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VEHICLES, ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT

>> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>YEAR 8 - N. 2 - NOVEMBER 2007

NATURAL GASVEHICLES

Aut. DCO/DC/MilanoPDI/0608/2002

valida dal 21/03/02

NV

NATURAL GAS VEHICLESVehicles, energy, environment

Milano, novembre 2007Year 8 - Issue 2Six-monthly magazineReg. Tribunale Milano nº 416 del 9 giugno 2000Registro operatori di comunicazione n° 8654Editor in chief:Alfredo ZainoEditor:Com-Media S.r.l.Via Serio, 16 - 20139 MilanoTel. +39 02-56810171 Fax + 39 02-56810131E-mail: info@watergas.itInternet: www.watergas.itPublisher:Com-Media S.r.l.Page layout by:Briefi ng - MilanoAdvertising:Com-Media S.r.l.Printed by:Multigraf S.r.l.Via Colombo, 61 20155 Gorla Minore (VA)

Circulation:5.000 issuesCopyright © byCom-Media S.r.L. MilanoAll rights reserved.

Cover: Mercedes refuelled with idrometano

CONTENTS>> EDITORIAL

The fi rst step ..................................................................................................................................... 2

>> TRENDS

The “bicycle revolution” in San Donato Milanese ................................................................ 3

The biogas and biofuels potential .............................................................................................. 4

>> FOCUS ON NGV

Idrometano: E-gas presents in Rimini its prototype and its amazing performance ..................................................................................................................................... 12

Safe: the new CNG technologies have birth in Italy but affi rm abroad ....................... 13

ENGVA TC Committee Meeting Lachen, May 3 2007 Minutes ................................ 16

10° Metanauto: Landi Renzo presents the case history on ISO 9001 certifi cation of repair workshops and retailers in Italy ................................................... 17

Natural Gas - an important and sustainable asset in the Transportation Sector ... 18

Panoramic of norms in the NGV sector ................................................................................. 20

From Mantua towards the sustainable mobility ............................................................... 29

Aspro and Samtech grow and organise the technical assistance centers ............ 32

The custodian angels of CNG for NGV ........................................................................................ 34

>> NGV SYSTEM ITALIA SECTION

The Italian NGV industries: The management of the present situation and the lines of activity for the future....................................................................................... 39

>> TECHNICAL SECTION

The regulation (EC) N. 715/2007 of the European Parliament and the Counsil (Euro 5 and Euro 6) ........................................................................................................................ 43

>> EVENTS

ENGVA Annual Conference, Exhibition & Political Round Table ..................................... 47

10° Metanauto National NGV Conference ........................................................................... 62

>> NEWS FROM NGV COMPANIES

News from NGV companies ........................................................................................................ 84

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Imagine a health care system with an operating ro-om in each apartment or a school system with one teacher for every student. It would be a folly. Well, if this is true, then the transport system, particularly the Italian one, is a folly: one engine for each single user. The recent document “Guidelines for General Mo-bility Planning “, drafted in October 2007 by the Ministry of Transport, aims at moving the provision of transport of people and goods from an individual to a collective criteria, but it does this with an ap-proach which is largely outdated. Just one example: all Northern Europe countries, more disadvantaged in terms of climatic conditions, have developed for years, and continue to develop, a mobility based on bicycles for the short and medium-haul, adop-ting specifi c rules and structures for this. Of all this and many other system innovations, aiming at the rationalization of transports, thus giving the most effective answer to each need, ther is no trace in the policy planning for urban centres and suburban areas.The situation is even worse indeed. For decades we have been seeing information campaigns that give from time to time the perfect solution to the pro-blem of air pollution caused by transports. In the 80s there was the electric car to ensure in a short time the mean for mass mobility and clean air. In the ‘90s, the turn came of hydrogen. Some imprudent political, in those years, promised to allow the cir-culation only to hydrogen vehicles, starting in 2005! Today, as this promise is scaling-down at the level of a remote hypothesis, the experts are carrying the fl ag of bio-fuels.

It is not the case here to explain why those are false solutions, as they are inappropriate to solve in ade-quate time the problem of mass mobility. This would require a lot of space, then, those who want to, can fi nd broad and comprehensive documentation about these themes on the specialised press (*) and on the Internet.

What we want to do here is try and understand why this happens. My personal explanation recalls the expression from the Gattopardo novel written by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa: “change eve-rything, so that nothing will really be changed.” Conducting the public opinion through blind alleys is functional to maintaining the status quo, thus avoiding signifi cant changes that would really im-

prove our whole system, providing advantages for the majority of the population, at the cost of a re-duction of the rather unduly advantageous position for a few. Also the particular theme of natural gas for transport, with which we have been dealing quite long now, is one of the viable solutions immediately available, that can provide obvious improvements in terms of energy effi ciency and care for the environment.

Unfortunately we are dismayed at seeing that it is continuously set aside because there is always a new panacea spurting-out from the horizon. Yet the use of CNG as fuel, at least for the transport in urban areas, would allow a signifi cant improvement in air quality, without requiring substantial changes to the existing transport system, or major economic com-mitments. The industrial and technological research, and production regulations would provide suffi cient time to fi nd new ways to reconcile mass mobility and environmental protection.

Who should make the fi rst step to break the sta-lemate? For sure, the most important role must be played by the political class, that should trace the pathways for the rationalization of the transport system and then walk them fi rmly.What use is a policy that does not take position on major development issues?A very important task lies with civil society that, in its organized forms, or with new forms of organization, should determine the conditions for a government to put in place the necessary changes, and do not prevail the bias of parties, which counters the col-lective interest. The companies of this sector, fi nally, should use the communication to reclaim their right to participate in the reorganization and rationalization of the tran-sport system at least at an equal footing with the other proposals coming from the market

The delay is dramatic, and suggest the opportunity to act on fi nding solutions to this problem as soon as possible. The shortage of energy resources and the environmental degradation are taking characteristics that are incompatible with the quality of life and, in the near future, even with life itself.

(*) See Metano & Motori, issues November 2003, May and November 2004, May 2005

THE FIRST STEP

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THE “BICYCLE REVOLUTION”

IN SAN DONATO MILANESE

Returning from the summer vacation we saw a debate that has aroused many controversies: “let us get rid of the dangerous cycle tracks, revert them back to parking zones for cars, and let us enlarge the vehicular lanes.” The new policy of the muni-cipal administration of the town outside Milan is unequivocal: a signal contrary to what is happening in many other places in Italy, namely the progressive extension of cycle lanes networks to increase secu-rity for the two wheels and reduce air pollution. Yet this is what happened: the mayor-Mario Dompé, Forza-Italia argues that it is the road cycling safety to be jeopardized by bicycle lanes, and it is for this reason that they must be eliminated.

Former Alderman Mark Menichetti, has an opposite opinion and in recent years he has been one of the most tenacious supporters of the sustainable mobility. “Thanks to our policy, the percentage of people who use bicycles regularly has grown in a few years from 3 to 12%,” says the local head of the Verdi. The city was also awarded, in 2007, the premium of “City bicycle friendly” promoted by FIAB, the Italian Federation of Friends of the Bi-cycle, to emphasize his efforts in favour of the two wheeled vehicles. Some worthy examples of recent administrative measures for the reinforcement of the bicycle and related services, are certainly the intervention along Via Gramsci and the bicycle sta-tion at the end of the line 3 subway of Milan. In the fi rst case, to make way for the cycle lanes, the space for the movement of vehicle was limited, and the number of parking spaces was reduced.

The bicycle lanes, one for each running direction, were painted in red to increase the visibility of the road itself in the eyes of other road users, particu-larly at the intersections. The colour of the lanes also makes the cyclist to get a more immediate perception of the road space reserved to him.

Some security problems are to be underlined: ne-ar the intersections, the stalls for vehicle stop are too close to the intersection, and reduce or even almost completely prevent the visibility of traffi c for the users; secondly, the area for the vehicle stop is immediately adjacent to the cycle lane, which, in the absence of an adequate margin for the ope-ning of the passenger door, makes the transit of cyclists dangerous, with a frequent confl ict betwe-en pedestrians or cyclists and car passengers in the use of a space which is reserved for bicycles. The solutions are:

• enlargement, as far as possible, of the space for the stop, so that passengers can get off the ve-hicle on a suitable space

• increase of visibility at intersections, thanks to the elimination of some stop stalls.

Along via Gramsci was also tested, for the fi rst time in Italy, the area of pre-turning at intersections, i.e. an area of roadway reserved for cyclists put in front of the space on which motor vehicles stop waiting for the green light. The position of bicycles, which must turn left at the intersection, is thus fully visible from the other users while maneuvering.

The second intervention which was promoted by the government was the opening, in the au-tumn of 2003, of the bicycle station, a centre of interchange between two-wheeled vehicles and the underground train. The centre, run by some young people with a unique creativity, has offered its services since the beginning a new set of services for the Italian reality, such as the custody of bicycle commuters, who daily travel to Milan and want to avoid their bicycle being stolen.

The bicycle station and the square in front, destined to the parking for 300 vehicles, under modern and nice canopies, is an area for social gathering, that revives a space that would otherwise be reserved only for transit of people: Davide and Marcello, the operators of the cycle - workshop, regularly organize championships of bicycle-mechanic teams to disseminate the culture of bicycle, and to recover scraps to refurbish bicycles and put them back, in order, on the roads: the bicycles that are re-built this way are then sold at auction and the income is devoted to support a project to spread the use of bicycles in developing countries. At the station, then, bicycle rental services are offered, are bicycles models are sold for the transport of objects and people, a practice still not very common in Italy for reasons of low compatibility with the intense traffi c on the roads. The cycle lane network of San Donato, on the other hand, uses in many cases several green areas of the city and allows quite long itinerary travelling independently from the traffi c routes.

Lorenzo Giorgio

THE BIOGAS AND BIOFUELS POTENTIAL

■ ■ BIOGASBiogas is a mix of various gases that is originally constituted mainly by methane (45-70% in vo-lume) and carbon dioxide (25-30%) plus some small amount of other gases (hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen, carbon monoxide). It originates from decay (anaerobic digestion) of organic substances container in various kinds of waste material, such as:• Urban solid garbage;• sewage;• agricultural waste;• waste material from wood.

Biogas and biomethane production systemsthe main production systems of biogas are:• solid and liquid waste material treatment (solid

garbage disposal plants; sump mud; sewage; food and agriculture industry waste material)

• wood and grass biomass; treatment of crops

The conversion is operated by anaerobic bacteria (living without oxygen). The composition depen-ds on the characteristics of the organic material chosen as supply of the production plant, and on the conditions in which bacteria are processing the organic mass. The speed of the chemical reaction, hence the produced gas quantity, depends on the temperature, which optimum is variable between 30 and 55°C, depending on the chosen process. The biomass residence time in the digestion plant is inverse proportional to temperature, and vary between 12 and 25 days.

The solid urban garbage disposal areas can be covered with air tight material and ground at the end of their service life, and a system to collect the spontaneously formed biogas can be installed on site. In this option the biogas production peaks 20 years after starting of the process, and can go on for more than 50 years. Originally biogas was known as gas from swamp, as it frequently

spontaneously originates, in the form of tiny gas bubbles, in the water in swamps where decaying vegetable material sinks. Biogas is also produced in large amounts during the stabilization process of mud originated by urban sewage water clea-ning process (as in the case of the plant made in Stockholm).

It also comes from those industrial wastes that are rich in organic substances (food industry) or from animals manure. Before concentration and cleaning process its net heating value is not more than 5,500 kcal/m3, which roughly corresponds to about 0,5 kg diesel.

Biogas can be utilized as it is as fuel for boilers or steam generators, or as fuel for internal combu-stion engines. Some sewage treatment systems include total energy modules with modifi ed Diesel engines driving power generators, that are fuel-led with the biogas produced by the plant. The term total energy indicates that besides the power produced, heat is also recovered from the engine exhaust gases and cooling system, with an overall effi ciency close to 90%.

For its application as autopmotive fuel or its entry into the natural gas pipeline network, biogas must necessarily be cleaned, fi ltered, and must get rid of all carbon dioxide by means of special fi lter mem-branes and washing with water. The fi nal result of this operation is a gaseous fuel which is just the same as natural gas, both as composition, and as net heating power and other phisical and chemi-cal characteristics. The biogas purifi cation plants obviously need to dispose in some way off all carbon dioxide extracted from the raw biogas.

But from the point of view of the global balance this is not a penalty for this biogas solution, as this amount of carbon dioxide would have been di-scharged into atmosphere anyway as consequence of natural decay processes of the treated biomass. In other words, the global CO

2 balance is neutral in practical terms. The use of fossil fuels instead is delivering additional amounts of CO2 to the environment.

In the case of animals breeding, indicatively, from animals manure it is possible to produce every day about 15 litres of biogas from poultry, about 230 litres from cattle, 250 litres from pigs (a man would deliver about 30 litres of biogas). Biogas

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component fraction

anaerobic digestor

sewage treatment

urban solid garbage

Methane % 60 - 70 55 - 65 45 - 55

CO2 30 - 40 35 - 45 30 - 40

nitrogen ppm < 1 < 1 5 - 15

hydrogen sulphide % 10 - 2.000 10 - 40 50 - 300

TYPICAL COMPOSITION OF BIOGAS IN DIFFERENT TREATMENT SYSTEMS (RAW BIOGAS)

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represents a renewable energy source. It is one of the biofuels on which EU based its scenario for the automotive fuel sector at 2020. The EU assigns to biofuels (e.g. biodiesel, ethanol from biomass, biogas) a fossil fuels substitution quota of about 7-8%; and we can expect that at least half of this quota is covered by biogas. In this respect some directives have been issued with the aim of pro-moting and regulate the use of biofuels (Europea Biofuels Directive).

EU also allocated funds for biofuels R&D (50 x 106 €, in the case of the 6th Framework). Biomethane can also be produced via gasifi cation of wooden biomass. This is an option already demonstrated in Austria, and Göteborg Energi is now running a project ai-ming at production of about 100 million Nm3 per year in one plant, starting from 2012.

Potential productivityBiomethane from agricultural and urban waste could replace 20% of the transport sector fuel consumption by 2030, according to a 2006 study by the Wuppertal Institute in Germany.

The Concawe/Eucar/JRC report estimates a total EU biomethane potential from AD plants of 200 PJ. ECN report states 60 PJ for the Netherlands. In Sweden, there is an estimate of around 50 PJ.

If the Dutch and Swedish estimates are correct the total EU potential ought be around 2,200 PJ, (i.e. an order of magnitude larger than the estimate of JRC).

The report from the EEA (European Environmen-tal Agency) states 100 Mtoe, corresponding to 4,200 PJ.

In the hypothesis of replacing oil products used in the automotive sector by biofuels, biomethane is without competition the most effi cient choice.

Advantages for the environmentThe advantages for the environment offered by biogas, concerning the regulated polluting emis-sions are the same as for CNG. For what is con-cerning the GHG the benefi t is even bigger, and in particular it is maximised in the case of biogas resulting from treatment of any waste material, because in this way it allows to take profi t of gas emissions that would occur anyway, substituting in this way fossil fuels that opposite than biogas, are not renewable.

Methane – fossil natural gas and renewable bio-methane – can provide 20-100% CO

2 reductions over petroleum and diesel vehicles. Every natural gas vehicle reduces CO2 by 20-25% compared to a gasoline car. European Commission and oil industry emissions studies indicate that a vehicle running on renewable biomethane on average reduces CO2 by 100% on a well-to-wheel basis (from the harvesting of the energy to the emissions at the tailpipe).

So, contrary to so called ‘fi rst generation biofuels’ biomethane is extremely benefi cial concerning CO2 reductions measured on a well-to-wheels basis, and the gas does not, with current energy prices, need large government subsidies to defend its use. This is a solution recommended in a report from the World Wildlife Fund. Large CO2 savings can be achieved with the use of long haulage trucks, applying the dual fuel technology.

These trucks, already when running on natural gas, offer a 20% CO2 saving compared to con-ventional diesel powered trucks, and a large use of this solution would contribute to alleviate the present European refi ning imbalance concerning diesel and petrol (imports of some 25 Mtoe diesel, exports of some 25 Mtoe petrol).

Use as vehicle fuelIt is not possible to use raw biogas as it is to feed an automotive engine. The high content of carbon dioxide makes its net heating value too low in useful energy, and the high content of sulphur, sulphide acid, and other impurities makes it ag-gressive and corrosive for many engine and on board system components.

It must hence be treated to be converted in a gas which is similar to the fossil origin natural gas, i.e. mainly composed of methane (more than 80%), without any sulphur or any other impurities. In this way it does not require vehicle or engine modifi -cations, it meets the Grid Code requirements, and

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Fig 1 potential of biofuel from cultivated vegetables (km/ha x year) source: Energy system aspects of natural gas a san alternative fuel in transport. Wuppertal Institut fur klima, Umwelt, Energie. - Schindler, Weindorf 2003Note: in the diagram the specifica biofuel production per cultivated hectare has been expressed in terms of yearly mileage of a reference vehicle (Opel Zafira), used in different pathways:• CGH2 in fuel cell;• methanol and ethanol in fuel cell with on-board reforming;• CMG, synfuel, oil and REM in Diesel engine;

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can enter the pipeline network to be transported to the refuelling stations; in other words, it can take profi t of the present CNG infrastructure. In the opinion of the experts, the additional costs for biomethane purifi cation, i.e. water washing, sulphur compound removal and fi ltering, are about 0,15 €/Nm3 in the case of the larger plants; and higher than that in smaller size plants. Worldwide there are about 7.0 million NGVs and over 10,500 fuelling stations where natural gas is available.

There are just over 660,000 NGVs on Europe-an roads supported by a growing fuelling station network of over 2,200 fuelling stations. The cost for biomethane varies according to local circum-stances, choice of feedstock, and size of plant. The German Wuppertal Institute has made a number of studies based upon German conditions and estimated that the full production cost of German biomethane, including the cost of supply from production plant to distribution site, and the cost of compression would give a price of between € 0.65-€ 0.90 per normal cubic metre (energy content 10 kWh).

In Sweden, where there are now some 25 plants, the same costs would be in the range € 0.55- € 0.65, i.e. only marginally above the current pretax price for gasoline or diesel. The size of the Swedish plants now being built normally ranges between an annual output of 1 and 5 million normal cubic metres. In plants of this size it is usually possible to hold the cost for upgrading the raw biogas to pure biomethane at the level of € 0.15 per Nm3. With smaller plants this cost would increase substantially. Defi ning the cost is complicated when dealing with e.g. municipal and industrial waste. In the latter case comparison is to be made of the total net cost of waste treatment using various alterna-tives - AD processing, composting, incineration, or gasifi cation.

The fact that one municipality after another has chosen to treat wet wastes using the AD process, however, suggests that this method minimizes the societal cost for waste treatment. Production cost becomes a somewhat theoretical reference. More important is the commercial value of the product which is very easily determined. A methane distributor will pay for biomethane the price of natural gas plus the fuel tax levied on na-tural gas (€ 0.13 per Nm3) since there is no tax on biomethane. The cost of compressed biomethane then is the price of natural gas (e.g. € 0.32 per Nm3) plus the NG tax (€ 0.13) plus distribution costs (piping or transport by cylinder tucks plus compression, e.g. € 0.20) hence in total € 0.65. For crop based production plant investments are almost 50% lower than when processing waste

which corresponds with about € 0.10 lower costs per Nm3. On the other hand the feedstock must be purchased from farmers.

The price of the feedstock depends on the level of subsidies for use of set-aside-land. Another factor is that the value of the residuals from the biogas production plant (used as fertilizers) will increase due to its purity.

ApplicationsIn Italy some plants are in service for purifi cation of raw biogas from urban solid waste management systems. Some initiatives concerning production of biogas urban solid waste management systems have been conducted, or are in progress in Melegnano (Mi-lano area) and Reggio Emilia. In the urban waste management plant in Roma Malagrotta, the pro-duced biogas is converted into biomethane, then it feeds the engines of the garbage collector trucks in service in the city.

In Sweden the anaerobic digestion plant of the sewage treatment system in Stockholm produces biogas which feeds the fl eet vehicles of the com-pany that manages this plant. Also in Sweden, in Linkoeping here is a large installation for treatment of sewage, solid urban waste, and slaughterhou-se liquid residues. The biogas produced by the appliances is used as fuel for the urban buses of the city fl eet. In Varnamo there is a large heat and power cogeneration plant fuelled with bio-gas. Other simila plnts in Sweden are in service in Gromma, Goteborg, Ellige, Laholm, Kalmar, Kristianstad, Nuenen, Trollhattau and Uppsala. In Iceland some similar applications have been built and put in operation.

Sweden relies on this product to cover a large portion of his energy consumption for transport. In Switzerland are in operation some sewage tre-atment plants producing biogas which is then purifi ed and mainly used as automotive fuel, and is sold at road public fuelling stations. Some other application examples are in place also in France and the Netherlands. These plants are generally rather complex and expensive, but their technology is well settled, and proven. This technology is destined to disse-mination for sure, even if so far its construction costs have hampered its development, limiting its application to the cases where the size of the installation allowed taking profi t from the scale effect.

