DATS 24 opens first CNG station in Brussels

NGVA Europe member DATS 24 opened the first CNG filling station for the Belgian capital, located in 824 Chaussée de Mons, municipality of Anderlecht. The first CNG facility for Brussels was opened on June 14, and is part of the European capital region ambitious plan to reduce environmental impact of urban traffic.

The Fiat Punto Evo Natural Power the first one to refuel	de Mesmaeker starting the first CNG filling in Brussels

The cleanest fuel

Furthermore, natural gas can perfectly serve as a transition to durably produced green gas.

Green gas or organic gas is produced among other things from sewage sludge, manure and fruit, vegetables and garden waste. Purified green gas is suitable for immediate use in natural gas cars. A car that is now driving on CNG, can without adaptations switch over to green gas at the pump.

In a number of West European countries, including Germany, France and Sweden, the technology has already become established and in the rest of the world also, CNG is on the up and up. And now, it is also Belgium's turn.

Driving comfortably on CNG

CNG is stored in the car in solid, cylindrical gastanks. The gas cylinders are built in in the bottom plate of the vehicle and they comply with the most stringent safety standards. The current cars on CNG also have a petrol tank. If your natural gas tanks are empty, the car switches from natural gas to petrol while you drive and you will not even notice it. Like this, the car's autonomy may amount to over 1,000 kilometres. Moreover, natural gas cars are 50 to 70 % more silent than diesel cars. Especially in cities, this means a substantial decrease of noise pollution.

Wide range of CNG cars

Already, there is ample choice of CNG cars. Private cars as well as delivery vans, busses and trucks can use CNG. Mercedes-Benz (E200, B180, Sprinter), Fiat (Doblo, Panda, Grande Punto, Doblo Cargo (Maxi), Fiorino Cubo), Opel (Zafira), Volkswagen (Caddy, Caddy Maxi, Passat, Touran), Ford (C-Max, Transit 2.3) and Iveco (Daily, Stralis) among others already offer CNG models in their range. This offer will undoubtedly expand further in the future.

Filling up with CNG

Early 2011, DATS 24 opens the first commercial petrol stations that are equipped with CNG. The first stations will be in Halle, Antwerp (harbour), Anderlecht and Ninove. In the three years to come, DATS 24 plans to open 25 more natural gas filling points in its existing petrol stations across the whole country. Like with traditional fuels, you can fill up your car with CNG in just a few minutes, by using an adapted fast fill installation. Driving on CNG is also a lot more profitable than driving on diesel. You will quickly earn back the higher purchase price of your car!

CNG ≠ LPG

CNG is stored in the car as a gas, not in liquid form. Contrary to LPG, CNG is lighter than air, which means it immediately dissolves in the air in case of leakage and it cannot stay underneath the car. This means there is no danger of explosion whatsoever. Consequently, CNG cars can park in underground car parks all over Europe.

More information on
www.cngdrive.be

What are the advantages?

Environment-friendly Driving on natural gas reduces the CO2 emissions by 12% compared to diesel and by 27% compared to petrol. CNG cars emit 95 % less of fine dust.

- High driving comfort A CNG engine is as powerful as a petrol engine.
- Profitable Natural gas costs 20 to 30% less than diesel.

Source: DATS 24, NGVA Europe

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