Despite steady NGV growth, Europe lies behind global trends

In February NGVA Europe puplished new statistics for Europe and worldwide as per end of 2010. The total European NGV market only grew 6% compared with 2009, whereas the wordwide market upswings 20% to now more than 13 million NG vehicles. There are 1.4 million NGVs in the pan-European market place, but only close to 1 million NG/biomethane powered vehicles in the EU 27 member states and EFTA (European Free Trade Union) countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. European countries with a steady NGV growth include Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden.

The NGVA Europe statistical update for end 2010 can be seen here!

In Pakistan 82 % of all cars, buses and trucks are fuelled by natural gas and Bangladesh is not far behind with a 61 % share. These numbers prove that natural gas could become a major automotive fuel. Other markets with high NGV shares at the end of 2010 are Armenia (30%), Bolivia (17%), Iran 17%), Argentina (15%), Colombia (12%), India (8%), Peru (7%), Myanmar (6%), Uzbekistan (6%), Egypt (6%), Tajikistan (5%), and Brazil (5%). Most of the above listed markets are located in South America or Asia. With an exception for Iran (where some two thirds of the NGVs are now factory produced) the high market shares for NGVs have mainly been achieved buy conversions of existing petrol powered passenger cars or other light duty vehicles.

Looking at the EU and EFTA countries the market shares - meaning the total number of NGVs - are much more modest. Bulgaria (2.20%), Italy (1.79%), Sweden 0.67%), Lichtenstein (0.37%), Switzerland (0.21%), Germany (0.21%), Austria (0.11%), Iceland (0.08%), Luxembourg (0.07%), the Czech Republic (0.05%), Slovakia (0.05%), the Netherlands 0.04%), France (0.04%), Finland (0.03%), Latvia (0.02%), Norway (0.02) %, Spain (0.01%), Lithuania (0.01%), Belgium (0.01%), Poland (0.01%), Estonia (0.01%), Greece (0.01%), Portugal (0.01%), and finally Hungary, Slovenia, the UK and Ireland (all with less than 0.01%).

If we, however, look at sales of methane for use in vehicles some 70 % of the methane sold in EU and EFTA is used in buses and trucks (mainly refuse trucks), vehicles that consume far more fuel than the average passenger car. Arranging CNG supply for a fleet of urban buses or refuse trucks is a fairly simple exercise - both vehicle numbers and daily fuel consumption is easily defined.

To be able to penetrate the passenger car and light duty van segments it is necessary to offer adequate refuelling opportunities for these vehicles. This challenge has been partially met by the gas industry in countries such as Bulgaria, Italy, Sweden, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Finland and Poland. One problem, however, is the lack of refuelling along the major motorways. As an example Germany, with close to 900 CNG filling stations, only has few CNG filling stations along all of its motorways. Prospective buyers of NG fuelled cars, of course, find it very inconvenient to have to make 20-30 minute detours in order to fill up their cars.

One reason for the lack of refuelling along the motorways is that the fuelling stations are often far removed from the nearest NG grid connection. To lay a connecting pipeline is an expensive exercise. A potential solution of this problem is to replace conventional CNG stations using pipeline supply and compressor technology with so called L-CNG stations. These stations are supplied with tank trailer deliveries of LNG which is locally stored as LNG. The station can then pump LNG into a truck using LNG tanks, or, under high pressure pump LNG into a vaporizer which instantly converts LNG into CNG fit for distribution to conventional CNG vehicles. The investment costs for an L-CNG station are on the same level as the costs of a CNG station, but the operating costs are much lower. The turnover potential is also much larger as the stations can supply not only CNG, but also LNG. Sweden and Italy now each have one such station, Spain and the UK several.

Availability of LNG for distribution via tank trailers is, of course, a crucial issue. LNG is already available at a fairly large number of European ports. More will be added as a consequence of nrew emission demands concerning ferries and ships. In 2015 all ship owners have to meet new demands concerning SOx emissions in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea Emission Control Area (ECA), and in 2016 new built ships have to meet the new IMO standards concerning NOx and particulate emissions. A reasonable assumption is that all major seaports in the Baltic and North Sea area will have LNG fuel storage available already by 2015. In addition we already have a number of LNG import terminals in the Mediterranean area.

One of the main drivers for the use of methane as a transportation fuel is the CO2 reduction potential. Two new options of high interest are the use of LNG in trucks used for long distance haulage, and LNG used as a fuel for short sea shipping. The CO2 saving potentials are quite large. A large car/passenger ferry burning methane, normally annually consuming 20,000 tonnes of bunkers, will using dual fuel engine annually reduce CO2 emissions by some 16,300 tonnes. Similar CO2 avoidance could be achieved via some 300 LNG fuelled dual fuel trucks used in long distance haulage, or by the use of 21,000 bi-fuel CNG passenger cars. Adressed in another way, one dual fuel truck would save as much CO2 emissions as 70 passenger cars.

Source: NGVA Europe Country Representative Committee


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