Sweden: the European Champion for biogasFordons Gas Sverige AB is now operating more than 20 fi lling stations in the Göteborg region. In their opinion, biogas is the best fuel from an en-

THE BIOGAS AND BIOFUELS POTENTIAL

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vironmental perspective. It contributes to a better environment; it is cheaper than petrol and diesel. Biogas vehicles are allowed free parking. About 53% of all NGV fuel sold in 2006 was biogas. In the Biogas Project Arendal, the biogas is produced by digestion of sludge from wastewater treatment. The plant is owned by the local wastewater treat-ment company, Gryaab. The plant’s production is 50-60 GWh/year. The plant opened in May 2007. After removal of CO2, most of the biogas is sold to NGVs. Also in Falköping, a plant for biogas production from sewage sludge is in operation. A new plant has been built for refi ning raw gas for use as fuel, as well as a connection to the fi lling station in Falköping. The capacity ranges from 5 to 10 GWh/year. It is in operation since spring 2007. In Lidköping the in-stallation of a plant is planned for digestion of wa-ste from existing ethanol production and removal of CO2. The plant will produce CBG (compressed biogas) which will be used as fuel for vehicles. The capacity will be 20 - 30 GWh/year. The investment is around 50 MSEK. It is planned to be in operation by 2008. The Project “GoBiGas” is about Thermo-gasifi cation of biomass and production of SNG (bio-methane). It will have commercial scale, and the production rate will be approximately 100 MW of gas. The high-calorifi c gas will be distributed on the gas grid. It is planned to be in operation by 2012. The investment is 150-200 million eu-ros. The performance goals are: biomass to gas effi ciency 70%; energy effi ciency 90%; plants in operation for 8,000 h/year; yearly production of 800 GWh. It is enough for 75,000 NGVs.[source: Taking biogas to the next level Lars Hol-mquist - Göteborg Energi AB – ENGVA Annual Conference Strasbourg June 2007]

NormsToday no standard is covering raw biogas used as it is in its production plants. For what concerns purifi ed biogas (i.e. biomethane), the experts of the two organisations dealing with NGV develop-ment at European (ENGVA) and international level

(IANGV), tend to share the opinion that a specifi c norm for biomethane is neither needed for statio-nary application, nor for its use as automotive fuel. In fact, this product must be totally compatible with natural gas. So for all aspects concerning the composition, as well as the chemical and physical characteristics of biogas at present we must just refer to the standards applicable to CNG.

In Italy, any natural gas distributed by the pipeline network must meet the quality requirements (and it is low) of the Grid Code, in conformity with the D.L. 23 May 2000 n° 164, art. 24, subparagraph 5 “Codice di Rete” (the text of this law is published on the Snam Rete Gas web site at: http://www.snamretegas.it/italiano/business/codice_di_rete/codice_rete.html). Biogas used in stationary applications (boilers, furnaces, cogeneration engines) bifore entering the pipeline grid for transport and distribution, must meet these same requirements. For all kind of applications, and in particular for its use as automotive fuel, besides meeting in a stringent way the Grid Code’s requirements, biogas, just like CNG, can refer to the most up-to-date norms now available.At international level, there are the stan-dards:• ISO 6976 “Natural gas – calculation of calorifi c

values, density, relative density and Wobbe Index from composition”

• ISO 13443 “Natural gas- Standard reference conditions”

• ISO 13868 “Natural gas – quality designa-tion”;

• ISO 15403:2000 “Natural gas - designation of the quality of natural gas for use as a compres-sed fuel for vehicles”; revised in 2006.

At European level, there is the norm: • EN 437 “reference natural gases for gas applian-

ce trimming”At the Italian level, there is the document:• CUNA Technical Report “Compressed natural

gas (CNG) for automotive application – Refe-rence values”.

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Fig 2 farmland biofuel productivity

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Fig 3 comparison biogas vs ethanol

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These documents give information on the main chemical, phisical and technical characteristics of natural gas in general, and natural gas used as fuel for vehicle engines.

They defi ne the fi eld in which the characteristics and composition of gas varies within the European pipeline system network. The European Natural Gas Vehicle Association (ENGVA) advocated en-hanced credits for car manufacturers in order to meet newly proposed, mandated CO2 targeted reductions.

Auto manufacturers should receive a credit of zero grams per kilometre to build a natural gas vehicle (NGV) and, when an NGV is sold into a market where it will be fuelled with biomethane, it should receive a credit of minus 100 grams per kilometre. Following the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on long term ecological disasters for the planet due to the ef-fects of man-made CO2, the European Commission has responded by mandating car manufacturers to reduce their CO2 emissions by 2012.

While a great deal of attention has been focused on liquid biofuels and hydrogen, one of the most obvious, readily available automotive options to reduce CO2 today fails to get attention it deserves. Policy makers should look seriously at NGVs as one of the immediate solutions to lowering CO2 emissions.

The new legislation to be developed should pro-vide symbolically high CO2 credit incentives to encourage the vehicle manufacturers to build and sell NGVs, particularly in those countries where the European fuelling infrastructure for natural gas is developing.

■ ■ BIOFUELSThe EU initiatives aim at more ambitious RES and biomass targets. The state of RES consumption is at present, for all renewable sources: 7% (the target at 2010 is 12 %). For biofuels the present share is in total 1 % (the target at 2010 is 5.75 %).

Green electricity amounts to 18 % (the target at 2010 is 21%). For heating and cooling the share is 9 % (no target yet).

The renewable energy road map as of 2007 is: Binding 20% target for all the overall share of re-newable energy in 2020; the effort is to be shared in an appropriate way between Member States. Binding 10% target for the share of biofuels in petrol and diesel in each Member State in 2020, to be accomplished by the introduction of a su-stainability scheme for biofuels.

About 85% of the EU potential is located in: Spain, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Lithuania, Poland. The measures of the action plan could lead to an in-crease in biomass use to about 150 Mtoe in 2010 or soon after (current state: 56 Mtoe in 2001; 69 Mtoe in 2003), partitioned as follows:• 55 Mtoe (37%) intended for the production of

electricity• 75 Mtoe (50%) intended for the production

of heat• 19 Mtoe (13%) intended for transportThe perspectives for future bioenergy yields are for decreasing productivity gains for conventional crops. And we have to carefully evaluate what are the impacts on agriculture and forestry; and on availability of bioenergy.

We have to answer the question: how to enlarge the limited bioenergy availability in the EU? We have to develop the concept of balancing dome-stic production and imports. The fi ve elements of the balanced approach of the EU biomass action plan are:

THE BIOGAS AND BIOFUELS POTENTIAL

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Fig 4 Predicted final energy demand for road transport by fuel type

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Fig 5 2020 targets compared to current EU production capacity

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Fig 6 Environmentally-compatible agricultural bioenergy potential in Europe

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• Amendment of standard EN14214 to facilitate the use of a wider range of vegetable oils for biodiesel

• Maintain market access conditions for impor-ted bioethanol that are no less favourable than those provided by trade agreements currently in force

• Pursue a balanced approach in free trade agre-ements negotiations respecting the interests of domestic producers and EU trading partners

• Amending the biofuels directive so that only biofuels whose cultivation complies with mi-nimum sustainability standards count towards its targets

• Support developing countries in the production of biofuels

And here we have some more questions to an-swer. Will bioenergy and biofuel imports solve the problem? Will biofuel imports be sustainable - both ecologically and socio-economically? Will a sustainability scheme enforce ecologically accep-table standards?

The example of palm oil in tropical rainforest re-gions: direct deforestation can be prohibited by certifi cates. The use of waste land is OK, and can be enhanced by certifi cates. The partial conversion of existing plantation will be enhanced by certi-fi cates, but what are indirect effects? It can NOT be prohibited by certifi cates. The replacement of other agriculture will be enhanced by certifi cates, but what are indirect effects? It can NOT be pro-hibited by certifi cates.

There are limits for achieving even the “old” 5.75% biofuels target: the world food price increases due to biofuels, only in EU.Estimations on impact of 2010 target (Edwards (JRC) 2007)• 5.75% ethanol in EU25 2012 gasoline o = 1.5% of world 2012 cereals production

[FAPRI 2006] o ~ 2.3% increase in world cereals price• 5.75% biodiesel in EU25 2012 diesel o = 155% of 2005 EU oilseed production! o = 9% of world 2012 oilseeds production o ~ 13% increase in world oilseed price• EU oilseed prices increase much more than EU

cereals prices• DG-AGRI 2007 agronomic projection shows in-

crease in EU oilseed production to 2013 can only keep pace with expected increase in EU27 food demand.

o effectively, ALL the extra oilseed demand for EU biodiesel will have to be imported

[Source: Edwards (JRC) 2007]

The new EU target will aggravate demand pressu-re; and other players will join the game.

EU target 2020• 10% of road transport consumption, which is

approximately 35 Mtoe in 2020 (15 Mtoe gaso-line, 20 Mtoe diesel)

USA• Current state: the Renewable Fuel Standard

Programm of 2005 aims at doubling the use of ethanol and biodiesel by 2012 _ 29 Mtoe by 2012 (7,5 billion gallons)

• In 2006 the USA imported 2,5 Mtoe, half of which from Brasil

• Future: “Twenty in Ten” Plan (congress legislative proposal): Reducing U.S. gasoline usage by 20% in the next 10 years _ equivalent of approx. 130 Mtoe of renewable and other alternative fuels in 2017 (35 billion gallons)

Japan• Japan’s government has launched an initiative

eventually to substitute 10% of its annual ga-soline requirements, or about 6 Mtoe by 2030 with domestically produced biofuels

• No detailed fi gure by source of feedstock was disclosed, but it is assumed to be a combination of crops (mainly rice) and plant cellulose.

• a certain amount of ethanol will be imported (from Brasil); Japan imported 0.2 Mtoe in 2006, and plans to increase imports to an amount of 1.8 to 6 Mtoe per year

What will be the socio-economic effects of new demand drivers? Signifi cant impacts on agro-mar-kets can be expected. EU ethanol target of 15 Mtoe gasoline replacement may induce a demand for cereals (wheat) of approx. 50 Mt wheat (rough estimate), which is about 25% of global cereals trade volume (50% of wheat trade), and about 3% of global cereal production. There can be new international trade relations; and evidence for politically induced market di-stortions.

In conclusion• The EU biofuel target induces a signifi cant short-

term push for 1st generation biofuels

7

Fig 7 market distortions

NV

• Limited potentials for domestic supply à EU will be especially very short in oil seeds

• Biofuel demand creates a signifi cant impact on agro-economic markets due to feedstock

• competition (food or fuel?) à price effects are li-kely to deteriorate the economics of bioenergy

• Sustainability schemes must establish ambitious requirements for GHG mitigation (and fuel yield per ha) à 10% as suggested are far to low (more than 30% is needed)

• Biofuel imports will put severe pressure on global ecosystems and developing societies à labelling schemes are likely to fail in preventing negative side-effects unless proper governance for re-source management is established in problem countries

• There is a need for enhancing resource produc-tivity through cascade use (e.g. waste wood gasifi cation for 2nd generation biofuels SNG or BTL)

• There also is a need for moderating excess growth of 1st generation biofuel à higher in-centives for effi cient 2nd generation biofuels (e.g. through double weight factor for target accomplishment)

[source: The EU biofuel strategy Is it a sustainable pathway? Stephan Ramesohl - Sylvia Borbonus Research Group 1 “Future Energy and Transport Structures” - Wuppertal Institute for Climate En-vironment Energy]

NotesJRC = Joint Research Centre (Ispra)RES = renewable energy source1 PJ (petajoule) = 1015 Joule = 109 MJ = 239 x 109 Kcal = 29,146,000 m3 natural gas (with a net heating power of 8,200 kcal/m3)Mtoe = million ton oil equivalent; 1 toe (ton oil equivalent) = 107 kcal (about 1,200 m3 of natural gas with a net heating power of 8,200 kcal/m3)

THE BIOGAS AND BIOFUELS POTENTIAL

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IDROMETANO: E-GAS PRESENTS IN RIMINI ITS PROTOTYPE AND ITS AMAZING PERFORMANCE

■■ KEY ENERGY 2007The idrometano seems to be a bridge for people to get accustomed to using this new energy carrier, in the expectation that appropriate solutions will be studied such as the fuel-cell which are currently too expensive and fragile for mass application, or that the electric vehicles solve their problems related to the running range, the recharging times, and the disposal of the exhausted batteries. The possibility of mixing hydrogen and CNG to utilize the distribution network with minimal changes to the plants, seems to involve many players of this sector. The e-GAS, through his presence at KeyEnergy in Rimini with the Mini Cooper S prototype fuelled with idrometano (but let’s not forget that the car was also fuelled with pure hydrogen…) has tried to demon-strate to the public that it can already convert a vehi-cle originally created for the sole gasoline to run on idrometano, at affordable costs. From the point of

view of energy efficiency the endothermic engine does not guarantee to be an optimal solution (note that much of the energy produced is dis-sipated), but the possibi-lity of converting part of the existing car park will allow us to limit the en-vironmental damage due to the disposal of millions of vehicles, allowing as

already said, the refinement of other technologies for mobility, that today are well out of reach for the normal people in the street in Italy.

The birth of the project: The Mini Cooper S hydrogen was born during the World Fair of CNG and hydrogen in Bolzano. During the test-drive of the cars we put on show at the exhibition, we were somewhat intrigued by a company that produces hydrogen electrolysers, that put on show at the exhibition a hydrogen fuelled Fiat Multipla. On the vehicle the CNG cylinders had been replaced with hydrogen cylinders of an equivalent capacity. The car, according to the company itself, had a quite poor driveability, especially at low engine revolutions, being it equipped with the Fiat injection systems, that are conceived for gasoline and compres-sed natural gas. To obtain a good driveability vehicle, it is necessary that it is driven by a high power engine, and that the engine itself is supercharged by a volumetric compres-

sor that provides even at low revolutions the power needed to fill the gap in performance of compres-sed hydrogen (which has approximately 30% less anti-knocking power than CNG). That is why a Mini Cooper S was chosen. The car is equipped with a BMW 1,600 cm3 displace-ment engine, which delivers as much as 170 CV and is supercharged by a volumetric compressor. The light weight and the excellent power, combined with our electronic injection sequential phased “Sly-Injection” theoretically offers an excellent potential.

The Test: The vehicle was refuelled with pure hydrogen at 200 bar (initially) and idrometano (later) mixing hydrogen to methane in 30/70 proportion. The driveability, when fuelled with pure hydrogen, is fairly good (especially in consideration that the vehicle was not conceived for this type of fuel) while the run with idrometano is exciting, to the extent that almost no one notices significant differences in comparison with driving on gasoline. The driving range with a fill of fuel was nearly 90 km with idrometano, and just 34 km with pure hydro-gen. As an explanation for this poor result one must take into account that the chosen car has a very high fuel consumption, and a very small room in the boot, which allowed installing a cylinder of just 50 litres ca-pacity (approximately 10 m3). The vehicle has travelled a total of several hundred km on pure hydrogen, and almost a thousand on idrometano. The emission test that were done, gave surprisingly good results:

Massimo Dall’Aglio

CO 0,00 % VOL.

CO2 9,05 % VOL.

HC 42 PPM VOL.

O2 0,04 % VOL.

IDROMETANO MIXTURE 30/70

CO 0,00 % VOL.

CO2 0,09 % VOL.

HC 23 PPM VOL.

O2 14,03 % VOL.

PURE HYDROGEN

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SAFE: THE NEW CNG TECHNOLOGIES HAVE

BIRTH IN ITALY BUT AFFIRM ABROAD

Interview with Michele Petraccone, Business Development Coordinator at SAFE

Safe is one of the largest manufacturers in the world of systems for the supply of compressed natural gas for vehicles. A tradition of success based on the re-liability of plants, on innovation, and on constant re-search for efficiency, both in the field of mechanics and economics.

Having this reality in mind, we asked Michele Petraccone what are the prospects for development of the compressed natural gas in the transport sector in the vision of SAFE; a privileged vision, because it is an international one, as its plants compress gas in the tanks of vehicles in five continents.

M&M The diffusion of methane in transport in Italy also depends on the establishment of a widespread network of refuelling stations throughout the country. What can SAFE do to contribute to the achievement of this goal?

SAFE One of the main obstacles to the creation of a wi-despread network of road supplies of compressed natural gas is the duration of depreciation periods in areas where there is a substantial vehicle fleet. Indeed, the lack of points of supply does not encourage the purchase or conversion of CNG vehicles and, conver-sely, the lack of natural gas vehicle fleet makes the construction of refuelling points unprofitable. Only in areas where there is already a substantial na-tural gas vehicle fleet, the implementation of the new supply points may seem convenient but, in reality, it is possible to run the risk of reduce the average CNG sales per each refuelling station, without creating a true extension of service. Just to allow for a positive economic balance even in areas where the use of natural gas for transport is not yet consolidated, SAFE has developed a dual line of action:• reducing the size of the plants in relation to redu-

ced volumes of delivery in the start-up period of service;

• the use of new commercial offers that reduce or even cancel the uncertainties of the pay-back time on investment.

M&M To what lower level can go down the reduction of the size of the refuelling station?

SAFE In theory there are no limits. Today there are already small compressors for the fuelling of a single vehicle with slow-fill during the night. The pathway followed by SAFE do not go down to these levels, because we believe that filling stations are more efficient and cost competitive compared to these solutions. Today, compressors are available that can work with gas from city grid, then at very low pressures; and they may supply from 20 cubic meters per hour up, with levels of efficiency that are appropriate both to public petrol stations on the road and to private ones for refuelling of small fleets of vehicles.

Approximately a base type public refuelling station on the road can have a flow capacity of the order of 100 cubic meters per hour, making it possible to provide a total amount of delivered CNG suitable to CNG sta-tions opened in “virgin” areas for compressed natural gas. Such compressors, if associated with an efficient management of storage of compressed gas, such as the Safe triple storage lines, also allow to meet peak demand, ensuring high standards of customer service even in times of peak traffic.

M&M Does the small size of the facilities conceived for the start-up phase of the service become a problem when the vehicle fleet grows and the demand exceeds the supply capacity?

SAFE Today this is no longer a problem because there is a possibility to replace the compression component, when no longer appropriate, with other sizes, gra-dually increasing in tune with the trend of demand,

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without penalties for the operator. There are some commercial solutions that include strengthening or replacement of components no longer adequate as per business plans that are perfectly sustainable by the customer, in relation to the of sale trend.

M&M So, is the strategy of SAFE to transform itself from a supplier to an industrial partner of the operators of the CNG refuelling stations?

SAFE In a certain sense, yes. SAFE does not interfere in the management of the service station business; it simply offers financial instruments, technical services and consulting expertise to get the customers free from all the problems that are outside the mere service sup-ply. Besides Safe, other companies are involved in the planning, conduct of bureaucracy and implementation of the system.

Moreover, during the exercise, SAFE provides mainte-nance, support and adaptation when necessary. Even on the financial side, Safe provides a broad range of solutions that reaches up to the possibility of using a compression and supply system paid by the customer with a fee which is including everything, and is propor-tional to the CNG which is actually sold. The customer, in this way, has the certainty of the industrial cost which he will face, irrespective of the market trend.

M&M The quality of the CNG refuelling service to vehi-cles has reached standards that are comparable to those of other conventional fuels, but there still is ample room for improvement (self-service, automated payments, etc.). What are the pro-spects for the Italian market in the opinion of SAFE?

SAFE The technologies to improve the service of CNG delivery at the road stations are all ready and fully tested. Unfortunately, the benefits of this technolo-

gical evolution, born and developed in Italy, were caught by other countri-es in Europe and beyond. Just beyond the borders, finding self-service 24 hours and credit cards in complete security is a total normality. The caution is necessary, but beyond certain limits, there is a risk of an unju-stified deadlock.

A simplification of the regulatory framework

would also allow Italian operators and car drivers to benefit from all the facilities already available across the borders.

M&M On a more general line, what are the develop-ments of the research done by SAFE?

SAFE Besides the usual search for improvements in ma-terials, technology application, in terms of technical and economic installations, SAFE has undertaken the development of specific technologies for the use of hydrogen in the transport sector. A more immediate prospect, is given today by the mixture of hydrogen and methane.

This is a significant improvement in reducing the exhaust emissions of vehicles, which corresponds to a modest intervention in the plant engineering of the refuelling stations. SAFE has already designed and manufactured the additional components that allow mixing of the two gas and managing the delivery to the vehicles.

Alfredo Zaino

NV SAFE: THE NEW CNG TECHNOLOGIES HAVE BIRTH IN ITALY

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Nel futuro europeo del gas naturale per i trasporti c’è una nuova proposta nata dall’incontro tra la forza e l’esperienza dell’argentina ASPRO e la competenza tecnica e commerciale dell’italiana Samtech.

