, a methane research facility headed by Federmetano, the national association of distributors and transporters of natural gas. The growth was in part stimulated in the first quarter of 2010 by government incentives.
Dante Natali, Federmetano president, is quoted as saying, “The boom in commercial vehicles powered by natural gas has its basis primarily in the economy of this fuel, which is always the most cost-effective of those on the market today. Also to be highlighted, through the use of natural gas vehicles it is possible for drivers to access the historic centers during restricted traffic periods, an opportunity which is of strategic importance to delivery companies.”
Natali added that drivers are recognising more and more the benefits of methane powered transportation and are being supported by the “extraordinary progress made in the natural gas vehicles on the market today, which offer nothing less than the performance, safety and comfort of traditionally-powered vehicles.”
