German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure’s announcement of new subsidies for energy-efficient and low CO2 trucks confirms the country is embracing Natural Gas as a solution to pollution.
IVECO is ready to help transport operators access new funding and convert their fleet to Natural Gas with its full range of eligible CNG and LNG trucks.
IVECO Natural Power Tour 2018 kicks off in Dortmund and will tour Germany until October, offering demonstrations and test-drives of the full range of CNG and LNG vehicles.
Yesterday’s announcement of the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure submission of new subsidies to promote environmentally friendly trucks indicates that the country is embracing Natural Gas as a solution to address pollution on its roads.
Andreas Scheuer, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, stated: “We want to help logistics operators to switch to environmentally-friendly trucks. Everyone will benefit from the change: the transport companies, the environment and the residents along particularly polluted roads.”
The Ministry has made a significant commitment to supporting this energy transition, and has set aside 10 million Euros in 2018 alone to fund the programme, which will run until at least 2020. The funding guidelines focus on heavy freight transport with trucks above 7.5 tonnes powered by Natural Gas, as well as specific electric drives. The subsidy amounts to 8,000 Euros for CNG and 12,000 Euros for LNG, with a ceiling of 500,000 Euros per company. This maximum amount of the funding will allow the development of the refuelling infrastructure, as it means subsidizing a company’s purchase of 40 to 60 Natural Gas vehicles – the perfect sized fleet to ensure a quick payback on the investment on a refuelling station.
IVECO, which has pioneered the use of CNG and LNG in freight transport, is ready to help logistics operators avail themselves of the new subsidies with its full range of eligible trucks, which have already a proven record in the fleets of major European logistics operator such as Perrenot, which provides in France sustainable transport for its customers amongst which Carrefour, Casino and Auchan with its fleet of IVECO Stralis NP trucks, Transports P. Mendy for Michelin and Intermarché, in Italy LC3 for LIDL and IKEA and Maganetti for Nestlé Waters, and in Spain Acotral for Mercadona.
Pierre Lahutte, IVECO Brand President, stated: “Yesterday’s announcement is further confirmation of IVECO’s vision of the future of the transport sector, with natural gas traction being the mature technology that provides a viable and profitable solution today. At IVECO we have already seen a steep increase in the demand for our Natural Power trucks, as a growing number of international logistics operators opt for natural gas as they convert their fleets to achieve the higher standards of sustainability they desire for their operations. Germany being a major crossroad in the road transport network, this funding programme will also help speed up the development of the refuelling infrastructure. It is also a perfect match with the Natural Power demonstration tour we are kicking off in Germany with the help of a mobile LNG station.”
IVECO will be showcasing its full range of CNG and LNG vehicles in the IVECO Natural Power Tour 2018 – a demonstration programme that will cover the German territory from June to October, offering customers the opportunity to test drive the vehicles.
IVECO’s Natural Power models range from 3.5 to light commercial vehicles to heavy-duty trucks up to 50t GCW. The Daily natural gas range includes the Daily Hi-Matic Natural Power, the first Compressed Natural Gas vehicle with an 8-speed automatic gearbox in the LCV industry, which was crowned and International Van of the Year 2018 and Sustainable Truck of the Year 2018. In the medium range, the Eurocargo, the Truck the City Likes and Truck of the Year 2016, is available in Natural Power versions ranging from 11 to 16 tons. And for heavy-duty transport, IVECO offers the Stralis NP, elected Low Carbon Truck of the Year in the UK, the only natural gas truck designed for long-haul transport on the market. All the vehicles in the Natural Power range offer transport operators the advantages of low emissions that open access to city centres and restricted traffic zones and quiet operation perfect for night-time work – combined with the benefits of low Total Cost of Ownership. In addition, IVECO is able to support its customers’ Natural Power fleets through its network, which is the most advanced and experienced in servicing CNG and LNG vehicles.