La storia di ASPRO inizia nel 1975 con l’avvio di una azienda famigliare specializzata in meccanica di precisione.E’ del 1980 la prima stazione di rifornimento di metano per auto interamente progettata e realizzata in Argentina. L’accuratezza di fabbricazione e la validità dei progetti rendono il marchio ASPRO in poco tempo sinonimo di affidabilità e sicurezza.Da una quota dell’11% all’inizio degli anni novanta, oggi ASPRO copre oltre il 60% del mercato dei compressori CNG in Sudamerica ed il 20% a livello mondiale.Il partner italiano, Samtech, inizia la sua attività nel 1994 nel settore della misurazione dei consumi di GPL. Nel 1996 la competenza di Samtech si estende alla costruzione e distribuzione di componenti per le stazioni di rifornimento di GPL per autotrazione. Più recentemente, grazie all’accordo di collaborazione tecnica e commerciale con ASPRO, Samtech si propone a livello europeo con tutta la sua tradizionale esperienza nella realizzazione di stazioni di rifornimento di metano per i trasporti.I punti di forza della proposta di Samtech e ASPRO per il mercato europeo sono una tecnologia all’avanguardia, una produzione certificata secondo le norme ISO 9001:2000, una intensa attività di ricerca e sviluppo e un’assistenza tecnica capillare e tempestiva con un unico obiettivo: l’affidabilità degli impianti che devono poter lavorare fino a 24 ore al giorno per 365 giorni all’anno.Per raggiungere questo obiettivo, Samtech ha creato una nuova unità: “CNG BUSINESS UNIT” la cui struttura operativa è completamente dedicata alla realizzazione e alla manutenzione degli impianti di compressione di metano per autotrazione.Samtech ha deciso di curare particolarmente questo fondamentale aspetto proponendo fin dall’inizio un programma ed un contratto di manutenzione che solleva completamente il gestore dalle incombenze tecniche necessarie a garantire il totale controllo dell’impianto e, in particolare, di ciò che ne costituisce il cuore: il compressore.Tutti gli interventi vengono gestiti da una struttura di service centralizzata che si avvale di altre tre strutture decentrate su base geografica; in questo modo è possibile effettuare gli interventi programmati con la massima cura e rispondere sempre tempestivamente alle eventuali interruzioni di servizio non programmate.A supporto delle attività di assistenza tecnica Samtech ha allestito un magazzino ricambi sufficiente a coprire gli interventi di ordinaria manutenzione fino a 10.000 ore di funzionamento per ogni compressore installato, più una scorta di

ricambi originali per eventuali interventi straordinari.L’alta qualità e affidabilità degli impianti di un grande produttore mondiale unite all’accuratezza del servizio di assistenza fornito da Samtech garantiscono agli operatori europei del settore NGV la massima sicurezza ed affidabilità di esercizio, la salvaguardia degli investimenti nel tempo e la soddisfazione dei loro clienti.

Romano Autogas is the undisputed leader in Centro- America with a market share of nearly 60 percent. Official figures have emerged from a rese-arch carried out for the drafting of a thesis, made by a student of the Dominican Republic. In Guadeloupe, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Costa Rica and San Salvador, the Group holds 58.8 percent of the market.

The family lead company confirms the positive trend in the foreign markets; also in Italy it holds a large share of the market. The latest survey sho-wed, in fact, that the share of the Italian market is 10 percent while 80 percent of production is exported.

Every single component of the gas system with the trade mark Romano Autogas is “Made in Italy”, as a guarantee of reliability and competitiveness. The presence on the Italian market is consolida-ted by a widespread distribution throughout the country.Each distribution centre located in the Italian ter-ritory also provides adequate after-sale assistance to customers.

Moreover, the plants are extremely versatile, so they can adapt to any type of car. Leader in the market of automotive ecogas installa-tions, the group produces LPG and CNG traditional Romano Autogas systems for old generation cars, and Last generation LPG and CNG sequential sy-stems, even for direct injection cars.The constant technology innovation allows the Company to develop gas systems that are amongthe most modern and safest on the market. Already present abroad in several European countri-es and

Overseas ocean, thanks to the ongoing work of aHighly qualified team, Romano Autogas is working to develop the conversion system to gas for diesel-powered vehicles. In order to continue its growth, the Company has been present at the Bologna Motor Show, held from 7 to 16 December. It was housed in a stand set up at the pavilion 26 at this prestigious International showcase, Romano Autogas has been the protagonist of “Eco City”.

ROMANO AUTOGAS IS AN UNDISPUTED LEADER IN

CENTRAL AMERICA.

HERE ARE THE DATA EMERGED FROM A SEARCH.

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ENGVA TC COMMITTEE MEETING LACHEN,

MAY 3 2007 MINUTES

PRD. The first draft of the document prepared by Flavio Mariani and Marco Zilioli has been shown to attending members (title: “NGV on-board safety systems - PRD, safety valves - Draft 2007 for ENGVA TC May 2007, Lachen).ACTION: The document will be sent out for com-ments to the TC members.All members will be invited to integrate the docu-ment with good suggestions they may consider useful to render the document as useful as possible. It will be used as an informative document for the operators of the NGV market (designers, conver-ters, fleet owners). It will be also used as a basis to prepare an amendment to be proposed in GRPE to ECE ONU regulations, such as R 110, to include a better wor-ding on all matters related to safety devices. To this aim OEM will also be interviewed to pick up their views on this respect. Most members of TC share the opinion that the present text of R 110 is “weak” and can be improved in a number of points, especially concerning the on-board safety devices.

NMHC. The present proposal for Euro 5 limit values includes a limit value of 68 mg/km for NMHC, but also keeps in place the old limit of 100 mg/km for THC as in Euro 4. This is good for OEMs but not for retrofit conversion. ENGVA tried to turn the THC limit into a methane cap, but was not successful, so the whole thing seems to be settled. There is the general consensus among the TC members on a possible option to im-prove the situation for retrofit that may be at level of R115, the ECE ONU regulation for retrofit. One of the Dutch members of ENGVA (Andre Rijnders, from Dutch ministry) is prepared to chair an ad hoc working group (possible members: TNO, BOSCH, DELPHI), with the aim of preparation of a set of amendments to regulation R 115, which text needs to be improved. The amendments that will be proposed, may in-clude an exemption for retrofit conversions from meeting the required limit of 100 mg/km of THC emissions, or a calculation formula of the THC

emissions that applies different factors to NMHC and CH4. The amendment may be proposed at the next GRPE meeting in Geneva, on 7 to 9 June 2007.

LNG standards. The group asked itself the que-stion whether we are ready to work on an LNG standard. There is already a German standard on LNG refuelling stations. There are also standards in North America (USA) on LNG, but they are mostly recommendations, not prescriptive, opposite than the normal approach in Europe. There is the need to avoid duplication. There is a regulation for liquid hydrogen (on board storage) maybe the TC could lift it up in a GRPE meeting in Geneva (?). So far 4 countries are available to work on this standard on LNG: UK; Norway; Spain; Italy (CUNA). There is the need for a fifth country, as ISO/CEN need 5 member countries for a NWIP to be acceptable. The TC wonders who can be the 5th candidate? (Czech Republic; Nederlands). TC members point out that by the way in GRPE just one country is enough.

Gas quality. The German Environmental Protection Agency initiated the standard on CNG quality le-ading to the editing of the draft standard DIN 51624. It is still a draft. Fortunately enough, the editing was quite slow so far, but now something has to be done, in view of its probably unavoidable finalization. With its present wording, this standard if adopted might create serious problems for the German NGV market. If then adopted by CEN for the whole Europe, like most of the members fear, it would create a very difficult situation for the European NGV market. The TC members share the opinion that it is too de-manding, e.g. on MN; higher hydrocarbon content; sulphur content, including odorants; oil content. Many refuelling stations are not able to meet the requirements of this standard. ENGVA should con-tact the gas industry representatives in Germany and make an intervention on DIN to stop this activi-ty, and prevent it from becoming a real problem.

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10° METANAUTO: LANDI RENZO PRESENTS THE CASE

HISTORY ON ISO 9001 CERTIFICATION OF REPAIR WORKSHOPS AND

RETAILERS IN ITALY

A LANDI RENZO LPG AND CNG CONVERSION IS NOW A FULLY CERTIFIED QUALITY SYSTEM Landi Renzo has always considered the dual quality of its products and quality of service, as a basic element for its success on the market. Since 1995 in fact the processes of design, pro-duction, sale and servicing of Landi Renzo LPG and CNG systems were in compliance, first in the field, to ISO 9001.

The evolution of the market with the opening of direct supply relationships with OEM (the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers), led the company to decide to adjust its Quality Standard to ISO TS 16949, the Quality System applicable to the automotive sector. The certification was achieved in 2001, and has enabled Landi Renzo to be still the first company in the sector to achieve this further result.

Landi Renzo is aware of the importance that the installation process and assistance is in line with standards of quality business. So it started in 2004 an ambitious project, with the aim of extending the processes, procedures and quality standards of ISO 9001, to the Landi Renzo network of retailer and authorized workshops in Italy.

The project, begun in 2004, completed the first step in November 2006. The management system, lead by Landi Renzo Rete Italia, and extended to 189 authorized workshops and to 20 retailers in Italy, has been certified to ISO 9001 for the sa-le, installation and service of our products, after successfully passing the final audit done by the Bureau Veritas.

At the Metanauto the improvement plans 2007/2008 were presented. They include the pro-gressive extension of the Landi Renzo Rete Italia Quality System to other Landi Renzo authorized workshops, the development of the process of computerization and strengthening of the web site, and the constant growth of attention to the customer, with a strengthening of the customer care policies.

Landi Renzo has always considered as a priority the training of its network of installation workshop,

well aware that a quality product with a modern high-tech system such as the LPG and CNG ones, should have a high quality and professionalism chain.

The courses and technical training for workshops are obviously the basis for activities to achieve the customer satisfaction. But the whole process from the sale, until you get to the so-called “last mile”, namely the installation of the kit on boad of the vehicle, must be carefully kept under control and standardized. Compliance with ISO 9001 allows LANDI RENZO RETE ITALIA to achieve these results.

The innovative set targets create needs, and require attention to the selection of the most qualified part-ners with whom to collaborate. The choice always made by Landi Renzo, to go for the Certifications from a third part, lies with the Bureau Veritas, au-thoritative international body, whose Certification Division, with a rigorous assessment, has met the expectations of the firm.

The fundamental feature of the Landi Renzo Rete Italia ISO 9001 system is the fact that all the docu-mentation, procedures, forms are contained and are made available to the Network in internet the web site: www.landi.it, in a dedicated section of the restricted area. Each workshop directly inserts on-line all its data: the organization business courses and especially the “voice of the final customer”: Information derived from questionnaires on customer satisfac-tion are periodically offered by workshops to the end users, and by the retailers to the authorized workshops.

The Internet is the communication channel of Landi Renzo Rete Italia, which allows the firm to have in real time all useful information, for a continuous improvement of service and for the proper posi-tioning in the market, allowing to receive, in real time, any complaint or reporting by the network and customers.

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NATURAL GAS - AN IMPORTANT AND SUSTAINABLE ASSET

IN THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR

The International Gas Union, The International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles and Marcogaz have issued joint letters to National and Local Governments and to lead-ers in the global gas industry to promote the use of natural gas in the transportation sec-tor.

Increased use of natural gas will have environmen-tal benefits as reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced harmful vehicle emissions that cause local air pollution, and reduced noise. It will also act as a pathway to use hydrogen as a transport fuel.

This has clearly already been demonstrated in a number of major cities around the world, inclu-ding New Dehli in India where all public vehicles have been converted into CNG (Compressed Natural Gas).

Today 7.1 million vehicles use natural gas worl-dwide, resulting in a reduction of 15 million ton-nes CO2 emissions. Natural gas use in cars results also in less NOx, very few particulates compared to diesel and significantly lower emissions of un-regulated pollut-ants.

Natural gas can also be complemented by bio-methane produced from organic waste, from crops or wood grown on available land, or algae. Several countries have already successfully intro-duced biomethane in their vehicle fuel mix.

The industry needs governmental support with a long term commitment through leader-ship by example by introducing natural gas in fleets owned or sub-contracted, introduc-tion of fiscal incentives, and national plans for refuelling sta-tions.

The governments need the gas industry to un-dertake investments in refuelling infra-structure, make commitments to use natural gas in industry vehicles, and to communi-cate to customers the advantages of use of natural gas in cars and heavy duty vehicles.

With a corresponding growth in number of ve-hicles of 18% pa since 1991, by 2020, we may have reached 65 million vehicles, and multiplied the benefits of today.

The world leaders at the G8 summit in May 2006 and the Energy Ministers of APEC in May 2007

supported energy efficiency and increased diversi-ty in the fuel mix of the transportation sector. IGU, IANGV and Marcogaz are convinced that natural gas in the transportation sector will be-nefit the society, and that a closer cooperation between the industry and govern-ments should be encouraged.If you have questions or need further information about the contents of this press release please con-tact the IGU secretariat at secrigu@statoilhydro.com, Tel: +47 2297 2000, Fax: +47 22536318.Torstein IndreboeSecretary General

IGUThe International Gas Union (IGU) is a worldwide non-profit organisation, which has the objective to promote the techni-cal and economic progress of the gas industry.

The members and NGV affiliates1 of IGU are as-sociations and entities of the gas industries in 68 countries on all continents. IGU’s working organi-sation covers all aspects of the gas industry from ex-ploration and production of natural gas on- or offshore, piped transmission and distribution sy-stems to customers’ premises and combustion of the gas at the point of use. For more information visit the web site www.igu.org.

IANGVThe International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles (IANGV) provides the NGV industry with an international forum and to foster growth, sa-fety, product development, standardisation and policy formation. Including regional affiliates , IANGV currently represent the interests of the NGV community in more than 70 countries (more than 600 members throughout the World, from vehicle and equipment manufacturers to the gas industry and users).

MarcogazMarcogaz, the technical association of the European gas industry, is a non-profit organiza-tion which has the objective to serve its European members on technical legislation and standardi-sation issues and to promote technical conditions re-quired for the market success of natural gas.

Members of three organizations include repre-sentatives from largest oil and gas companies, re-gional/local natural gas as-sociations, all players,

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large and small, in the natural gas chain right through to users such as representatives of the car industry etc. These associations express their strong commitment in further development in the methane for vehicles sector as a major growth opportunity for the gas industry. In addition, use of methane in vehicles will give substantial energy and environmental benefits for the people of the World.

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Half a century ago, CNG was used as vehicle engine fuel in many countries such as Italy, France and North America. The development of the liquid fuels tech-nologies, and the consequent commercial implica-tions lead to a rapid abandonment, and up to twenty years ago, it practically survived only in Italy and in some countries of the former Soviet Union. And the same applies for the relevant technical norms. Now a general interest is back in many more countries for the various gaseous fuels, and today there are nearly 7 million NGV in circulation, in a market that is in development in many countries, all around the world, and in particular in South America, Pakistan, India, Europe and North America. To properly sup-port this market growth, since 1995 the NGV sector has been active at the international level to prepare all the norms that are necessary to give this sector a higer safety, more technological maturity, and to allow easier and cheaper trade of products and thechnologies from a geo-politic area to another. ISO has published the norms of series 11439, concer-ning all kind of CNG on-board cylinders; those of series 14469 concerning refuelling connectors and receptacles, those of series 15403 concerning the characteristics of CNG for automotive applications, and finally those of series 15500 and 15501 cove-ring all CNG on-board systems and components. CEN has prepared norms for operating condition, for NGV filling stations and for home CNG filling. Our magazine has already illustrated in the former issues the main features of some of these norms. The framework of norms is thus quite well settled now for NGV. Nevertheless it cannot be considered fully accomplished yet. Some points are still left, to which the sector experts must give appropriate normative coverage. Some conflict between different norms are in place, that need to be addressed by experts to solve discrepancies. There also is the need for update, as a consequence of the existence of now old norms made in the past, in particular in those countries that adopted NGV earlier.

■■ ITALYItaly is probably the country that has the oldest NGV market in the world. Or at least is one of the oldest, and is the one that could keep in the time a dimen-sion of some importance, even if it’s only a niche market. Such a long ranging endurance of the NGV market (more than 60 years) imply the existence of a full set of norms which were enforced many decades ago. They have been in most cases updated over the time, but in some cases, they are now conflicting with the norms adopted more recently in some other

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countries. If examining the panoramic of the Italian NGV norms, one may discover some aspects that deserve a careful asseessment in this respect; let’s see the main cases:

CNG refuelling stations - CEN normsThe already mentioned normative process going on inside CEN is not accomplished yet. Two of the norms under preparation inside the technical com-mittee CEN/TC 326 are today at the final draft stage; they are: prEN 13638 “Filling stations” and prEN 13945 “Vehicle refuelling appliances”. The first one is covering the CNG dispensers, and it is extremely important because the Italian norm for CNG self-service refuelling stations –presently in preparation too- do refer to it. Furthermore, PrEN 13638 includes some innovative criteria for the Italian NGV sector NGV (e.g. self-service; indoor refuelling, temperatu-re compensation). The latter covers the CNG home refuelling small compressors. Also these devices represent a very innovative solution in Italy, where their use is de facto prohibite, except in the region Trentino A. Adige, which has got a special statute. Both CEN norms have been in preparation since the now far in the past 1995, and their preparation pro-cess has been oddly rough, hampered by a number of obstacles. Already three years ago, after a long and difficult elaboration, they were at last ready for the public ballot, but in the meantime Europe had adopted some new harmonised regulations, in par-ticular the PED and the ATEX directives, to which the new CEN norms had to be aligned. This step required further work for the amendment of the CEN norms, so that teir requirements met also the directives requirements. Now the two norms are close to the final stage of public ballot, and in case of positive vote they will be published.

Self-serviceThe possibility to adopt self-service operation also in the CNG refuelling stations would allow a more development and a cheaper management of the CNG refuelling station network. It not yet allowed by legislation in Italy normativa, whereas it is com-mon practice all over Europe, in the countries that have got an NGV market. This lack of norms in this specific context is particularly frustrating in the case of Italy, considering that it has got the oldest NGV market, and by far the largest one in Europes. At present more than 80% of NGV in circulation in Europe are in Italy. As a matter of fact, the municipal decrees 24 May and 28 June 2002, concerning the safety norms against the risk of fires in the design,

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construction and management of CNG refuelling stations, do refer to the self-service option, but its adoption is subordinate to the publication of inter-national harmonised norms, i.e. the just mentioned CEN norms, that today resemble so much the Sisifo’s labours. The italian NGV sector is looking after this important aspect. A working group has been created by the Ministry of the Interior, to prepare a new norm to cover at last this refuelling mode. The possibility of self service operation will be subordinated to a series of structural and operational modifications of the refuelling station, to ensure the proper safety level is kept. Hypothetically, the CNG self-service is in fact safer than that of the liquid fuels, due to the intrinsic characteristics of the plants. The working group is preparing anyway some additional norms (maybe even redundant) that will be added to the existing norms, to eliminate any possible weak and uncertainty point at the technical level, coming from the old tradition of CNG used as fuel, which is in place in Italy.

Periodic re-qualifi cation test of CNG cylindersItaly has adopted the ECE ONU regulations R 110 (OEM) and R 115 (retrofit). Now the whole Italian NGV sector must adjust (e.g. all connectors will have to be changed, to adopt the “NGV1type”, i.e. the ISO 14469-1). This present some critical aspects. For example, the CNG cylinder periodic re-qualification test, now can be just a simple visual inspection (but in the case of Italy, only for type 1 cylinders, certified according to the Regulation R 110), but nobody has yet indicated who is entitled to do this visual inspection, and consequently to judge on the cylinder integrity, and to certify it. The Ministry of Transport has been dealing with the preparation of norms for the application of the Regulation R115, to set the procedures for the certification and test of the CNG converted vehicles. In this context, the standard CUNA NC 120, now under revision, is of particular interest. In its new version, besides the workshop manager, it could maybe include also some provision for an inspector responsible for the R110 CNG cylinder visual inspection, that must be done at least once every 48 months. The 4 years periodic re-qualification test of R 110 CNG cylinders must be done under the responsibility of the relevant authorities, or an appointed person. OEM certified to the regulation R110 have been on the market for some years now, and the time has come for their first periodic re-qualification test. The existing structure had to ad just to the needs of this new operational line. The norms for the re-qualification test have been prepared, and the relevant operators have been trained, or are under training.

Conversion workshops The norm CUNA NC 120-01, covering the compe-tence of the vehicle CNG and LPG conversion wor-

kshops, is at present in revision. Also here there is a need for an intervention of the Ministry of Transport, to assign the workshop operators more responsibility on the operative side. Special training courses have been available for some years now for the workshop operators. The courses provide the necessary training for pe-ople to meet the requirements of the norm CUNA NC 120-01, which is in line with the requisites in-dicated by the ECE ONU regulation R115, that so defines the conversion workshop: “organisation that can take technical responsibility of the correct and safe installation of LPG and CNG retrofit systems. To ensure the proper qualification of the installer, it is recommended to prompt for valid certifications, issued by manufacturers and/or organisations having the due competence, that testify the necessary ex-perience of personnel and workshop able to make the installation of retrofit systems.”This section of the regulation R115 mentions some important criteria, such as:- organisation that can take technical responsibility of the correct and safe installation;- certification released by manufacturers (“manu-facturer systems”);- competence.The regulations do reference to technical norms; so it is necessary to check the organisation having the technical capability of installing gas systems, and the instruments to measure this technical capability. It is also needed to check the workshop being able to install the gas systems in compliances to the requi-rements for the maximum safety: working environ-ment that meets the requirements of the Law 626, efficient equipment, well calibrated metering instru-ments, qualified personnel. All certification must be issued by organisms that have the due competence. An association, or category organization, is not fit for this. A group of operators, in practical terms, cannot just form an organisation and then testify each other their competence. No organisation can certify itself. The certification is valid only if it has been issued by an independent organism, that is universally accepted, and is legally recognized by a number of subjects, and that must be able to judge in an independent way on the needed requisites being met.

■■ INTERNATIONAL NORMSDiscrepancies between ISO norms and ECE ONU European regulationsLooking now at the International panoramic, the experts of the NGV sector are at present examining the normative conflict between the requirements of the various norms published so far by ISO for NGV (series ISO 15500 and serie ISO 15501 covering on board components and systems; series ISO 14469 covering refuelling connectors, ISO 11439 covering CNG on-board cylinders) and the European ECE ONU regulations (R 110 and R 115). Many countri-

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Le officine che installano i kit di trasformazione dell’alimentazione sono una componente fondamentale della catena della qualità che assicura al cliente finale la qualità e l’affidabilità dell’impianto.Per qualificare e fidelizzare la propria rete di installatori, MTM ha varato il progetto “BRC gas service” incentrato sull’offerta di una serie di nuovi servizi e vantaggi.

