| EcoFuelVolkswagen offers a range of vehicles powered by natural gas which go by the name of EcoFuel. These multi-talented performers can also run on petrol. However, they are primarily designed as natural gas vehicles, and the petrol option is only intended as a "back-up". The range of the Touran EcoFuel running purely on natural gas is approx. 310 kilometres, at which point it continues on petrol without a hiccup, or stops at one of Germany's currently 750 or so natural gas filling stations.
The power output of the engine is 80 kW (109 hp) at 5,400 rpm. Fuel consumption, for example for the Touran EcoFuel, amounts to just 5.8 kilograms per 100 kilometres. That means that a "natural gas kilometre" in Germany currently costs around half as much as a "petrol kilometre". In addition to this, a large number of energy suppliers are also encouraging the purchase of natural gas vehicles by means of financial incentives.
Compared with a similar petrol engine, the EcoFuel power plant running in natural gas mode produces around 80 % less carbon monoxide and 80 % less nitrous oxides. CO2 emissions are reduced by 23 % and the proportion of methane hydrocarbons falls by all of 73 %.
Despite these impressive data, no compromises are made in terms of the utility of the vehicle: the four natural gas tanks are integrated as space-saving solutions under the floor of the vehicle, limiting neither its flexibility nor the volume of the interior and the load space. This attractive engine and vehicle concept is a response by Volkswagen to the significant increase in demand for vehicles with this eco-friendly and economical drive technology.
The fuel available under the name of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is based on natural gas. There are two grades of gas on sale in Germany: H-gas and L-gas. In this country the network of H-gas filling stations is well established. There are price differences between H-gas and L-gas. The more expensive H-gas has a higher calorific value, thus giving the vehicle a greater range than with the same quantity of L-gas.
LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas), also known as "autogas", is less widely available in Germany than in the Netherlands, for example. Vehicles designed to run on CNG cannot be filled with LPG. The two types of gas have different filler nozzles in order to prevent use of the wrong fuel. |
