In the last five years, sales of cars powered by compressed natural gas have tripled in Europe, while they have increased six-fold in Spain in the same period. This country has become the third largest market for SEAT in terms of CNG technology. In the first six months of 2015, the carmaker sold more natural gas vehicles in Spain than in all of 2014. The company ended last year as the undisputed leader in NGV sales in the Spanish market, and six months into this year, its leadership grew even more, reaching a total share of 80%.
To continue along these lines of development and support, Vice-President for Government and Institutional Affairs for SEAT and the Volkswagen Group in Spain Ramón Paredes, and HAM Managing Director Antonio Murugó have signed a strategic agreement to advance CNG use over the next two years. This is a clear commitment by both companies to this alternative fuel source for ecological, sustainable energy that will ensure a significant short-term improvement in air quality due to its reduced emissions and low cost.
“In our opinion, CNG fuel is the well-established and much less expensive alternative to oil, which guarantees a significant improvement in air quality owing to its low emissions. Our tremendous growth enables us to develop state-of-the-art technology for cleaner energy, and one of our priorities is the new filling station which will soon be opened in Abrera with a definite commitment to supplying natural gas for vehicle use,” said Murugó.
Furthermore, Paredes added: “SEAT’s commitment to sustainability is unwavering, and this reality is gradually moving into the markets where we operate. 66% of worldwide SEAT sales and 80% of the sales in Spain are vehicles with CO2 emissions below 120 g/km. From 2006 to 2014 we reduced the average CO2 emissions by 21% on all the vehicles we sold in Europe. In addition, we are currently heavily engaged in developing CNG with a special focus on Spain”.
Source: SEAT