IMMAGINE E PROMOZIONEL’appartenenza al circuito delle officine qualificate BRC è evidenziata da una serie di strumenti appositamente realizzati.Tra gli strumenti destinati a dare “visibilità” all’appartenenza al circuito delle officine qualificate sono state realizzate le insegna esterna “BRC gas service”, una linea di abbigliamento professionale per gli addetti all’officina, espositori corredati da materiale illustrativo e dépliant pubblicitari.Sul fronte di internet, oggi strumento principe di contatto e interazione con gli addetti ai lavori e con il pubblico, sono stati realizzati: un sito internet dedicato alla rete BRC gas service, www.brcgasservice.it con le coordinate delle officine inserite in un motore di ricerca per l’individuazione delle officine prossime al cliente. Nel sito BRC gas service è stato inoltre inserito un sistema di elaborazione di preventivi on line.

ASSISTENZA E SUPPORTO TECNICOPer favorire una corretta informazione tecnica e risolvere problemi legati alla fase di installazione dei kit, BRC mette a disposizione dei tecnici delle officine un numero telefonico diretto con impegno di richiamo entro 2 ore lavorative.La formazione tecnica viene realizzata con corsi obbligatori effettuati presso la sede BRC, con elementi di teoria approfondita, esercitazioni pratiche, prove vetture e rilascio attestato di partecipazione previa verifica finale. L’attività di formazione del personale delle officine consentirà alle officine aderenti di accedere al percorso di certificazione UNI e alla qualificazione secondo protocollo CUNA.

POST VENDITA E GARANZIA MTM riconosce i costi di mano d’opera sostenuti per interventi in garanzia sugli impianti installati

SUPPORTO COMMERCIALEMTM mette a disposizione dei clienti un numero verde con servizio di individuazione delle officine BRC gas service più vicine. L’iniziativa rientra nell’operatività di un servizio di marketing operativo dedicato allo sviluppo commerciale della rete ed al supporto dell’attività dei concessionari e degli installatori.

PUBBLICITÀ NAZIONALE E LOCALE

Nei primi mesi del 2007 ha avuto avvio una campagna pubblicitaria a livello nazionale al fine di promuovere la conoscenza e la capacità di attrazione del marchio BRC, con impiego di riviste automobilistiche e TV (Reti Nazionali). La campagna potrà esser replicata a livello locale dal concessionario e dall’officina.L’operazione ha visto la messa in onda sulle reti televisive Canale 5, Italia1, Retequattro, per un periodo di tre settimane, di 106 spot da 15” e 30”, 5 telepromozioni nelle trasmissioni Grand Prix (1 e 8 Aprile) e Controcampo (1,7 e15 Aprile) con relativi Billboard da 7”. Il marchio BRC era inoltre presente sul Televideo interattivo del Digitale Terrestre, in concomitanza con le puntate di Controcampo. Testimonial di tutta la campagna pubblicitaria BRC è stato l’ex campione di formula 1 e noto giornalista Sportivo: Andrea de Adamich.BRC diventa inoltre, fino al termine della stagione in corso, “Supporter Ufficiale” di una delle più gloriose squadre d’Italia: il Genoa C.F.C. L’accordo prevede spot da 30” sul maxischermo dello stadio, striscione da 45 mt, in prima fila, Logo BRC sul backdrop delle interviste, banner sul sito www.genoacfc.it.BRC sarà presente inoltre con pagine pubblicitarie su alcune riviste dell’Editoriale Domus. quali lo speciale Autopulite di Quattroruote Aprile 2007, Quattroruote Vendo&Compro di Marzo 2007, Autopro di Marzo e Aprile 2007, e con banner sul sito www.quattroruote.it. E’ inoltre on-line il nuovo sito www.brcgasservice.it, destinato ai servizi offerti alle officine ed è in corso il restyling del sito www.brc.it che si presenterà con una nuova veste grafica e con nuovi ed importanti servizi.

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es outside Europe legally recognize the European ECE ONU regulations; but many others don’t, and they ask NGV systems and components to be in compliance with the ISO norms. Life would hence be easier for the manufacturers, if the requirements of ISO were harmonised with those of ECE ONU regulations. ISO has launched a public enquiry on the need for such an alignment to be done, but the results appear quite contradictory.

Many country representatives said they want this aligment to be done, but just a few countries are prepared to offer their experts to carry this activity on, let alone spending their money and time for this work. So far, Australia, India Italy and USA have of-fered their experts; but ISO rules require at least five countries doing this. Some other countries have re-cently shown a new interest in this process. Among these countries there are Argentina and Canada.In more detail: most of the ISO standards on NGVs, namely: ISO 15501-1 and ISO 15501-2 and ISO 15500-1 to ISO 15500-19 have been in application now for more than 5 years. After the ISO general rules, for these standards it is time for revision, if needed (i.e. if this is asked for by a certain number of ISO member countries, which must also offer ex-perts for this job). This is an opportunity for solving the problem arising from the many discrepancies (about 70 substantial, plus many more of minor im-portance) discovered between ISO standards and ECE – UNO R 110 regulation.This is also, in the view of some experts, an im-portant chance for amending the weak points of the ISO standards, that in some case represent an obstacle to the requirements to be met, rendering in some cases the applicability of the standards nearly impossible.Some examples of this kind of hard requirements:ISO 15500-1 “Road vehicles – CNG fuel system com-ponents”, in paragraph 3.12 “PRD ” reads: “one time use device triggered by excessive temperature or temperature and pressure which vents gas to pro-tect the cylinder from rupture”

This is a very wrong point, as the safety device that is triggered by excessive temperature and pressure to-gether cannot work; so it is not safe. A combination device may be chosen, but excessive temperature and excessive pressure must activate it indepen-dently (also in R 110 the wording on this subject is ambiguous); the text must specify this requirement is a clear way.In all parts of ISO 15500 the hydrostatic strength test requirements are too demanding. An alternati-ve method can be proposed, asking for lower test pressures (e.g. 2,25 times the service pressure, like it is already in the case of the cylinder) on a sample that has previously undergone successfully the du-rability test (one sample) and the corrosion test (a second sample).

The durability test and the corrosion test will thus be a sort of compensation for the fact that the on board components are not usually tested one by one in production, and are not subject to perio-dic re-qualification test/inspection when is service, opposite to what is the case for the cylinders, for which a minimum burst pressure of 2,25 x service pressure is accepted.

NMHCThe new emission limits imposed by the Euro 5 norm, have adopted at long last the concept of diffe-rentiating between THC and NMHC. Even if, in that way they are improving the situation for OEM, but they are still too demanding for retrofit, and leave a hard situation for the conversion workshops. CNG converted vehicles still represent more than 60% of the Italian NGV market, which means at least 50% of the European NGV market, and it is a subsantial portion of the NGV market in those countries that have now got the biggest NGV market in the world (Pakistan, Brazil, Argentina,).

Also in the near future the conversions will keep an important role in the development of this sector. A limit of 100 mg/km for the THC emissions, and what is more, that must still be met after 160.000 km instead of 80.000, does appear to be quite a hard requirement to be complied with by a conver-ted car. Some operators of this sector, and ENGVA are struggling to find a solution to this creeping problem. Inside MVEG it is now too late to amend the Regulation EURO 5, which has been published already. Maybe there are still some possibilities for operating on the side of Regulation R115, in which it would be possible including some measurement criteria of the unburned hydrocarbons emitted by converted NGV, that assign a prevailing importance to NMHC, and a reduced importance to the CH4 emission. For example, this could be done by cre-ating a calculation method of HC emission where NMHC have a coefficient equal to 1, and methane emissions have a coefficient lower than 1 (e.g. 0,4 – 0,5). Thanks to intervention of the experts from ENGVA, and of his manager Jeff Seisler, a new wor-king group has been formed, composed of experts of this sector, and lead by Dutch experts. This wor-king group is dealing with this matter, inside a wider scope of activity aiming at a general revision of the requirements of Regulation R 115.

Characteristics of CNG used as vehicle fuelISO published in 2000 the standard ISO 15403 “Quality designation of natural gas as compressed fuel for vehicles”, to provide manufacturers with the necessary information about the characteristics of natural gas, for designing and properly tuning teir natural gas engines. This norm was integrated with a technical report, that gives some more details about the content of substances and impurities to be limi-

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ted (moisture, higher liquid hydrocarbons, particles, oxygen, sulphur, hydrogen etc.). the standard and its technical report have been amended in 2006, after 5 years from publication, as per general ISO rules. It has been updated, and the technical report has become an official part of the standard (Part 2). Nevertheless, the German DIN, has decided to elabo-rate his own standard on characteristics of CNG; the draft norm DIN 51624. this draft norm is at present under examination by the experts of the European gas industry. It includes some quite demanding and restrictive requirements, and it could represent an obstacle to the development of the NGV market in Europa, due to the big brden that its requirements would impose to operators; in primis, but not only, the CNG refuelling stations. If the distributed natural gas would be forced to meet the requirements of this draft norm, in many instances the economic conditions of the initiatives for the development of the refuelling station network, now in progress in many countries, would be impaired to the point they are put out of market.

Marcogaz is working on an European norm on the characteristics of CNG. The optimum target is ha-ving a norm that is more specific than ISO 15403 Part 1, but less prescriptive than ISO 15403 Part 2, and the draft norm DIN 51624. it should also take in consideration the EASEE-Gas CBP (common business practice). It should ideally be a norma that does not create problems to the natural gas sector, while providing more detailed information about the features of the natural gas used as fuel for ve-hicles, in line with what is being done for the other automotive fuels.

The draft norm DIN 51624In Germany, whilst the gas quality in the grid is described or specified (that depends on which way a specific gas delivery contract between two companies refers to DVGW G 260), there is a new draft standard DIN 51624 “Automotive fuels - Compressed natural gas - Requirements and test methods” (January 2007).This draft standard was initiated by some OEM and by the federal ministry for the environment, nature protection and reactor safety. The order for the stan-dard was granted to the DIN standards committee on mineral oils and fuels in Hamburg.

Three representatives of the standards committee for gas technology were granted access to the task force developing the draft. Also at the table: the automo-tive industry, automotive components industry, the mineral oil industry, a representative of the labour ministries of the federal states, and a representative of the federal ministry for the environment, nature protection and reactor safety. With that composi-tion, of the working group the result differs in certain points from DVGW G 260. Unfortunately, as in many

other former cases, also in this respect Germany is carrying the flag for Europe, as usually California do-es in the U.S. The most important differences are:Total sulphur content; whilst DVGW G 260 permits up to 30 mg/m³ sulphur in the gas, odorization compartment not included (i.e. the same as the EASEE-gas CBP), draft DIN 51624 only permits 15 mg/m³, to be reduced below 10 mg/m³ in 2009. For that, there are two reasons: - all other automo-tive fuels including Diesel and LPG already meet a 10 ppm threshold since the beginning of 2005 in Germany. - From 1 September 2009 on, a federal directive in the field of environmental protection (10. Bundesimmissionsschutzverordnung, 10. BImSchV) will fix 10 ppm total sulphur. We have some hope that natural gas will receive a minimum leeway with a maximum of 10 mg/m³ (10 ppm would be approx. 8.5 mg/m³).

As a consequence, a number of CNG stations, pre-dominantly in areas which are supplied with do-mestic German natural gas, shall be equipped with additional sulphur filters. Methane number (MN); the draft is not yet com-pletely fixed in this matter: it states MN = 70 to 75, with 75 being the request of the automotive industry, and 70 ± 5 the proposal of the gas industry. The automotive industry raised the perspective to phase out Diesel engines (for the time being, not potential for efficiency increase left) and to replace them with high performance NGVs (opposite to the rather sluggish, “save only” types which are on the market right now.) Both parties agreed on the AVL method to determine the methane number.

Oils and solids content; engine failures predominan-tly in Berlin, but also other towns in Germany due to “glued inlet valves” of the engines lead to a po-werful demand of the automotive industry to reduce the content of oils (coming from compressor) and solids in the gas. Although part of the problem is within the vehicles itself (part of the bad smeer was due to anti corrosion waxing applied the inside of vehicle gas tanks made of steel as well as metallic debris also with vehicle origin, the car manufacturers ask for an oil content between 5 and 10 mg/m³. The gas industry would allow to permit up to 50 mg/m³. In the opinion of a manufacturer, it would be hard even for a brand new hydraulic compressor to deliver less than 20 mg/m³.

In the draft, no figure is given yet. There is no stan-dardized test method available. E.ON-Ruhrgas and Daimler-Chrysler are working jointly on the develop-ment of such method.Natural gas is a natural product. All aspects of the gas industry, including pricing are based on a pro-cess at the well, where only drying and filtering are done. This situation is perfectly acceptable for all the industrial and residential applications of natural

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gas. No modification is feasible on the composition of the gas transported by pipeline. It would upset the whole economy of the gas industry.CNG refuelling stations are very expensive alrea-dy. Including additional appliances to control the characteristics of gas would seriously impair their profitability. As a consequence, nobody would build any new refuelling station, and the incipient NGV market would stagnate, or even disappear.The gasoline and Diesel oil infrastructure can easily afford the cost of producing cleaner liquid fuels, due to the favourable scale effect. This is not the case of the CNG infrastructure, which is still weak and vulnerable to any new requirement if it is too demanding.”

RetrofitFor vehicles converted to run on CNG or LPG, after final new car delivery from OEMs, or their dealers, the regulation ECE R115 provides simplified rules concerning certification of vehicle power, fuel con-sumption, CO2 emissions, and regulated emissions. Despite this, the aspect of warranties, in use com-pliance, and product liability of converted NGV is subject to the different OEMs approach.

This is one of the problems that affect the retrofit si-de of the NGV market. In some cases this lead to the reluctance of the customer to convert a car which is still inside the warranty period. Converting old car to CNG provides a larger environmental benefit; in general, the older the converted car, the larger the emission improvement. But this is a barrier to the total potential conversions, as most of the original gasoline cars do not have yet their CNG version on the market.

Gap AnalisysIANGV has made a survey at the international level on the existing norms on the NGV sector, to identify the possible need for new norms. The work (a gap analysis) has been done by Doctor Hien Ly, an expert from the Australian Gas industry. He has identified some 30 gaps or issues in the international nor-mative structure of the NGV sector. In the opinion of the expert, to close the gaps, new international standards or regulations will need to be produced in the following areas:• CNG vehicle workshops and parking garages• LNG vehicle workshops and parking garages• LNG vehicle installation and components• LNG on-board fuel storage cylinders• LNG vehicle refuelling connectors• LNG on-board fuel storage cylinder requalification

procedure• LNG fuel storage and refuelling stations.• LNG dispenser fuel metering system approval test

procedure• LCNG fuel storage and refuelling stations• Biogas fuel quality

The new issues may need to be solved by adding to, or amending, the requirements of the existing CNG standards or regulations concerning:• Dispenser metering at refuelling stations• Fuel metering/accounting at refuelling stations.• Safety management systems at fuel storage and

refuelling stations• Qualitative and quantitative risk assessments at

fuel storage and refuelling stations• Fuel cylinder approval application protocol• Increased effective service life and requalification

period for on-board cylinders• Vehicle fuel system approval application protocol• Refuelling station outlet fuel quality compliance

The full text of the Gap Analisys is available on the web site of IANGV.

ISO round table on global harmonisation of gaseous fuelsA round table has been organised by ISO in Geneva on 10 January 2007, to discuss the problem of NGV standard harmonisation at the world level. In sum-mary, the subjects for consideration, in the priority areas for standardization identified by participants at the ISO Roundtable, are:

Hydrogen and CNG• LNG and dual fuel standards and regulations for

vehicles and fuels • Specification for natural gas hydrogen mixtures

and components• Interchangeable components such as high pressu-

re, low volume fuel containers and interfaces• Pressure units and temperature references• Fuel quality and vehicle safety• Material compatibility for hydrogen operation

Hydrogen and CNG fuel infrastructureSafety standards for:• Fuelling stations• Cylinders• Pressure levels• Periodic inspection• Fuel quality

In the opinion of the convened experts, the main benefits and opportunities of having globally har-monized regulations, codes and standards for the gaseous fuels and vehicles sector would be: to de-monstrate to customers all the aspects of safety; to quickly develop the NGV and hydrogen technology; to allow safer and more sustainable Investments; to have one mutually acceptable certification procedu-re, so that the whole procedure becomes more cost efficient; to have one single standard covering all climatic conditions; to allow people travelling freely across the world, in new markets identified by a single global standard. But for this to happen, some actions are needed

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first, such as the optimization of the development and product costs in order to achieve economies of scale, and saving of time in getting all necessary documentation, and getting approvals. It is also im-portant to reduce the number of product versions, to provide access to a global market, and to spread pro-ven safety practices. Some actions are needed, and consideration must be made, to avoid discrepancies between technical regulations and the requirements of International standards, on the automotive side; for example, there is the need for a single common standard (e.g. ISO) which can be referred to a com-mon regulation, as some countries have laws that require adoption of ISO standards.

In some countries, a very low cost solution is needed; thus they adopt a national standard which has a lower safety level than the corresponding interna-tional standard; ISO has a policy to prepare “glo-bally relevant” standards, international standards can assist the national legislation. The technical regulations involve social and economics, interna-tional standards cover technical facts. The safety and functionality must never be compromised. The performance criteria e.g. emissions may differ from country to country.

There is a need for ISO and UN to work closer toge-ther to make sure standards are properly referenced in the regulations. There needs to be an independent global harmonization body which facilitates discus-sion and cooperation; as Europe cannot reference to SAE standard, it has to reference to ISO standard. So, SAE and ISO have to work more closely together. There is the need to involve regulators in the prepa-ration of standards.

Some actions are needed, and consideration can be done, to ensure that regulations, codes and stan-dards do not become barriers to the development of the infrastructure needed for the gaseous fuels and vehicles sector, on the energy and Infrastructure side. For example:• The proven harmonized standards are critical, but

not enough – then harmonized regulation and certification procedures are also needed

• The long term objective is the global regulation of activities that are regulated. Local autonomy may be a barrier to this target

• There is the need for performance oriented stan-dards to avoid barrier to new technology

• Regulators should avoid regulations integrating requirements before the standard is completely ready, as the regulation then is very difficult to change; so experts must ensure that a standard is complete before it is used for regulation

It is necessary to avoid proliferation of different national standards and, instead, produce globally relevant International standard. Proliferation of diffe-

rent standards is a barrier to market entry, especially cost of entry; global standards take a long time to develop.

There should be a procedure to migrate from na-tional to international standards when international standards are eventually written. The national stan-dard should then be abolished. The various countries should be required to accept international standards. It is hence important to raise awareness of ISO stan-dards, and to have a good coordination with other standard bodies. There should be performance ba-sed standards, that are more easy to accept.

Position of the European gas industryIn summary, the position of the European Gas Industry on the needs for standardization, expres-sed at the Geneva ISO-roundtable, is ranking some priority targets.• Standards for gas quality of CNG and LNG (inten-

ded for use in vehicles) specifying also trace com-ponents (water, oil, debris, hydrocarbons etc.)

• Standards for biogas for grid injection and vehicle use.

• Harmonization of pressure and temperature de-finitions and levels for CNG between cars and refuelling stations.

• Periodic inspection of gas storage on refuelling stations.

• Operational standards for CNG-refuelling sta-tions.

• Periodic inspection of safety elements in CNG re-fuelling stations.

• Technical report on safety and safety distances for CNG-refuelling stations.

• Standardization of commercial selling units for CNG.

• Standard for LNG-/LCNG-stations.• Standards for mobile CNG-refuelling stations/ sto-

rages intended for use as CNG-refuelling facility.

Position of ENGVAIn the opinion of ENGVA (Chairman Peter Boisen) the main issues of interest on the technical and re-gulatory side are:• development of ISO 11439 and ECE R110 for CNG

and biomethane vehicles • similar standards and regulations concerning

hydrogen vehicles (both internal combustion en-gine and fuel cell, both compressed and liquid hydrogen)

• continued developments of ISO19839 (recommen-dations for periodic requalification)

• similar standards for hydrogen vehicles• regulatory developments concerning periodic re-

qualification of biomethane vehicles and hydrogen vehicles (it should preferably be part of the normal roadworthiness inspections of the vehicles, coordi-nated European rules would be welcome)

• standards and regulations concerning vehicles

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using blends of methane and hydrogen (‘hytha-ne’)

• standards and regulations concerning including on-board storage of liquefied methane or hydro-gen

• standards and regulations concerning methane or hydrogen vehicles including different types of hybrid systems

• standards and regulations concerning methane and hydrogen refuelling stations (CNG or LNG)

• standards and regulations concerning methane and hydrogen delivery vehicles (road/rail/ship - compressed or liquefied gas)

• standards and regulations concerning quality of methane or hydrogen gas distributed via pipeline to vehicle refuelling stations

• standards and regulations concerning local fo-

recourt blending of methane and hydrogen into different (‘hythane’) qualities

• the gradual introduction of European Whole Vehicle Type Approvals (WVTA) for all types of road vehicles

• clear identification of different fuels and fuel sy-stems in public vehicle registration and car park statistics (including possible system identifying marking on chassis number plates)

• certification of vehicle (or, ad interim, engine) po-wer, fuel consumption, CO

2 emissions, and regu-lated emissions

• warranties• in use compliance with emission and CO2 deman-

ds• product liability legislation

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FROM MANTUA TOWARDS THE SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY

OPENING OF THE FIRST ITALIAN “GREEN PETROL STATIONS”

On 21 September 2007 a refuelling station for fuel very special vehicles was inaugurated in Mantua. Also present were the chairman of ENI, Paolo Scaroni and President of the Lombardia Region, Roberto Formigoni, to emphasize the importance of a new structure development strategy to support the sustainable mobility.

