I know this is a carbon problem but it is less oil used. The last one is in
Nigeria so who knows if it will happen or just be bombed.
Quinta
Market Developments
Sourced NGV Global
Friday, 04 July 2008 00:00
Germany, Mannheim
New building for two additional vehicle models opened on July 4, 2008
E and B-Class, Sprinter and Econic all fitted with natural-gas engine
Mercedes-Benz centre of competence for emissions-free commercial vehicles
(known by its German acronym of 'KEN') has been expanded to become the
Mercedes-Benz Production Competence Centre for Natural Gas Drive. With the
formal opening of the new building, the company can push ahead with its aim of
positioning natural gas powered vehicles in all segments. When it was first
established in October 1994, KEN was part of the Commercial Vehicles division.
Since 2002 the centre has been part of the Vans division, as the largest
projects from that time onwards involved vans. At that time the predecessor of
today's Sprinter was manufactured there with a monovalent natural-gas engine.
The E-Class and the Econic are already being fitted with natural-gas engines at
the Mannheim plant. With the opening of the new facility, they will be joined
by the Sprinter and the B-Class. There is an impressively wide variety of
models: up to 16 natural-gas variants of the Mercedes Sprinter, for example,
will be available from the Mercedes-Benz Production Competence Centre for
Natural Gas Drive. in Mannheim.
A gas-powered vehicle combines the benefits of environmental protection with
efficiency and practicality. The advantages include a considerable reduction in
emissions and noise, substantially lower maintenance costs and a large range
when used in combination with the conventional engine.
The customer-driven concept of KEN is reflected in unit sales, which have grown
exponentially since 1994. In 2003, 300 vehicles were sold while the planned
figure for 2008 is 5,000, and the trend is upward.
Sourced NGV Global
Wednesday, 09 July 2008 00:00
Argentina & Pakistan
Cylinder manufacturer Inflex Argentoil SA has announced the formation of a JV
with the Pakistani WAH industries to produce CNG cylinders for natural gas
vehicles. Argentoil is to take 51% stake in the new venture. Inflex has more
than forty years´ experience in the manufacturing of cylinders and has sold
more than four million cylinders with no accidents reported. WAH industries is
a member of the government run POF industrial complex in Pakistan and owns
several plants with about fifty thousand employees. The new facility will be
set up in Pakistan and is expected to manufacture 260,000 cylinders a year.
This output will cover Pakistan domestic cylinder needs. The investment will
require about $US20 Million dollars and will be financed by local banking
institutions.
Sourced NGV Global
Wednesday, 02 July 2008 00:00
Nigeria, Lagos
Local NGV industry association to be formed
Prospects for natural gas vehicles (NGV) in Nigeria have increased
following the success of a conference on the issue held in the country last
week. Outcomes of the conference included a commitment to form a local natural
gas vehicle industry association, to be formed with the backing of the Nigerian
Energy Ministry. Speaking from Nigeria, IANGV president, Rich Kolodziej, called
on the Federal Government to make NGV ownership and use, economically
attractive by making it easy for private sector participation. "The situation
in every country is different. No two countries are the same, but any challenge
faced by one country has been successfully dealt with in another country. I
urge you to learn from the experience of others," he said.
Nigeria currently flares about 900 billion cubic feet per year of
associated gas. The government, however, is committed to capturing an
increasing amount of that gas. Some will be liquefied and exported, but much
of it could be used domestically for power generation and to power vehicles. "
Because Nigeria does not have sufficient refining capacity, it must import
petrol and diesel fuel at world prices," Kolodziej said. "It costs the
Nigerian treasury the equivalent of about US$6 million per day to subsidize
that fuel. By switching to NGVs, that money could be saved - and it would help
reduce air pollution in the major cities."
The natural gas vehicle industry in Nigeria is currently in the
pioneering stage. The Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) has successfully converted 52
vehicles to use natural gas. NGC is also responsible for issuing licenses and
has so far certified three companies to provide CNG in Lagos, Benin and Abuja
