Tomorrow (on 14 May 2020), Germany will vote about the extension of the current tolling rules for LNG fuelled heavy-duty vehicles. Today, several interest groups are insisting to reject it, arguing against environmental benefits of LNG trucks.

NGVA Europe Secretary General Andrea Gerini commented:

“These initiatives are the demonstration of a system which still ignores the benefits of a real holistic approach which is key for the decarbonization of the transport sector.”

In 2050, Europe aims to be a carbon neutral continent with a net-zero emissions transport system. Overall, there are already 1.500.000 natural gas fuelled vehicles in Europe, which rely on more than 15% renewable gas. Even more, certain fleets of trucks and buses are already running on 100% bioCNG and bioLNG, thus resulting carbon neutral. This LNG truck fleet is a fast-growing reality, and is today accounting for more than 10.000 vehicles running in Europe, offering a concrete alternative to Diesel propulsion.

Concerning the European production capacity of biomethane, recent studies have demonstrated the potential of 1200 TWh, largely covering the consumption needs of the sector which today is consuming around 24 TWh.

NGVA Europe Secretary General Andrea Gerini commented:

“Some NGOs are blindly lobbying for electrification in transport. But I am convinced that we must look beyond this poor contradiction between electrification and gas. We have to rely on a clever combination of all technologies to achieve net-zero emissions in Europe with a self-resilient economy.”

NGVA Europe has already replied to criticism against gas in transport in the past, by providing evidence-based input as strategic guidance to policy makers.

NGVA Europe Secretary General Andrea Gerini added:

“I am confident that Germany will take the right decision: the pathway towards the transport decarbonisation is long and complex and we need to push on solutions that can quickly start the process already today, such as gas in transport.

With bioCNG and bioLNG, we have the unique opportunity to create synergies among the waste, agriculture, energy and the mobility sector, contributing to the relaunch of the European economy especially in these difficult times.”

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