The new “multienergy” refuelling station in Mantua

The ENI CEO Paolo Scaroni and the President of the Region of

Lombardia Roberto Formigoni at the plant

This is an innovative plant, based on energy supply for transport and not, as in the past, on the mere sale of a single product. In addition to the traditio-nal dispensers of petrol and diesel there are dispen-sers of LPG, methane and hydrogen economy.

Double-hose CNG dispenser Dresser Wayne Pignone

The station is also equipped with a photovoltaic plant, with an installed power of 19 kW, which is able to produce about 21,000 kWh per year and to provide a corresponding reduction of approxi-mately 11 tons of CO2.

Solar panels on the roofs of the station

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Counter of the photovoltaic energy produced and the associated

reduction of polluting emissions

The implementation of the service station of Mantua is part of a European project called Zero Regio, designed to promote the development of multifuel refuelling stations in Italy and Germany, to ensure the supply of hydrogen for zero emissions vehicles.

In Mantua, the hydrogen is produced in the ser-vice station using a gas reformer of 20 m³/hour gas flow rate. The technology uses a catalytic high temperature process which, starting from methane is capable of separating hydrogen from carbon. The plant is in an initial test phase, to refuel a small fleet consists of three Fiat Panda with fuell cells, purchased by the Lombardia region for the muni-cipality of Mantua. The plant for the production of hydrogen from methane (hydrogen is 86% of the methane mole-cule) is the first in Italy installed directly at the point of delivery; and its size, 50 times smaller than the traditional reforming reactors, marks an important step for the diffusion of fuel systems and mobility at low environmental impact.

In the future planning of the service station in Mantua there is also the delivery of the mixture hydrogen-methane. The intention is to launch at Italian and European level the use of this mixture, that technicians have already called “idrometano” and that is proving as a viable solution, which can provide a further significant reduction of the alre-ady low emissions of pure methane.

Vehicle refuelled with idrometano

A 30% hydrogen in the mixture allows to signifi-cantly reduce the emission of CO2 without requiring any changes to the plants, neither on the dispenser side nor on the on board system of the vehicle. The diffusion of the idrometano will also exploit the competitive advantage that the Italian companies of this sector are gaining both in terms of expertise and applied technology.

■■ DRESSER WAYNE PIGNONE

With several offices in five continents, production plants in four continents, and thousands of em-ployees throughout the world, Dresser Wayne has contributed to the evolution of the sale of fuels since its birth in 1890. Indeed Dresser Wayne - with headquarters in Austin, Texas - is largely responsible for the design and functionality of the modern service stations. It was the first to introduce self-service systems, dispensers for mixing fuels, systems for the reco-gnition of cash or card, and payment systems with a radio frequency identification (radio frequency identification-RFID) for the dispensers, and pay-ment and delivery systems with touch screen.

In addition, Dresser Wayne designs and markets software systems that enable its customers, the fuel salespeople, to manage the business more ef-ficiently, including the control of inventories, ma-nagement of the price/estate, work management and in situ administration.

Dresser Wayne Pignone is the European branch of Dresser Wayne, a major business unit of Dresser, Inc. And it is a pioneer of the fuel sale. After ac-quisition of the Business “Distribution” Unit from Nuovo Pignone in 2004, it has fully integrated and

Hydrogen dispenser

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incorporated this activity with the best products, technologies, personnel and business processes, both of Wayne and of Nuovo Pignone, to create the most successful solutions currently on the European fuel market. Dresser Wayne Pignone is committed to maintai-ning a high sale rate, and a large sale service pre-sence in Italy.

Thanks to a close relationship with the national and international oil companies, as well as with independent fuel sellers, it is a point of reference as reliable direct supplier of refuelling stations. Dresser Wayne Pignone intends to consolidate and develop its presence in Europe and in Italy in par-ticular, by strengthening its network of sales and service and the production facilities in Talamona. Dresser Wayne Pignone is also committed to de-veloping systems for vehicle refuelling in the field of alternative fuels and natural gas.

Dresser Wayne Pignone in Italy The merger of the two great brands and produc-tive experiences of DRESSER WAYNE and NUOVO PIGNONE gave birth to WAYNE PIGNONE Dresser-Italy Srl; after two years of intensive work aimed at integrating products and the commercial systems, we are proud to be world leaders in the field of “distribution” and particularly in the production and marketing of: • Natural Gas (CNG) compression and distribution systems • liquid fuel and gas dispensing • pre-post payment systems and refuelling station management systems• Design and construction/renovation of turn-key plants for refuelling & Global Service

From NUOVO PIGNONE we inherited more than 50 years of experience in the production of compres-sors dedicated to the CNG refuelling stations. The current product range includes small compressors, medium and large size, two, three and four sta-ges compressors, capable of fulfilling any potential plant requirement, with any intake pressure of the available gas from pipeline.

Around the compressor, which is the heart of the system, was developed and implemented the new version of the compression system “CUBOGAS-S/HT” a real high-tech refuelling station, assembled on a metal sled single cab, with a low acoustic

impact, which includes all the necessary equipment for the operation of a CNG station; from the inlet side flange, to the measuring system, the compres-sor, the storage, down to the distribution system, operating with dispenser, them also manufactured by WAYNE PIGNONE.

The “CUBOGAS-S/HT” unit is the only solution fully assembled and tested under pressure before shipment; and it is built in full accordance with the Italian and European (ATEX and PED), both for the safety aspects and for the acoustic emissions; therefore it can be easily installed in the existing refuelling stations.

Commercial offices:Via Giovanni Piantanida, 1250127 Firenze (Italia)Tel. +39 055 3039 200Fax +39 055 3906 444

Factory:Via Roma, 3223018 Talamona Sondrio (Italia)Tel. +39 0342 608211Fax +39 055 3906 440

Info: info.distribution@dresser.comWeb: www.wayne.com

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The new structure CNG BUSINESS UNIT of Samtech reached in a few months a good sales level. To offer the best service to the customers, has strengthened the technical area in the pre - and post-sale assistance. This has given rise to two new structures located in the central and southern Italy, ready to intervene in support of the customer in two possible ways: • in making the right choice of plants to protect the

investment • in the primary after-sale service. The careful selection of the technical partners ad-dressed companies having a proven and well settled experience in the gas sector, and in particular in gas compression facilities for automotive use.

In the central Italy, Samtech chose MAGI GAS PLANT Srl, based in Monterardo (AN); an historical company well experienced in the de-sign and construction of gas plants and in particular in the con-struction and mainte-

nance of compression facilities for natural gas.

In southern Italy has chosen to cooperate with CO.MAN. Srl of Scafati (SA), an important company which is in a position to offer design services and maintenance of plants for fuels and gas with a quick operation and efficient service structure.The application to the Italian market of the quality and reliability standards recognized worldwide to Aspro, are the prerequisites for the growth of the Samtech trademark. Meeting the demand from the domestic market, for a new approach to the customer, Samtech has set itself the goal of ensuring not only satisfaction from the performance and low operating costs of the ma-chine, but also from the whole service of pre-sale and after-sale. In this context, it is guaranteed a consulting approach before the offer, to identify the best system solution, and an accurate and timely service to the compressor and all system parts in order to ensure operational continuity and reliability of the system. But this is not the whole thing. Samtech also ensu-res the possibility to rationalize the refuelling station by adapting the plant power capacity to the sales trend. To achieve this, we need people prepared and able to act quickly.

To improve the already high individual professionalism of our technicians, last month we held a formative stage at the premises of Escobar in Buenos Aires. The training course was attended by five technicians co-ming from Italy to specialize on the machines built by Delta Compresion. The stage provided various levels of depth, from the simple ordinary maintenance, to the complete disman-tling of a compressor body so that you can cope on field in any event, be it of mechanical, electrical or electronic nature. At the end of course, Aspro certify the preparation of each attending technician by releasing a technical diploma so that customers can be sure that the staff who intervene on his compressor has the necessary preparation to do so. To ensure the maximum confi-dence and protection of the investment, in addition to the qualified personnel, Samtech offers its customers planned preventive maintenance packages offering, in a clear and detailed way the various types of inter-vention at the set prices. This will ensure the maximum efficiency of the compressor and certain costs for the entire period of operation, avoiding costly extraordina-ry interventions and unproductive downtime. Samtech has centralized spare parts warehouse at the headquarters in Cervarese, strengthening the stock with critical components, according to the dictates of the parent company, in order to ensure any kind of intervention. According to Samtech, this is the right approach to ensure the success of the Aspro trade mark also in the demanding Italian and European market. Aspro, worldwide leaders, offers its customer the confidence in a prompt intervention, ready to give an answer, to study a new solution, to quickly solve a problem, to perform a normal routine check or to maximize the efficiency of the plant. This is the new winning philosophy that every month is getting an increasing success, and this is the realization of our slogan: “Aspro, the future of CNG; today.”

ASPRO AND SAMTECH GROW AND ORGANISE THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTERS

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Who drives a CNG vehicle has a guardian angel, or rather, two. One, Roberto Tosi, is located in Bologna. The other, Walter Colonnelli, is located in Jesi. Probably, many users of compressed natural gas cars do not know that their safety is secured by an indu-strial system that meticulously controls each cylinder once every 4 or 5 years and, the tested cylinder if it is not perfect, is literally cut in pieces prevent mo-vement can return to . Well, this industrial system is organized by Servizio Fondo bombole Metano (lite-rally: CNG cylinders Services Fund) which has two facilities for the periodic re-qualifi cation testing of all the cylinders that, in Italy, allow vehicles to travel using compressed natural gas as fuel in absolute security, without compromises. Tosi and Colonnelli are responsible for the management of the centres in Bologna and Jesi. They are responsible for the proper functioning of plants which guarantee that more than 240,000 bottles per year can continue to perform their task without any problems. Meta-no & Motori went to visit the “guardian angel” in Jesi, Walter Colonnelli, to explain to readers how the periodic re-qualifi cation test of the cylinders is done, and how the centres develop this key function in relation to the development of technologies and materials for the manufacture of CNG cylinders. First, explains Colonnelli, the operation of the whole centre is programmed, combining the operation on the cylinders made to the old regulation (DGM type bottles) that must pass the re-qualifi cation test once every 5 years, and the cylinders made to the new UN - ECE regulation (cylinder type R110), that must be subject to re-qualifi cation test once every 4 years. This makes possible to prepare all what is necessa-ry to ensure the availability of cylinders in perfect effi ciency to those who must submit their vehicles to testing. The program also involves revisions of the network of Trustees Deposits (established by GFBM) and workshops that, scattered throughout the country, are performing the function of decen-tralized cylinder interchange park. Thus the waiting

time for the availability of revised cylinders, in re-placement of the expired bottles to be sent to the revision, vanishes.

Cylinder deposit at the laboratory premises

In recent times, the operational system has been made more complex, because of the fact that the type range of cylinders in circulation has been wi-dened by new materials and construction methods. In addition to traditional steel cylinders, today are in use new tanks with metal liner wrapped with fi berglass or carbon fi bres, and resin coating, and even tanks which are completely made of compo-site materials, i.e. plastic liner wrapped with fi bres (carbon fi ber), embedded in resin. The legislation has evolved accordingly, to determine the construction systems, implementation, testing and revision of all new types of cylinders used on vehicles. The SFBM testing laboratories have also followed this evolu-tion, by providing new facilities and new testing procedures for each specifi c type of cylinder.

R100 type 2 cylinders delivered to the laboratory

In Jesi, the traditional line of re-qualifi cation testing of DGM type cylinders, and the new testing line for R110 type 1 (metal) cylinders, are simultaneously in operation. And here, the re-qualifi cation testing line for R110 type 2 and 3 cylinders (made in compo-site materials and carbon fi bre), has recently been

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THE CUSTODIAN ANGELS OF CNG FOR NGV VISIT TO THE LABORATORIES FOR CNG CYLINDER PERIODIC RE-QUALIFICATION INSPECTION OF SFBM IN JESI

cilinders supplied to the test laboratory

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Platform 4: Weighing Any damage which is not visible on the surface, is sought by comparing the present weight with the weight of the cylinder that was registered at the time of construction. Deviations in excess of a minimum set mean hidden de-fects, that make the cylinder inappropriate to subsequent test steps, and inexorably destine it to destruction. Platform 5: verifi cation data punching The fact that the cylinder has successfully passed the visual inspections and the internal and external check is testifi ed by punching the inspection date and the new measured weight on the front cylinder end. Platform 6: proof of eligibility The cylinders that have passed the test of physi-cal fi tness are certifi ed for admission to the next stage of hydrostatic pressure testing. This is a prin-ted certifi cate of eligibility that will accompany the cylinder until the end of the re-qualifi cation testing process. Platform 7: Hydrosta-tic pressure testing All eligible cylinders are subject to a test cycle, done with water at a pressure of 300 bar for 60 seconds. If during this period no pressure loss occurs, the cylin-ders prove having a perfect tightness, at a pressure which is 50% higher than the service pressure. The robustness of gas cylinders used on vehi-cles is such that only 1 cylinder out of 10,000 fails the hydrostatic pressure test. Platform 8: punching At the end of the test path the cylinder is punched and is sent to reuse; it will be put in service for another period of 4 or 5 years, depending on type, before being submitted again to another. The cycle of periodic re-qualifi cation test to which the R110 type 2 and 3 cylinders are subject is si-milar in the sequence of inspection, but has some peculiar characteristics in relation to the construction materials.

completed.On the fi rst line the cylinders (R110 and DGM) pass in a rigid sequence of 8 subsequent platforms, and in each one of them they are subject to a specifi c processing. Platform 1: external surface washing The visual inspection outside of the cylinders is inten-ded to check the presence of any type of corrosion. The thorough cleaning of the external tank surface is therefore essential, in order for the inspectors to be able to effectively control the absence of corro-sion. Depending on the new types of cylinders into circulation, the external surface washing is made with a modern system of “sanding” with crystals of frozen nitrogen. Thanks to this innovation, re-moving dirt and fouling is ensured without the use of brushes that could spoil the plastic parts of last generation cylinders. Platform 2: internal surface washing The careful cleaning the interior of the cylinders is also an essential prerequisite for the verifi cation of the absence of internal corrosion. The washing is made with hot water at 50 ° C. This also allows the elimination of deposits of compressor lubricant oil that may enter the cylinder with CNG after refuel-ling, and may accumulate inside the containers. Platform 3: internal and external visual inspectionChecks on demand is intended to ensure the integri-ty of the cylinder and the absence of any corrosion phenomena, even the just superfi cial ones. In recent years, the phenomenon of internal corro-sion of the cylinders has almost disappeared, thanks to the granted better quality gas, which no longer contains traces of moisture. Annually over 120,000 are subject to periodic re-qualifi cation test. Out of the 8,000 bottles discarded, every year, only 3,000 show deterioration of the surface. The other 5,000 bottles are discarded because of exhaustion of their maximum life time (40 years for DGM; 20 Years for R110).

Internal surface washing, and internal/external visual inspection

platform

weighing platform

Hydrostatic pressure test:

water inlet nozzles

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The differences are mainly in the steps at the arrival and departure of the cylinders, respec-tively before and after the revision. The fragility of the fi bre coating of fi bre glass R 110 type 2 bottles, and of the con-structive material of a type 3 require particular care in their transport to the periodic re-qualifi ca-tion test laboratories of SFBM, and from this to the workshops where they are installed back on vehicles. To this end the cylinders are packed using spacers and special protection materials. Also the hydrostatic pressure test benches

are specifi c for these types, to allow stacking and handling of the cylinders with particular attention to the fragility of their external surface and material. The extraordinary ability to withstand high pressure gas content, is not accompanied by an equivalent high shock resistance of the materials used to con-struct these cylinders.For these types of cylinders the test cycle is done with water at a pressure of 300 bar for 60 seconds but, in this case, it is not only measured the possi-ble loss of pressure, but also the expansion of the material, which shall not exceed 5 % of the cylinder volume. Another difference occurs in the process of issuing the revised cylinders, that in the case of R110 type 3, cannot be punched, but must be labelled, according to the strict Ministerial provisions.

Before leaving the SFBM plant in Jesi, we asked what are the mistakes that can lead to a shor-ter cylinder life. Co-lonnelli, after his long experience in this fi eld, assured us that the pro-blems can be originated from an incorrect fi xing

automatic handling robot for R 100 type 2 and 3 cylinders

control panel of the automatic test line for the R 100, type 2 and 3 cylinders

of the cylinders to the vehicle. Today this operation on CNG cars is always done in the best way, thanks to the directions given by the kit manufacturers and the installation procedures followed by OEM. Some residual problem instead is left in the case of buses which use new type cylinders that, as already men-tioned, are less resistant to shocks. In some cases, the brackets deteriorate the contact surface of the cylinder, making its further use inappropriate, even if the tightness is guaranteed. The problem, in the opinion of Colonnelli, is the lack of experience in handling the new bottles, but the sector has already found an adequate solution.

Alfredo Zaino

The cutter (“guillotine”) for the condemned cylinders that did

not pass the tests

Scrap from destroyed cylinders, ready for the foundry

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FACT SHEET ON SFBM

Headquarters: Via Paolo di Dono 3 / A-00144 Rome Tel. 06-59825877 Fax 06-59825805

CNG cylinder test laboratories in San Lazzaro di Savena Via Emilia 518 Frazione Idice (BO) Tel. 051 6255140 Total premises surface sqm 4,278 Indoor surface sqm 1,743 Employees n 15 Cylinders tested in 2006 n 119,000 Potential of the plant n 120,000

CNG cylinder test laboratories in Jesi Via Marconi 168 60035 Jesi (AN) Tel. 0731 57105 Total premises surface sqm 13,778 Indoor surface sqm 2,720 Employees n 19 Cylinders tested in 2006 n 130,000 Potential of the plant n 140,000

Servizi Fondo Bombole Metano is the company that provi-

des the operational service of periodic re-validation tests of

the CNG cylinders in Italy. Servizi Fondo Bombole Metano

operates on behalf of Comitato Fondo Bombole Metano

(literally: CNG Fund Committee) which is mandated to en-

sure the compliance with the safety standards in force, thus

wielding its public function (technical and administrative)

prescribed by law 8.7.1950 No 640 and amended by Law

7.6.1990 No 145.

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MM& SISTEMI A GAS: PER TERRA, PER MARE, PER L’ARIA

THE ITALIAN NGV INDUSTRIES:

THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PRESENT SITUATION AND THE LINES

OF ACTIVITY FOR THE FUTURE

Here in the following is the paper presented by Vanni Cappellato, President of the consortium NGV System Italia, on 9th October 2007, at 10th Metanauto Conference in Bologna.

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THE REGULATION (EC) N. 715/2007 OF THE EUROPE-

AN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNSIL(EURO 5 AND EURO 6)

■■ FOREWORDThe regulation CE N. 715/2007 of 20 June 2007 determines the requirements for the certification of engine vehicles in respect of the polluting gaseous emissions of the light duty passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles for transport of goods (M1, M2 and N1, N2, with mass up to 2.610 kg; or if required by manufacturers, up to 2.840 kg). Acccording to the directive 70/156/CE of the Council, enforced on 6/2/1970, (i.e. the so-called Whole Vehicle Type Approval), the technical pre-scriptions for the certification of engine vehicles in terms of the emissions must be harmonised for the whole European Commission.

The same directive included the previous regula-tions enforcing the emission limits from Euro 1 to Euro 4, which have been substituted by Euro 5, since July 2007, if required by the manufacturer, and will be compulsorily enforced for everybody since September 2009. Then the Euro 6 emission limit will follow, some years later in the future.This regulation dictates the fundamental norms on emissions, while the technical characteristics of vehicles will be covered by the application me-asures that will be adopted later.It also dictates the norms for conformity of produc-tion and service, the minimum service life of the polluting control devices, the on-board diagnostics systems (OBD), the measurement of fuel consum-ption, and the accessibility of the information for repair and maintenance of the vehicle.

Euro 5 and Euro 6 norms are among the measure meant for pollution reduction, inside the Clean Air For Europe (CAFÉ) programme, launched in March 2001. A particular attention has been de-voted to the reduction of particulate matter, and of the ozone precursors, such as nitrogen oxides and unburned hydrocarbons.

The regulation besides Euro 5, also includes the further step of emission limit Euro 6, to give the industry clear information on the future values of the emission limits. In particular, it is necessary to meet ambitious limits in the Euro 6 step for the emissions of NO

x from Diesel engines, but this without having to renounce to the advantages of Diesel in terms of fuel specific consumption and emissions of HC and CO.For the first time, the Commission is introducing the concept of checking also the emission of sub-stances that are not regulated at present (e.g.

aldehydes) and considers the future possibility of proposing to the European Parliament and the Council, if deemed necessary, to regulate also the emission of these substances.

To ease the introduction on the market, and to ke-ep in existence the vehicles propelled by alternative fuels, which can give low emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, and to foster a re-duction of the polluting emissions from gasoline vehicles, the regulation enforces for the first time in Europe in the case of the LD vehicles, different li-mit values for the mass of total hydrocarbons (THC) and for the non methane hydrocarbons (NMHC).In its foreword the regulation mentions some other important aspects that will be covered by norms, such as:• the opportunity to enforce stricter emission, with

a reduction of the emissions of CO2 and to de-termine these limits on the basis of the actual performance of vehicle in service.

• For the emission reduction of ultra small par-ticulate matter (PM 0,1 µm and smaller), the adoption as early as possible, and within the time of enforcement of the EURO 6 norm of an approach to PM emissions based on the num-ber, besides that based on weight at present in application. It will take into account the results of the UN/ECE programme on the measurement of particulate matter (Particulate Measurement Programme — PMP).

• The adoption of a new measurement procedure in place of the present one, as soon as possible, and within the time of enforcement of Euro 6 step. It should be based on the results of PMP, for a better reproducibility of the measurement of the mass of particulate matter and of the num-ber of particles in laboratory,

• The need to review the new European standard driving cycle, the base test method to regulate the emissions for the CE certification. Some test cycles should be updated or replaced, to reflect the modifications occurred to vehicle specifica-tions and driving styles.

• The study of the requirements of the OBD sy-stems, necessary to keep control of emissions during service of the vehicle, and the tolerance threshold for the parameter detection errors.

• The preparation of a harmonised measurement method for the fuel consumption and the CO

2 emissions of vehicles, to avoid technical ob-stacles per to trade among member countries. Customers must also be provided with detailed

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and correct information.• The execution of studies to judge whether it is

still necessary to divide the vehicle categories into groups, and if it is possible to apply emission limits which are irrespective of vehicle weight.

RequirementsThe technical solutions adopted by the manufac-turers must censure the exhaust emissions and the evaporative emissions being actually reduced in a significant way, over the whole service life of the vehicle in normal service conditions. The in use conformity test must be done over 5 years or 100,000 km, what comes first. The pollution limitation devices certification durability tests must be done over 160,000 km, also by means of test bench artificial ageing. This requirement makes the regulation much stricter compared to the previous ones, that impose an 80,000 km durability test.

The methods, the tests and the specific require-ments for certification imposed by the regulation include requirements for:• Exhaust emissions, including test cycles, low am-

bient temperature emissions, idling emissions, smoke opacity, correct function and regeneration of exhaust emission after-treatment systems;

• Engine base evaporative emissions;• OBD systems and performance of in use pollution

limitation devices;• Durability of pollution limitation devices, pollu-

tion limitation spare devices, in use conformity, conformity of production and technical checks;

• measurement of GHG emissions and fuel con-sumption;

• hybrid vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles;• extension of the certification and requirements

to small manufacturers;• test appliances;• reference fuels such as gasoline, diesel oil, na-

tural gas and biofuels like bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas.

Obligations for manufacturers and information about the diagnostic systems (OBD)The new regulation includes some interesting op-portunities for alternative fuel vehicles. In fact it imposes to manufacturers to allow an unlimited access to information about repair and mainte-nance of vehicles, also to independent operators. This must be done by means of web sites, with a standard format, easy and quick, and must not be discriminatory as compared to the content or the access allowed to dealers/authorized mechanics. The OEM must for example offer to independent operators, as well as dealers/authorized mecha-nics, some informative material about:• unmistakable identification of the vehicle;• use and maintenance handbooks;• technical manuals;

• information about components and diagnostics (such as the minimum and maximum theoretic measurement values);

• wiring schemes;• fault diagnostic codes (including specific codes

of OEM);• identification number of calibration of the sof-

tware applicable to a certain type of vehicle;• information about patented instruments and

accessories;• information about data base and bi-directional

data on testing and monitoring.To ease the design and construction of automotive appliances for the alternative fuels vehicles, OEM must release, with no discrimination, information concerning OBD and all necessary information about vehicle repair and maintenance to all ma-nufacturers, installers and/or authorized mechanics dealing with alternative fuel vehicle appliances.

This information must be available within a maxi-mum length of time of 6 months after the certifi-cation date of a new vehicle model.Furthermore, the manufacturers must update the information about repair and maintenance of ve-hicles on their web sites, as soon as said informa-tion is available to authorized mechanics. OEM can invoice the access to this information a reasonable and well-proportioned amount of money. The cost for this kind of service is considered neither re-asonable nor well-proportioned if it discourages the access, and do not take in due account the importance of the use the independent operator will do of this information.By the 2nd July 2011, the Commission will sub-mit to the European Parliament and the Council a report on the functionality of the access system to this information, with a particular attention to its effect on the competition, and on the internal market operation, and to the benefits for the envi-ronment. The report will evaluate the opportunity to consolidate all provisions for the access to infor-mation within a revised homologation framework directive.

HomologationSince 2/7/2007 the manufacturer can ask for EC or national homologation of new car models as Euro 5 or Euro 6 compliant.Since 1/9/2009 (vehicles of categories M1 and M2, and N1 class I), and since 1/9/2010 for vehicles of classes II and III category N1 and N2, new car mo-dels will be obliged to get the EC or national ho-mologation in compliance with the Euro 5 norm.Since 1/7/2014 (vehicles of categories M1 and M2, and N1 class I), and since 1/1/2015 for vehicles of classes II and III categories N1 and N2, new car models will have to get the EC or national homo-logation in compliance with the Euro 6 norm.

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CommentsAt article 14, “Redefinition of specifications”, at point 1, the new regulation reads: “The Commission considers the possibility to include the methane emissions in the calculation of the emissions of carbon dioxide. If necessary, it will submit to the European Parliament and to the Council a proposal for measures to eliminate or limit the emissions of methane”. The use of the term “eliminate”, in

this section, appears ambiguous and alarming. One wonders whether the Commission might plan in the future to “eliminate” also the emissions of car-bon dioxide. Let’s hope not; all internal combustion engines would be “eliminated” as well. Unless they are fuelled with hydrogen, which will not happen on a large scale too soon in the future.In the same article, point 4 reads: “……. If the Commission will deem necessary to also regulate

EURO 5 EMISSION LIMITS

reference massRM (kg)

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ofparticles

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hydroc

non methane unburned hydroc.

nitrogen oxides

sum of total

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particulate matter mass(2)

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L2 (mg/km)

L3 (mg/km)

L4 (mg/km)

L2+L4 (mg/km)

L5 (mg/km)

L6 (#/km)

Cat Cl PI CI PI CI PI CI PI CI PI CI PI(2) CI PI CI

M - all 1000 500 100 - 68 - 60 180 - 230 5,0 5,0

N1

I RM≤1305 1000 500 100 - 68 - 60 180 - 230 5,0 5,0

II1305<RM ≤1760

1810 630 130 - 90 - 75 235 - 295 5,0 5,0

III 1760<RM 2270 740 160 - 108 - 82 280 - 350 5,0 5,0

N2 2270 740 160 - 108 - 82 280 - 350 5,0 5,0

EURO 6 EMISSION LIMITS

reference mass RM

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nitrogen oxides

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particulate matter mass (2

L1 (mg/km)

L2 (mg/km)

L3 (mg/km)

L4 (mg/km)

L2+L4 (mg/km)

L5 (mg/km)

L6 (#/km)

Cat Cl PI CI PI CI PI CI PI CI PI CI PI(2) CI PI CI

M - all 1000 500 100 - 68 - 60 80 - 170 5,0 5,0

N1

I RM≤1305 1000 500 100 - 68 - 60 80 - 170 5,0 5,0

II1305<RM ≤1760

1810 630 130 - 90 - 75 105 - 195 5,0 5,0

III 1760<RM 2270 740 160 - 108 - 82 125 - 215 5,0 5,0

N2 2270 740 160 - 108 - 82 125 - 215 5,0 5,0

Key:cat = categorycl = class of vehiclePI = positive ignition engineCI = compression ignition engine (1) a standard number will be defined as soon as possible, and at the la test at the time of enforcement of the Euro 6 norm (2) in case of positive ignition engines, the norms on the mass of particulate matter apply only to direct injection engines

Key:cat = categorycl = class of vehiclePI = positive ignition engineCI = compression ignition engine (1) in this phase a standard number will be defined (2) in case of positive ignition engines, the norms on the mass of particulate matter apply only to direct injection engines

CO THC NMHC NOX THC+NOX

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the emissions of other polluting substances, it will submit a proposal to the European Parliament and the Council, to modify accordingly the present re-gulation”. This is instead a very positive intention, as it draws the attention on the potential dange-rousness of gaseous emission components that at present are not covered by limit norms. Alternative fuels, and CNG in particular, would probably get some benefit from such a measure as the one men-tioned in this point.The inclusion of limits to the emission of NMHC in the new regulation goes in the right direction for the development of NGV. This is good news For OEM. Their laboratories will take profit of this in that they will be able to design good CNG engines, without the need for adoption of 3 way catalysts with exaggerated amounts of extremely rare and expensive platinum or palladium. But unfortunately, keeping simultaneously in place also the THC limit, keeps penalising the conversion market, which life is made too hard by a limit that includes the emis-sions of methane. It is too bad, even if the limit has been kept at the old value of 100 mg/km, as in the Euro 4 norm, and has not been made stricter that that. The retrofit market hve to operate on gasoline engines which catalysts are optimised for gasoline; which means they have a low content of precious metals, hence they are not necessarily sui-table to offer the maximum efficiency in converting unburned methane into carbon dioxide and water. The sector is active on this field to find some solu-tions to this problem, probably by means of some amendment to the regulation R 115, that contains

requirements for vehicle aftermarket conversion to CNG and LPG.A good point is represented by the wide space the regulation devotes to information, which must be offered also to the “independent operators”. This is an essential parameter, in particular for the development of good quality retrofit, that meet all norms on the environment protection and the quality of products delivered by component manu-factures and installed by conversion workshops.

NotesInformation about repair and maintenance = the information about diagnostic, maintenance, in-spection, periodic test, repair, re-programming or re-initialization of the vehicle, given by OEM to their dealers/authorized mechanics, together with all amendments and subsequent implementation made to said information. This information inclu-des all necessary explanations for installation of components or devices on the vehicle.Independent operators = operators and firms dif-ferent from dealers and authorized mechanics, directly or indirectly involved in repair and mainte-nance of the vehicles: mechanics, manufacturers or distributors of tools, appliances for repair or spare parts, publishers of technical information, automo-tive clubs, road rescue operators, inspection service and test operators, workshop operators trainers, manufacturers and mechanics dealing with alter-native fuel vehicle devices. The dealers/authorized mechanics working inside the distribution system of a certain manufacturer

are considered independent operators when servicing (repair and maintenan-ce) vehicles made by another manu-facturer which is outside the system of their normal operation.Alternative fuel vehicle = vehicle which can run with at least one kind of fuel that is in the gaseous form at atmo-spheric pressure and normal ambient temperature, or it is derived from non mineral oil.

NV THE REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNSIL

The ENGVA Annual Conference, Political Round Table and Exhibition was held in Strasbourg, France as part of the opportunity to interact with the European Parliament and display NGVs at the front entrance, began on 19 June 2007 and ended on 21 June 2007. About 200 people from 30 countries participated in the event. Twenty-four NGVs were on display, representing original equipment manufacturers (OEM) vehicles, qualified vehicle modifiers (QVM) vehicles, and a number of prototypes built by the Swiss company Gasmobil. Twenty passenger vehi-cles and light commercial vehicles were displayed, including the EcoFuel World Tour VW Touran. Two heavy-duty trucks and one bus were on display at both the Hilton Hotel where the conference was held and at the front entrance of Parliament’s Louise Weiss building. Also the three-wheel pro-totype ‘Clever’ and a natural gas motorcycle were displayed. Fourteen vehicles were displayed for two days at the Parliament and were viewed by hundreds of Members of Parliament and their staff as they walked through the area during their one week legislative session. Conference sessions in-cluded light and heavy duty vehicles as well as a highly praised session called ‘Thinking Outside the Box: Innovations in the NGV Industry’.

Rainer Zietlow, the world record-breaker from Challenge 4 who led the EcoFuel World Tour pre-sented a video and gave an enthusiastic and enter-taining description of his round-the-world tour on natural gas. Another video was shown by Steffan Abele from WEH, who presented the three wheel Clever vehicle by BMW with removable cylinders. This commuter concept vehicle proved very popular in the exhibition area throughout the conference. Also a presentation on ‘Hythane, Improving an Already Great Gas’ by Greg Solomon from Eden Energy in Australia provided a possible glimpse into a new future for natural gas mixed with hydrogen. The highlight of the conference was the Political Round Table held on Wednesday afternoon. All the conference participants and exhibitors were brou-ght to the European Parliament for an opening of the vehicle exhibition followed by the Round Table and cocktail reception.

Opening Plenary Session: Opportunities and Challenges for NGV Market GrowthThe opening session provided the prospects for NGV success and the challenges facing them to

move NGVs more rapidly into the European and world markets.• Welcome & Opening Comments - Peter Boisen,

Chairman of the Board• Welcome to Strasbourg - The Honorable Fabienne

Keller, Mayor of Strasbourg • Gaz de Strasbourg and NGVs: An Old Story - Pierre

Roehri, General Manager, Gaz de Strasbourg • World Overview: Global Opportunities and

Challenges - John Lyon, President, International Association for NGVs (IANGV)

• Clean Energy Anchor Customer Strategy for Realizing the NGV Future Today - Mitchell Pratt Sr. VP, Operations & Government Affairs, Clean Energy

• State of the European NGV Union - Jeffrey Seisler, Executive Director ENGVA & National NGV Panelists

This year, the Executive Director of ENGVA focu-sed on European NGV and energy politics. The European updates by country included short briefs by some of the most active and important national NGV Champions representing their country’s NGV story:- France, Vincent Tissot-Favre, Association Française

du GNV- Germany, Albert Kobbe, IEK/BGW- Italy, Michele Ziosi, Consortium NGV System

Italia- Sweden, Anders Mathiason, Swedish Gas

Association- Croatia, Peter Seidinger, OMV Gas Adria- Russia, provided by Eugene Pronin, NGVRUS

Political Round Table and Press Conference with Parliament, European Commission & NGV Champion/StakeholdersAfter the successful Political Round Table on NGVs held in April 2006 in Brussels, ENGVA has held this year, in conjunction with the Annual European NGV Conference & Exhibit, another Political Round Table. It was aimed at the European Parliament. Raising the awareness about the environmental, CO

2, and energy security advantages of NGVs is important to obtain political support in the EU.

The 2007 Round Table was part of the Annual NGV Conference, and was held in the afternoon of 20 June 2007. An exhibition of light-and-heavy-duty NGVs were on display outside the front door of Parliament and others at the Hilton Hotel Strasbourg where the main conference was held. The Political

ENGVA ANNUAL CONFERENCE, EXHIBITION & POLITICAL

ROUND TABLE “NGVS FOR A BETTER CLIMATE;

A BETTER CLIMATE FOR NGVS”

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Round Table “Transition to a Secure, Clean and Competitive Energy for Europe: The Role of Natural Gas Vehicles” was held in the Room 100 Winston Churchill Building, European Parliament. It was con-ducted by the Belgian journalist Alex Puissant. He asked questions like: How can NGVs and renewable biomethane be part of a balanced transition to a cleaner, more secure energy future in Europe?

Similarly, what role will or should NGVs play in the developing European energy strategy?Participants included key policy makers in the European Commission and Parliament, and NGV stakeholders from the energy and automobile indu-stries. They debated issues associated with current European transport, energy and environment poli-cies, providing strategies that include the long-term role of natural gas and renewable biomethane.On the podium were: • Ms. Florence Tordjman, Deputy Director for

Gas and Fossil Distribution, French Ministry of Economics, Finance and Industry

• Franz-Xavier Soeldner, European Commission, Directorate-General Energy & Transport

• Eluned Morgan, MEP Wales • Alejo Vidal-Quadras, MEP Spain• Malcolm Harbour, MEP Midlands, UK• Francesco Caria, Managing Director Commercial

Business Italia, ENI Gas & Power Division• Albert Kobbe, Representative of German IEK

(NGV Image Campaign)• Gherado Corsini, Director Regulations,

Environment & CO2 Strategy, Director of Product

Certification & CO2, General Motors • Filiberto Barbero, Head of Institutional Relations,

Fiat Group Automobiles

The members of the EU Parliament who attended the Round Table have shown their propensity to accept the idea of a Directive on natural gas, even if they don’t give it a high priority. In their opinion, natural gas can play, in the environment friendly vehicles field, a clear and well defined role, more tangible compared to first generation biofuels.

Biomethane (made from waste and biomass) can in its turn play an important strategic role, lea-ding to an increase of the energy self-sufficiency of European countries, and reducing the burdens coming from the international trade of natural gas, and energy sources in general. Natural gas has got a good image among European Parliament members.

The EU Commission seems convinced that today there are in place a number of measures at national level that can effectively promote the automotive use of natural gas. The participants to the Round Table admit the existence of an approach rather contradictory in the evaluation of the environmen-

tal benefits reported from the public consultation on biofuels. The picture needs some revision, and more clarity for what concerns the advantages offered by the various alternatives available. The appeal of CNG is increased by the prospect of ap-plication of its infrastructure in a not so far future also to biogas, which is renewable. But maybe the Commission should devote more attention to this point. The MPE Vittorio Prodi (Vice President of the new Committee of Parliament for Climatic Change) believes that biogas is a valid alternative for a sustai-nable mobility, which the European strategic policy should exploit.

A representative of French Government said that natural gas is one of the alternatives on which will hinge the strategies of the new French “supermi-nistry” of environment. ENGVA Executive Director Jeffrey Seisler made a point about the European car manufacturers statement the previous day, when it was mentioned that they, as an industry, were not going to be able to meet the proposed mandated target of achieving 130 grams per kilometre CO

2 emissions by the year 2012.

There are factory built NGVs that already achieve 114-to-119 g/km CO2, and two luxury vehicles cur-rently available that achieve 140 g/km. Afterwards. Participants began their interventions talking about NGVs, government policymaking, and the manufac-turer’s views of the currently developing European energy and environment policy.

In more detail:According to Euro Politics,18June 2007, the European automobile industry, under pressure due to the European Commission’s intentions to legislate in order to force them to design models with redu-ced CO2 emissions, specifies that the target of 130 grams CO2/km by 2012, through vehicle technology only, is not feasible. The Board of Directors of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), meeting on 8 June, confirmed this position and specified that it will not be possible to imple-ment the new legislation before 2015. Hence, the car industry requests a grace period until 2015. But NGV can meet this CO2 emission target:• Fiat Punto 1.2 8V Natural Power = 119 g/km• Fiat Panda = 114 g/km• Peugeot Partner = 119 g/km• Renault Kangoo = 119 g/km• Volvo V 70 = 138 g/km• Mercedes E200 NGT = 140 g/km

ENGVA advocates ‘credits’ or ‘compensation’ for low CO2 NGV production and sales, such as: 0 g/km for each NGV built (based upon 20-25% CO2; reduction over petrol passenger cars) minus 100 g/km for each NGV sold into a biomethane-based market (based upon 100% CO2 reduction on a

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well-to-wheel basis). Reductions are ‘symbolic’ but reality-based.Biofuels: is the blend of 10% ethanol in petrol by 2020 realistic? The fuel is expensive: the U.S. wholesale produc-tion is about $2.60-$2.87 ‘ethanol gallon’ (2/3 energy of petrol); the energy gallon equivalent is aboutUS$5.29. the energy production efficiency is about30-40%. The feedstock prices (corn/sugar ca-ne) increase dramatically; there is a potential com-petition with food chain end uses. Land use chan-ges also affect other crop prices (soybean, wheat). The potential production volumes are limited and sure questionable. The expansion to tropical rain forests further threaten the global CO2 ‘sinks’. The emissions benefits are questionable. Biodiesel faces a similar situation to ethanol.

The greenhouse gas balance (like ethanol) is par-ticularly uncertain due to nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture. The GHG contribution critically dependent upon the manufacturing processes (European W-2-W study). A better balance in policy making is required. We need an energy directive to advocate incentives, R&D, dual fuel vehicle initia-tives, LNG standards. We also need a recognition of bio-methane potential as a renewable vehicle fuel, not just as a fuel for electricity generation. Bio-methane can be seen as an integrated waste management strategy (urban & agricultural waste; clean water) with potential to replace 20-30% pe-troleum in the transport sector by 2030. People talk about climate change and reducing emissions of CO2. NGV do it, and do it now.

Mrs. Morgan began her statement by observing, “I’ve never known a lobbying group to take over a room this large in Parliament…not since the Dalai Lama (the spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhists).” Mrs. Morgan was very pointed about the various forms of methane asking, “Does your cause concur with dependency on fossil fuels? Gas is still a fossil fuel that we must have to import from outside the EU. That means it is important that we give the nod to renewable methane gas.”Peter Boisen, Chairman of the ENGVA Board of Directors, later retorted, “If you look in the various European Commission documents at the real fine print you will find that biogas is treated like the other biofuels. But in every headline made by the Commission it’s always about liquid biofuels. It’s always about blending things into petrol and diesel. Of course you can’t blend biomethane into petrol and diesel. So although it’s in the fine print, in the headlines it’s not. And that’s something you have to work on. “

Mr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras, Vice President of the European Parliament, tended to agree saying, “There seems to be confusion in the biofuels for

renewable energy policy as to whether it is a policy to replace petroleum or blend it with biofuels.”Mrs. Dorette Corbey, MEP for the Netherlands, reminded the conferees that there currently is a proposed fuel quality directive being tabled in Parliament and the European Commission, and that ENGVA needed to get its representation into that process in order to address some of the issues being raised at the Round Table.

Malcolm Harbour, MEP for the UK, agreed that the deadline for achieving the 130 g/km by the year 2012 was ‘unachievable’ given the ‘design and bu-ild schedule’ of the auto manufacturers. But he also said, “There is a framework to reach the 130 g/km with technology and some flanking measure targets designed to achieve the other 10 grams (speaking of things such as traffic congestion reduction and related behaviour changes). Within that framework (technology improvements and better driving ha-bits) we can encapsulate NGVs for getting a bonus point because they are lower in both toxics and CO

2 performance. There are two important points that NGV industry has to get across. It has to make clear that it is capable of seamlessly blending its bio-content with its fossil content without impacting upon the vehicle whatsoever. That is not the case with existing technology of vehicles. That’s a huge advantage that NGV ought to leverage. That must rise up the political visibility index when we are lo-oking at the Fuel Quality and Biofuel Directives. The second point: We had an interesting presentation last month from EUROPIA, the petroleum industry representatives, that they will be having difficulty in the next few years meeting the quotas with the current refinery capacity. So bear that in mind as well.” He was generally positive that NGVs could take advantage of these factors.

Mrs. Morgan was very positive when she said, “In relation to the Biofuels Directive you have to make sure that the definitions are absolutely clear so that green biogas can be considered as part of that per-centage (20% replacement across sectors by 2020). That would drive the market. We have never had binding (CO2) targets before. Member states will be clamouring at your doorstep saying, “Please, can we use you as part of that 20% of the quota. It’s all there for you.” But she also said, “Don’t ask us to solve the chicken and egg problem for you. That’s your problem. We’re not going to be building this infrastructure.”

Closing the session Peter Boisen asked the OEM representatives on the panel, “What is most impor-tant to you – R&D money or Directives to support market drivers?” Gherardo Corsini from General Motors, who earlier outlined an ‘obligation’ for OEMs to deliver natural gas vehicles, said that R&D support was not needed, implying that Directives

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would help drive the market. “The technology is well understood. What is needed is infrastructure and increased awareness.” Participants generally agreed that there is a communications problem for NGVs relative to safety and to being in the market with vehicles that are transparent to their petrol and diesel counterparts. More people need to know that vehicles can run on natural gas.

Conference & Exhibition “The Original Equipment Manufacturers Panel Presentations & Discussion” One of the most important aspects for market penetration and long term, sustainable success is availability of NGVs. In these the two panels – one for Heavy Duty NGVs and a second for Light Duty Vehicles – experts from the OEM and others manufacturers of equipment for OEMs presented their products and prospects about the NGV tech-nology currently available and considered into the future.

Heavy Duty Vehicles: Products and Prospects Into the Future participants:- Cummins Westport, Greg Young - Ekobus, Peter Harnoc- Hardstaff, Trevor Fletcher- Irisbus, Valery Cervantes- IVECO, Manuel Lage- Woodward Governor, Brian Gorman

Light Duty Vehicles: Products and Prospects Into the Future participants:- Ford/CNG Technik, Klaus Bohn- Fiat, Michele Ziosi- Renault, Phillippe Schulz- OEM Prototypes for Future Development, Hans

Wach, GasMobile- An OEM Customer’s Challenges, Mats Ekelund,

Board of Directors, Taxi Stockholm

Thinking Outside the Box: Innovations in the NGV Industry papers:- Hythane: Improving an Already Great Gas, Greg

Solomon, Eden Energy - New Concept NGV: CLEVER with Removable Fuel

Tanks, Steffen Abele, WEH - EcoFuel World Tour: Around the World with

Natural Gas, Rainer Zietlow

Renewable & Sustainable Energy for Europe papers:- The EU Biofuel Strategy: Is it a Sustainable

Pathway?, Stephan Ramesohl, Wuppertal Institute

- Giving Birth to Biogas for Vehicles: The Lille, France

Story, Guy Hascoet, CEO Sustainable Development Agency

- Taking Biogas to the Next Level, Lars Holmquist,, Göteborg Energi AB

■■ SOME OF THE PRESENTED PAPERSMitchell W. Pratt Natural Gas offers multiple benefits. It’s a lowest carbon fuel; can claim a Well to Wheels GHG Reduction of 21% to 27%; it’s ready today, for passenger cars, medium duty vehicles, heavy duty vehicles. When launching a new global fuel, the implemen-tation strategy is key, based on a variety of models. EU has demonstrated a leadership in the LDV sector and refuelling stations. Historically, NG fuel savings is not dramatic in North America. NGV are promo-ted for other benefits.

The results are achieved by setting the target on the gross polluters. To achieve emission reductions, the target is set on base fleets, to enable the infra-structure support, the target is set on high fuel use fleets, to justify investment in large fast fill stations. We have to add public access dispensers to expand the NG network. Another target is society’s backbone fleets, to get societal funding, fuel diversity and price stability. In the high fuel use fleets the yearly fuel consumption is ranging between 15,000 and 20,000 gallons per bus. For the economic station development, the fuel and operating cost is important, as well as gover-nment funding.

There are over 10,000 NG Buses in US. We serve 3,200 buses each night, at more than 30 stations. Airports are a major source of regional pollution. Airports expansion requires mitigation of emissions of all the high volume fleets, transit, taxis and shut-tles. We need to economically develop large public access stations. CE Operates at 18 Major Airports, and serve more than 1,600 NG Taxis & Shuttles. We want to establish a favourable NG taxi/shuttle policy, reduce taxi life to 4-5 years, require new NG vehicle purchases.

We want to increase NG purchase percentage re-quirement each year, develop incentives, investigate the possible scope for user tax for future purcha-ses (e.g $1 addition for airport pickup), to create a “fund” to support future NGVs. Those of trucks are high fuel use fleets, with an yearly average fuel con-sumption of 8,000 to 12,000 gallons per truck. The emissions reductions with a CNG truck is equivalent to removing 325 Cars. The good target would be 1 to 2 years payback time. The infrastructure operates both CNG or LNG. The total US market is about 200,000 trucks. The structure serves 30 fleets each with more than 800 Trucks. Bio-gas is an exciting opportunity.

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We can offer franchise incentives and other finan-cial incentives. Port customers are another major source of regional air pollution. There are high fuel use fleets: goods movement trucks, port operatio-nal trucks, yard hostlers. Goods movement is an economic backbone. Here also the fuel diversity is important, and the fuel price stability is essential.

France: course of action to carry out “NGV fu-ture” - Vincent Tissot-Favre - Secretary General AFGNVThe French Natural Gas Vehicles Association, AFGNV was created on the initiative of French Ministry of Industry, Gaz de France and the French Vehicle ma-nufacturers. With the aims to help the diversity of energy supply and environmental protection, to make the main NGV leaders work together, to play a role in setting industry standards, regulation of the sector, tax elements and ongoing research.

Today there are in France 2,000 city buses run-ning on CNG, in service in 22 cities. IRISBUS is the market leader in Europe, with more than 2,500 CNG buses in service. There are then 650 CNG garbage trucks in service in 11 cities. The current development of NGV fuel in France is based on city buses, garbage trucks, private and public fleets, vehicles for private individuals (Citroën; Fiat; Opel; Mercedes; Peugeot; Renault; VW). In view of the targets of NGV development up to 2010, a proto-col has been signed among the French Ministry of Industry, Gaz de France, Carrefour, Total, Peugeot Citroën, Renault, Renault Trucks, under the aegis of AFGNV. This agreement contains two main aims: to amplify the current successes of heavy vehicles. Objective to 2010 is to double the park of CNG buses, to triple the park of trucks.

To promote vehicles for private individuals with NGV designed engines for “the man-in-the-street” the Objective to 2010 is 100,000 NGV and 300 public refuelling stations. The key points are: re-duction of urban pollution and greenhouse gases via use of NGV. Consumer guarantee to provide high quality services of: security of use, identical performance compared to gasoline vehicles, attrac-tive costs, for purchase as well as for running costs. Different ways of distribution for polyvalent usage: enough refuelling stations for an efficient network, domestic compressors for refuelling at users’ ho-mes. AFGNV provides an interactive organization among the members of the NGV project in France. The public authorities will ensure an attractive tax system. The French car manufacturers are working to develop the most advanced technologies to offer optimized high performance motorization. Gaz de France will offer an original way of NGV distribution with domestic compressors for refuelling at users’ homes. The petroleum companies will prepare a NGV network of refuelling stations across France.

The plan of action is to give natural gas its own place in the car fuel market; and to obtain all the NGV benefits: energy supply diversity, environ-mental protection with low emissions, reduction of greenhouse gases, economical reality with cost reductions.

The Italian perspective - Michele Ziosi - NGV System ItaliaThe Italian NGVs industry could be one of the keys to the strength and competitiveness of Italy. It pro-vides direct employment to more than 7-8,000 peo-ple and supports another thousands jobs in related sectors. Its turnover is about 1,500 millions Euro. It invests around the 4% of turnover in R&D.

The value of the Italian NGV Companies is a con-stant innovation in components: gas cylinder valves with enhanced safety features; monitoring of on-board CNG installations; connections and couplings optimized for very fast filling; high-strength steel or fibre reinforced gas cylinders.

The value of the Italian NGV Companies is a conti-nuous innovation also in filling stations: modularity; low energy consumption; low noise; urban environ-ment; hydrogen and biogas.The value of the Italian NGV Companies is inno-vation in “system” concepts: planning of filling

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station distribution for service optimisation on a “regional” basis; innovative systems for CNG fleet management; innovative systems for filling station management (public-private stations).

The value of the Italian NGV Companies is also innovation in vehicles: gas cylinders integrated in the vehicle structure; no on-board space limitations; low fuel consumption and very low emission en-gines.

CNG can be regarded as a bridge to cleaner solu-tions like biomethane, and later also hydrogen. The opportunity to blend biogas into the Natural Gas grid could provide an important benefit in terms of WTW balance.

Mixing a controlled quantity of Hydrogen in-to Natural Gas provides an additional benefit in terms of emissions reduction. This approach does not require a “revolution” of the engine system, but only an “evolution” based on the Natural Gas technologies already existing. By using the techno-logy developed within CNG applications, promo-ting the use of CNG/H2 blends may speed up the process to develop the future Hydrogen scenario,

boosting the production & distribution pathway as well as the specific regulations and service rules. CNG should be promoted by Member States and by EU Institutions as a today-mid term solution and a link to mid-long term solutions bridging to cle-aner alternatives like biogas and hydrogen, which are part of the EU strategy for sustainable energy and mobility for Europe. Unfortunately the current regulations cause sometimes some constraints to a real and wide development of NGVs market. This is the case of self-service, multii dispenser and home refuelling.

Self-service: some evidence of safety has been pro-vided to legislators. Possible changes of the national law are hopefully still under evaluation.Multi dispenser Common CNG refuelling stations: some evidence of safety has been provided to Legislators also for this appliance. The current le-gislation is not very clear. Possible changes of the national law are still under evaluation also in this case.

Home refuelling systems: Only few Regions allow the appliances today. Possible changes of the na-tional law are still under evaluation.The Italian industry for Natural Gas Vehicles is well established and developed and must be backed by a set of regulations “up-to date”. The essential condi-tion for it to become a meaningful economic entity, beneficial for air quality and energy balance of the country is to “spring out” from its “niche” condi-tion and to become a “two digit” phenomenon. All the above requires a stable fiscal and regulatory framework and is the target on which presently the Italian industry is engaged.

CNG trucks in urban transport: a cost effective and fully proven solution for cleaner air in ci-ties -Manuel Lage – IVECO Natural Gas Vehicle Development IVECO believes CNG vehicles represent a very va-lid solution to satisfy the present demand of clean vehicles for urban applications. The IVECO CNG buses, trucks and delivery vans are the ideal and affordable answer to reduce pollution in the urban context. The NG distribution network is not an ob-stacle for the diffusion of CNG vehicles, because most of them are fleets. The IVECO product focus is on environmental care, transport safety and pro-ductivity on the road.

The use of CNG for city transportation in trucks and buses offers significant advantages: much lower pol-luting emissions; much lower noise (90 dB instead of 95 at 1 metre), reduced CO

2 emission. In the case of stoichiometric mixture combustion (the choice made by Iveco), exhaust pollutants are well below the levels of the EEV (Enhanced Environmental Vehicle), very near the fuel cell level.

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Stoichiometric IVECO engines, �=1,don’t emit NO2, the pollutant that doesn’t seem to be decreasing in Europe, on the contrary to NO that has a decreasing trend. IVECO is the major player of CNG in Europe, and the leader in CNG buses production. The yearly emission saving of an IVECO CNG HD vehicle versus Diesel Euro 3 limits are for NOx: 132,391 kg; for CO + HC + PM: 703,000kg; for CO2: 2,069,440 kg.

IVECO CNG vehicles in the world (2006)• Daily range (vans and minibuses): 2,560• Heavy trucks: 1,070• Buses: 3,900• Engines: 2,260• Total: 9,790

IVECO CNG engines• SOFIM 3,0 litres TCA 136 CV• TECTOR 5,9 litres TCA 200 CV• CURSOR 7,9 litres TCA 270/310 CV

IVECO considers Biogas as a very good solution. It can be seen as another source of natural gas. Biogas comes from fermentation processes of bio-mass (organic waste, landfills, vegetable and animal feedstock), which produces methane rich gases.

It brings together the advantages of natural gas with the environmental benefits of renewable ener-gy sources, which does not contribute to CO2 emis-sions and reduces the dependency on fossil fuels.

Due to the wide range of sources, there is a large potential for biogas production, which, in Europe, is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.

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Fig 5 5 compared NOx emissions g/kWh

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Fig 6 emissions of IVECO Cursor CNG

Stoichiometric IVECO engines, �=1,don’t emit NO2,

EMISSIONS OF VEHICLES IN SERVICE

emissions in g/km

stoichiometric lean burn

improvement

HC 1.17 1.92 39%

NOX 2.17 4.50 52%

PM 0.008 0.016 50%

CO2 1,046 1,447 28%

Diesel Euro 3

1,150 9%

Diesel Euro 3 + CRT

1,240 16%

[source: VTT report 2004 – EEV certified engines]

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Fig 7 IVECO Cursor CNG engine

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Fig 8 IVECO CNG refuse collection fleet in Madrid (675 vehicles)

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Fig 9 IVECO CNG HD trucks

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The raw biogas composition is variable depending upon different factors like garbage origin, humidity, temperature, etc., but it normally contains 50-55% of methane (CH4) and 40-42% of carbon dioxide (CO2). The depuration of this gas means: avoiding the emission of CO2 to the atmosphere; reusing the CO2 as a commercial product; eliminating other pollutants like Cl2, Fl2, SH2.

The purified biogas will have a 90-95% methane content. In terms of use in vehicles, the advantages of natural gas are increased with a much better balance of total CO2 due to the renewable origin of biogas. With the available data we can assume that the garbage collection system of a big city (population about 5 million) can produce some 40 MM cubic metres of raw biogas per year.

The yearly consumption of natural gas of the com-plete garbage collection fleet (445 trucks in 2006) is 10.5 MM cubic metres. The yearly biogas produc-tion of the city is about 40 MM cubic metres.

Once refined this would mean 22 MM cubic metres of biomethane available. This volume is enough to fuel a fleet of 1,000 urban HD vehicles (buses or garbage trucks).

European NGV state of the Union - Jeffrey Seisler ENGVALegislative and regulatory drivers in Europe in 2007• Sustainable, Competitive, Secure Energy for

Europe• Euro 5 and Euro 6• Green Paper on Clean Urban Transport• Biofuels in the promotion of Renewable Energy• CO2 mandate 130 g/km by 2012• Fuels Directive• Market Based (Tax) Instruments

ENGVA main break-through• Green Paper on Urban Transport (April 2007)• Strategic Energy Technology Plan (May 2007)• Biofuels Public Consultation (June 2007)• Market Based Instruments (July 2007)

“Fuel du jour” approach to alternative fuel po-licy making (also fed by the mass media)• 1980s: Electric batteries with the prospect of ‘free

energy’ from solar and photovoltaics• Also 1980s (U.S.): methanol• 1990s into early 2000s: fuel cell mania and the

prospect of ‘cheap’ hydrogen from renewable electricity (it’s still a ‘current’ panacea and will remain the ‘fuel of the future’ for a long time)

• Early 2000s: maintaining a liquid fuel pathway with gasoline hybrids (10 years ago hybrids = 23: two drive-trains, too complicated, too ex-pensive)

• 2003+ until the next wake-up call: liquid biofuels (ethanol & biodiesel)

Meanwhile, NGVs keep coming along; steady, improving, reliable and renewable. There are no fuel panaceas. Every fuel has its benefits and its challenges:- Cost- Environmental quality & impacts- Energy availability & security- Compatible vehicle technologiesThe critical challenge is to find the right balance and mix of fuels in the marketplace. Petroleum-based vehicle technologies improve but need better qua-lity and more expensive fuels. New opportunities for alternatives are created, but status-quo liquids will be around for a long time.

Requirements for all NGVTransparency compared to petrol & diesel in terms of –performance–reliability–low emissions–priceNGVs should be a fuel alternative, not just an al-ternative fuel.

Challenges for NGVs worldwide• The number of OEM NGVs needs to be expan-

ded.• Improved communications between vehicle ma-

nufacturers and customer is needed to achieve a market share to justify mass production.

• Quality control of vehicle conversions will be im-portant.

• Better PR & communications needed.• Fuel industry enthusiasm and commitment (na-

tural gas industry & oil companies/retailers) ne-eds to be emphasized to solve the chicken-egg dilemma.

• Links to H2 continue to be important for the long term outlook.

Pathways to success; the future is bright• NGVs for greater fuel diversity in the transporta-

tion sector leads to improved energy security• Biogas-to-biomethane provides a low carbon re-

newable resource opportunity• NGVs have a distinct role to play in climate chan-

ge• CNG, LNG, L-CNG and biomethane provide di-

verse, complimentary pathways• Transition to a better balance in the transport sec-

tor fuel mix to 10% or more is a realistic goal

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Global opportunities and challenges – John Lyon – IANGV PresidentThe world is facing a number of major challenges: oil shortage; air pollution; global warming. Over the past number of years, annual oil consumption has consistently been higher than annual oil reser-ves additions. Substituting oil in the transportation sector can have the single largest impact in lowering world oil demand. Transportation consumes 65% of oil production. Air pollution caused by automobiles is a major problem in many countries. NGVs are a significant part of the solution to oil shortages, global warming and air pollution. They reduce oil demand 8% by 2020; improve energy choice fle-xibility; improve security of energy supply; improve

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Fig 10 NGV in the world

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Fig 11 the top 10 countries

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Fig 12 the growth rate 2006 - 2007-09-16

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Fig 13 NGV in Europe

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Fig 14 NGV ratio in Europe

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Fig 16 Europe’s < 1,000 club

Fig 15 Europe’s 1,000 + club

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world economic stability (dampen oil price); im-prove balance of payments; allow the use of rene-wable energy (biomethane); reduce greenhouse gases by 25%; reduce harmful vehicle emissions. And the natural gas engines emit the lowest level of greenhouse gases. The world wide current oil consumption is 85 M bbl/day. Based on projections of 65M NGVs by 2020, 8 million barrels of oil per day could be substituted with natural gas. Many countries are using NGVs to solve their air pollution problems (NOx, SOx, CO, Particulates, Aromatics, etc.). Today’s total world vehicle population is 750 million. By 2020, 9% of vehicles in the world will be fuelled with natural gas (65 Million vehicles). What Needs to be Done to Ensure the Continued Growth of NGVs? Governments must implement and sup-port a long term NGV (natural gas and biomethane) strategy. Gas utilities support of industry/market is crucial. Vehicle OEMs should increase production of NGVs and develop new models. We must improve the availability of economic, reliable, safe and en-vironmentally friendly vehicle conversions. We also need an aggressive development of CNG refuelling infrastructure. IANGV Objectives are: government lobbying and policy assistance; providing industry information to members and stakeholders; stan-dards development and dissemination; standards harmonization; organizing industry conferences, including our own conference held every two years; collecting relevant statistical data; facilitating tech-nical information exchange; marketing and industry awareness activities.

Clément Chandon – Iveco IrisbusIrisbus Iveco, is a European leader for CNG buses. It offers a complete vehicle range: Daily minibus; Europolis midibus 9m; Citelis 10, 12 and 18m bus. The positioning of the latest CNG technologies in the life cycle cost and environment analysis is bril-liant. Three pollutants are of importance: NO

x, CO2 and PM. The European studies, ExternE and Cleaner Drive, have defined the external costs of gaseous and particulate emissions in city areas: CO2: 46 €/T - CO: 3,5 €/T - HC: 2,000 €/T - NOx: 8,200 €/T - PM: 126,000 €/T. In the 2000-2007 period, Diesel oil price without taxes has more than doubled. From 2003 to 2007 Diesel oil price has increased by 39% (excise tax included, VAT excluded). From 2001 to 2007 diesel oil price has increased by 50% (excise tax included, VAT excluded). The natural gas price is still linked to crude oil price (index-linked to the continental Europe fuel and heating oil prices). Nevertheless, the price difference between oil and natural gas is increasing. The average European CNG public price has dropped from around 80% of Diesel oil price to around 60%. The professio-nal price is around 40-50% of Diesel oil price (on energy content basis). Hence, the favourable dif-ferential price increases as compared to diesel oil. Very Significant progress has been made in CNG

engines thanks to stoichiometric technology. The environmental performance is still very advanced as compared to diesel. The payback has doubled from 2001 to 2006.

Products and Prospects Into the Future - Greg Young – Cummins WestportGeneral Manager, Europe, Middle East, Africa, CIS and IndiaThe markets of Cummins Westport are in US, Canada and South America, China, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, Russia, Middle East, Asian subcontinent. The applications are buses, transit, city, shuttle etc, trucks refuse collectors, speciality, distribution, medium to heavy duty vehicles. By the end of 2007 over 16,000 Cummins Westport alter-native fuel engines will be in service. Natural gas demand and need is basically driven by three main drivers: lower emissions mandated by governments; energy diversification and risk for oil shortages or temporary reduction; economics. Historically, na-tural gas powered vehicles have had a premium of 25 to 40 % when compared with a similar diesel vehicle. However as emissions legislation tightens diesel powered vehicle costs are rising whilst natural gas vehicle costs are remaining relatively flat. Fuel costs are the biggest individual factor, for example natural gas in the US costs 25% less than diesel fuel, in some countries we have an even larger differential, e.g. UK, Philippines, etc.

In UK the additional cost of gas vehicles are paid back in a matter of 4 years, because of a national policy (UK BSOG), which is favourable to Diesel! Without this, the pay back time of additional cost of natural hgas vehicles is 1.5 years.

The stoichiometric combustion allows the use of 3-way catalyst. It is possible to meet EPA 2010 and beyond. It is also possible to meet EURO 5 and beyond. It can take profit from proven catalyst tech-nology from the passenger car industry.

We can expect the technology to deliver EPA/EURO

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Fig 17 LCC analysis

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emissions and competitive LCC with diesel. And to perform lower CO2 emission, less fuel burned. Cooled EGR may allow high torque, high efficiency, reliability and durability, utilising common diesel components.

Gas engine up to date technology allows improved LCC and performance, very low emissions with sim-ple, passive exhaust after treatment. We are 3 years ahead of US-EPA legislated requirement.

It can be applied to smaller but more likely to larger, more powerful engines. The13 litre engines could exceed 450 bhp power.

Cummins Westport gas engines- B Gas Plus and B LPG Plus: 5.9 litre - 150–230 hp

@ 2800 rpm - 420–500 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm- C Gas Plus: 8.3 litre - 250-280 hp @ 2400 rpm -

660–850 lb-ft @ 1400 rpm- L Gas Plus : 8.9 litre - 320 hp @ 2300 rpm - 1000

lb-ft @ 1400 rpm

Some examples of vehicle fleets with our en-gines around the world:- B Gas International (India Tata Motors Ltd) 230

bhp, 5.9 litre: in Delhi, the Transport Corporation ordered 500 new buses;

- C Gas Plus and ISL G, 280 to 320 bhp, 8.3 and 8.9 litre: USA OCTA ordered 560 buses;

- B Gas Plus 230 bhp, 5.9 litre: in China, Beijing Public ordered 250 buses.

Some open questions: about Euro 6, what levels do we need for emissions, need natural gas to be “cleaner” than diesel, so that the lower the levels the better? This might reduce the financial differential between diesel and gas vehicles. About standardize certifica-tion, a single worldwide certification fuel, as diesel has, is recommendable? About dual fuel, which gas composition and what substitution levels should we recommend, or should we just default to diesel? About biogas, which has a huge range in composition, do we

need a standard? How do we capture the carbon benefit of this fuel?

Heavy Duty NGV engine controls products and pro-spects into the future - Brian Gorman – Woodward Product Line ManagerWoodward is the World’s largest independent desi-gner, manufacturer, and service provider of energy control and optimization solutions for aircraft en-gines, industrial engines and turbines, and power equipment packages. It has built up two decades of control system ex-perience with natural gas engines for buses and urban vehicles. It has developed the OH1 and the new OH2 control systems for low emissions, high fuel efficiency.

Woodward’s OH systems provide capabilities to me-et the next level emission and performance require-ments Euro V, VI; US 2010 FTP; OBD requirements. The OH systems can support lean burn SPI engines; stoichiometric EGR engines; MPI engines. It can of-fer tailored systems solutions for Heavy Duty, on highway, spark ignited gas engines (6L to 16L).

The NGV sector faces some technical challenges. The ETC cycle is required for gas engine Euro 3/4/5. It is not optional. It is very difficult to meet cycle validation with gas engine unless the control system is advanced. The New requirements for “useful life” emissions will demand that the system can keep emissions controlled with system/engine degrada-tion even in this demanding cycle.

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Fig 18 emission trend

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Fig 19 typical products

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Fig 20 OH2.0 system Euro 4/5 lean burn

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OH2.0 demonstration for Euro 5 Woodward independent validation test of HMC Q engine to Euro 5 at Carnot Emissions Services using OH2.0 Lean Burn SPI technology. Engine was purchased by Woodward via Hyundai-Mobis.

No base engine hardware changes were made from the current production engine, and the current production torque curve was retained. The OH2.0 calibration was optimized to ensure the transient engine performance was sufficient to met all cycle validation requirements while simultaneously me-eting the stringent Euro 5 emissions levels.

The lean burn concept has some limits. The most advanced lean-burn engines are:• John Deere 8.1 liter, 250 Hp and 280 Hp Humidity,

SPI, TCI, Lean burn emissions are 1.5 g/bhp-hr NOx + NMHC (2.0 g/kwh), 0.01 g/bhp-hr PM

• Cummins C Series, 8.3 liter, 280 Hp SPI, TCI, Lean Burn emissions are 1.7 g/bhp-hr NOx + NMHC, < 0.01 g/bhp-hr PM.

These engines are below Euro 5, but nowhere near US FTP 2010 requirements. It is impossible to get US FTP 2010 and Euro 6 with lean-burn technology

Woodward’s software focuses on heavy-duty gas engine requirements. It is not modified from light duty software nor diesel algorithms. Special algorithms for gas engine have been developed. Woodward has a long history with dedicated gas engine controls.

Over 35,000 HD engines with Woodward gas sy-stems are in the field. MMS system was on the market from 980’s to 1990’s. OH1 system is in pro-duction since 1995, OH2.0 is in production since 2006. EGS-01 system for stationary gas engines is in production since 1990.

Hythane®, making a great fuel greater – Greg Solomon - Hythane Company LLCHythane® is an ultra-low emission, high efficiency premium blend of Natural Gas and hydrogen (5-7% H2). It is the transition fuel from Hydrocarbons to Hydrogen.

The engine can get ultra-low emissions achieving new low emission standards (50% reduction of NOx). It uses existing Natural Gas infrastructure, and it is suitable for use with CNG / LNG / Dual fuel. It is proven by over 15 years real world testing. Everything is in place for example, for rollout in India. It can be used to fuel buses, trucks, taxis, au-tomobiles, generators/gas turbines, locomotives.

eting the stringent Euro 5 emissions levels.

The lean burn concept has some limits. The most

emission item

Result (g/kWhr) Euro V Regulation

Limit (g/kW-hr)

CO 0.02 4

NMHC0.1*

0.55

CH4 1.1

NOX 1.79 2.0

PM Not measured ** 0.03

Notes*There was no methane cutter available to separate non-methane (NMHC) and methane (CH4) hydrocarbons so total hydrocarbons (THC) was measured and reported. But given the catalyst efficiency for NMHC the major portion of the hydrocarbons measured is CH4.**The particulate matter (PM) was not measured. For spark-ignited natural gas engines the PM comes exclusively from engine oil consumption. A modern state-of-the-art lean burn natural gas engine should be below the 0.03 g/kW-hr limit, based upon previous ETC testing for Euro 3.

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Fig 21 OH 2.0 stoichiometric system

OH 2.0 STOICH + EGR + TWC EMISSIONS RESULTS

Emissions (g/bhp-hr)

actual 2010 Standard

Notes

NOX 0.05 0.2 • 125 Hours catalyst

break-in prior to test.

• 2% cycle fuel penalty

over the lean burn @

2.0 g/bhp-hr NOx

NMHC 0 0.14

THC 0.44 nd

PM 0.002 0.01

CO 4.2 15.5

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Fig 22 Hythane® operating system

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Hythane Company LLC is a wholly owned subsidia-ry of Eden Energy. It has got US/Canadian Patent on fuel blend, and patented Hythane® blending equipment, Hythane® production equipment, CryoHythane® Engine conversion technology, and Hythane® Trademark. Its major markets are India, USA, China, Europe.

Hythane allows a leveraged use of hydrogen. A small amount of hydrogen can give big pollution reductions. Only 5-7% of hydrogen in the mixture (by energy) allows 50% reduction in NOx emission. So Hythane reduces NOx by more than 7 times than if used as pure H2.

Timeline of Hythane® projects: in 1990 the first Hythane® vehicle: a HCI pickup truck; (5% Hydrogen, by Energy Content; balanced CNG tanks under truck gave 250 km range). In 1993 in Denver, 3 light truck were used for a comparison project (50% reductions in CO and NOx, with just 5% of H2: leverage factor = 10!). In 1993-95 in Montréal a 2 bus pilot project followed. In 2002-04 in Palm Springs, California another pilot project was carried out with 4 buses. in 2005 in China a Yuchai engine conversion was performed. In 2007 in India an Ashok Leyland engine con-version was made. In 2007-8 some demonstration projects are planned in India. Reducing NOx, reducing THC, and increasing the efficiency, are th-ree interdependent parameters in adjusting a lean burn CNG engine for

Hythane. Changing any one affects the others.

Suitable hydrogen sources:• Reforming of Natural Gas (produces H2 + CO2)• Pyrolosis of Natural Gas (produces H2 and C)• Biogas / Renewable sources• Electrolysis of water (produces H2 and O2)• By-product H2 from industrial waste streamsLow purity hydrogen (more than 90%) is suitable for Hythane®.

NoteETC = European Transient cycleMEP = member of ParliamentMOU = memorandum of understandingSCR = selective catalytic converterTo see the presentations, photos of the events vi-sit the ENGVA website www.engva.org and go to the Publications and Tools section, or go directly to http://engva.org/files/25/default.aspx.

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Fig 23 emissions of a Hythane® bus

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Fig 24 progetti dimostrativi nella UE

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Programme9 October GREETING FROM THE AUTHORITIES AND OPENING• Sergio Cofferati, Sindaco di Bologna• Antonio Zamboni, Assessore alla Mobilità e Lavori

Pubblici del Comune di BolognaENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTModerator: Arcangelo Merella, Consulta Anci per la mobilità sostenibile Edgardo Curcio, President of AIEE - Scenari energetici• Mario Cirillo, APAT – Quality of environment in ur-

ban areas• Bruno Agricola, Ministry of Environment – Commit-

ment of Italy in reduction of pollution from traffi c and role of CNG

• Lorenzo Bertuccio, Director of Euromobility – Air quality and mobility: the contribution of CNG

Round table: OBSTACLES AND COMMITMENT OF INSTITUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY TRANSPORT SYSTEMS – WHICH ROLE FOR CNGModerator: Paolo Vettori, Federmetano• Gilberto Dialuce, Ministry of Economic Development

– The gas market – which prospects for automotive applications

• Marco Brigati, ENI Gas & Power – The commitment to development of CNG

• Daniela Carbone, ASSTRA –Targets and program-mes for CNG local public transport

• Aldo Bassi, Chairman ISO SC25 - Italian and Inter-national norms in the NGV sector

• Vanni Cappellato, NGV System Italia – The Italian industry of CNG: the management of the present market and proposals for the future

• Michele Gambino, L.De Simio, Istituto Motori, Na-poli, CNR – New generation mixed fuel natural gas engines for diesel vehicles

CNG EXPERIENCE AND QUALITYModerator: Alfredo Zaino, Metano&Motori• Manuel Lage, IVECO - IRISBUS - CNG bus and HD

– the technology evolution• Charalampos Dimitriadis, Mercedes - Technology of

the Mercedes Benz Citaro CNG bus • Michele Ziosi, Relazioni istituzionali FIAT - 10 years of

OEM CNG: market reactions and prospects• Luca Apollonj Ghetti, Relazioni esterne OPEL - OEM

CNG Production: market reactions and prospects• Flavio Merigo, Consister Quality - Training for wor-

kshop qualifi cation• Alessandro Marconi, Landi Renzo Spa - Case history:

conversion workshop certifi cation• Enzo Zuelli, appliances designer – the reliability and the

technology evolution of the CNG refuelling stations

■ ■ THE EVENTThe most important Italian conference and exhibition for NGV has been held in Bologna, on 9 and 10 Oc-tober, in Palazzo Re Enzo, Piazza Maggiore. It has been organised and supported by Federmetano, in collaboration with NGV System Italia, Eni, Legam-biente, Euromobility and AIEE. It is one among the number of initiatives carried on in Italy, and in Bolo-gna in particular, dealing with the low environmental impact mobility. The city of Bologna already hosted in the past the former editions of this conference, except the last two editions (held in Rimini and Rome). The 10° Metanau-to has been held in a period of particular recognition of the authorities, the institutions, the media, and the customers, of the validity of CNG as low environmen-tal impact fuel. NGV experience today a growth at the global level. This is due to the constant increase of bi-fuel CNG/gasoline OEM models, and to the conversions that, even if decreasing in number still play their important role in support of this sector. The two days agenda was dense and full of interesting issues. The conference started with a message sent by the President of the Italian Republic; opening was done by the mayor of Bologna, Sergio Cofferati, the councillor for Mobility Maurizio Zamboni and the General Ma-nager of the Ministry of environment Bruno Agricola. Particularly interesting was during the fi rst day the workshop “Energy and environment” and the round table “obstacles and commitment of institutions for environment friendly vehicles – which role for CNG?” involving the experts, and scientists from the main National associations and agencies for energy, and environment, as well as offi cials of the institutions, and operators of this sector. In the fi rst day afterno-on the meeting titled “CNG experience and quality” has been held, involving experts from car and CNG appliance manufacturers. During the second day the round table “The future of CNG: research, technology and communication” has been held. In the second day morning, in the presence of the anchormen of the radio broadcasting Radio 2 “Caterpillar” and the managers of Eni Gas & Power and Metauto, the main prize has been awarded, the fi rst of three, of the advertising contest organised by Eni, among the customers of the CNG market: a Fiat Panda Panda CNG, that was won by a young NGV driver; a girl from Ravenna. The conference has been attended by about 200 people. The exhibition (28 stands, plus the courtyard and front area of Palazzo Re Enzo) has been visited by about 700 people.

10° METANAUTONATIONAL NGV CONFERENCE

BOLOGNA, 9 – 10 OCTOBER 2007

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10 October Round table: THE FUTURE OF CNG: RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONModerators: Massimo Cirri and Filippo Solibello, an-chormen of the radio broadcasting Rai 2 Caterpillar• Paolo Vettori, President of Federmetano – the refuel-

ling station network: liberalization and conditions for the development

• Ezio Volpi, CRF Centro Ricerche Fiat – Technology evolution of CNG engines –which future

• Flavio Mariani, ENI Gas & Power, unità metano au-totrazione – the technology standards for the deve-lopment of this sector

• Gian Primo Quagliano, President of Econometrica Società di studi e comunicazione – which commu-nication for CNG

• Alfredo Zaino, Director of Metano & Motori – Corre-lation between the image of CNG and development of this sector

• Ermete Realacci, President, Commissione Ambiente, Camera - Role of the environment protection in the management of the atmospheric pollution from traffi c (phone contact)

THE FIRMS INFORM• Rocco Pellegrino, Idro Meccanica – The technology

of Idro Meccanica for the CNG refuelling stations• Stefano Paoli, Emer – Innovation has one name:

Emer

The conferenceSergio Cofferati, in his greeting speech said he was happy that METANAUTO come back to Bologna, its historical venue. The mayor outlined the great and constant commitment of this city to the development of sustainable transport means. Bologna is among the Italian cities more committed in the research for the most valid solutions for environment friendly mobility. Furthermore, Bologna is among the cities that adopt more incentives for the conversion of gasoline vehicles to CNG. This is the answer of the city to a need that is also amplifi ed by one of its peculiar characteristics that make it typical. Its road porches, thanks to which, even in the rain, it is possible to walk across the whole city centre without getting wet. These porches, once only ground for prestige, ended up by becoming another environmental problem. They are a trap for polluting compounds emitted by vehicles, that stands there longer. Sergio Cofferati has also reminded of another peculiar historical characteristic of this city: the expe-rience gained in now ancient times, in the application of machines for the traditional silk manufacture. This experience left to this area a strong hallmark, which last until the most recent time, giving it an entrepreneurial capability, and a technological bent, which was particu-larly effective for the development of the most modern engine technologies that are in application today.The councillor for mobility Maurizio Zamboni out-lined all the initiatives done and in progress for the creation of a cleaner environment. For example, the public transport bus and taxi fl eet, is evolving in this

direction. The substitution from diesel to CNG of the ATC vehicles is in progress, and the second dedicated CNG refuelling station for this fl eet has recently been inaugurated near the ATC bus depot of Due Madon-ne. Inside the CNG promotion policy, there are also administrative measures for traffi c limitation, favou-rable to NGV, as part of the measures for air quality protection, and fare discounts for NGV in public car parking. There are 2,302 CNG cars in Bologna, 27% of the park of Emilia-Romagna Region, and they will keep increasing in number; in fact, the taxi drivers buying new licenses will be strongly encouraged to get CNG or LPG cars.Martino Palermo, offi cial of Regione Lombardia, has illustrated the strategies for the construction of 140 new CNG refuelling stations by 2009, thank to an agreement signed one years ago among the operator’s associations, the fi rms of this sector and the public and private entities involved in the construction of these appliances. The strategies also plan for the increase of the number of NGV in the region by three, thus reaching the 1% share of the total vehicle park in Lom-bardia by 2010, (at lest 30.000 new CNG vehicles).Massimo Cirri and Filippo Solibello moderated the round table dealing with the future of NGV, with the same brilliant style characteristic of the irreverent and funny radio broadcasting Caterpillar (Rai Radio 2) tat they conduct. They asked all participants their opinion about the prospects for the future scenario of the NGV.Ezio Volpi, from Fiat Power Train (Centro Ricerche Fiat) has outlined the effort done by OEM, and in par-ticular by Fiat to offer to the market new CNG vehicle models, more and more sophisticated, widening the range, increasing the performance, and reducing the emissions, down to extremely low levels, thanks to a careful design, adopting the vanguard technologies of CNG engines. This sector seems to react in a very satisfactory way to these innovations. In the fi rst nine months of the current year the sales of CNG passenger cars and LD commercial vehicles have increased by more than 135% compared to 2006. New models could follow in the near future, especially if the trend of orders will keep showing so positive as in the last months, thanks to the ingress in the market of parti-cularly good CNG models, such as Panda Panda, Mul-tipla, Punto and Doblò. Fiat is also committed in an effort, considered opportune, to involve the operators of its dealers network, who have been encouraged to propose to the potential customers their CNG car models in a more convincing mood. In 2007 the CNG engines are state of the art. The future, …. The far future, will see hydrogen engines to be in the lime-light. But in the meanwhile, waiting for that future, our needs cannot wait for solutions too long. The requirements done by EC, the need to reduce CO

2, the concrete answers to pollution in urban areas, the need for a tendency to zero emissions, the reduction of oil dependency, all this is leading us to the study of sustainable and competitive engine technologies.

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such consumer’s mood manipulation; let’s just think of when we long for buying something that then immediately becomes of no interest. Resistance to this manipulation is different from person to person, but it is diffi cult to fi nd somebody who is totally in sensi-tive to publicity. Marketing always accurately detects the cultural and economic segments of the society, overcoming all barriers, because everybody has some weak point. Who does not communicate, or commu-nicates badly leave some space to other proposals to get satisfaction of customer’s needs. CNG is just ano-ther consumption option offered to a customer that is more and more bewildered. The question we have to answer is: can a man on the street feel today more satisfi ed by his choice to travel on CNG in comparison to another person travelling on gasoline or diesel? The research done so far, indicates that this satisfaction is felt by a small number of car drivers, who seek exer-cise cost savings. CNG still get a lowly image, hence it can reach only a customer share that, by choice or because of need, is made of low profi le consumers. This would be acceptable, if this was a luxury consum-ption, in a sector without any problem of pollution and lack of resources. In reality, the transport sector offers today an unprecedented mass mobility, but with environmental costs more and more heavy, and with alarming prospects of scarcity of energy in the medium and long term. The increased use of CNG in transport can be a bridge solution to a more effi cient transport system with a lower impact on environment. We ne-ed creating the conditions for this development to be adequate. The conditions for the development of the NGV sector are fi rst of all technical. It is not possible to disseminate NGV without a network of refuelling stations in operation around the clock. Also the tech-nical assistance for vehicle maintenance must be easy, and affordable. Among the conditions there is the creation of an image of the product “CNG fuel” and of the customer as “methane traveller” which be ade-quate to the potential customers to be reached: the professional and private consumers. In the case of the professional consumers, the image of the user of CNG is not so important for the person who decides non the purchase - who only considers technical and eco-nomical aspects – but this image is conveyed outside to the customers and community. The “values” attri-buted to the use of CNG are: the tendency towards innovation; the respect for environment and people. At fi rst, the positive image of CNG for commercial vehicles is transferred by the users as element of dif-ference compared to the competitors that are less innovation oriented and less cautious on the health of their customers. Then, the positive image need no longer to be spelt out, because people are informed and autonomously, get a negative impression of who didn’t follow this path. In the fi rst step the users of NGV are perceived as the best ones, in the second step the user of traditional fuel vehicles are perceived as the worst ones. The development of CNG in the commercial sector need to shift as soon as possible to

Such as downsizing with overcharging, the multi-air technology, the new engine heads with thermally optimised cooling system, that allow more than 20% reduction of specifi c fuel consumption with the same performance. The Fiat group is also considering the solution of the methane/hydrogen mixtures (30% H2), which combined with these innovative technologies, can give a further reduction of emissions of CO

2, CO and HC, with performance similar to that of CNG, and acceptable reduction of the running range (as compared to pure hydrogen).Flavio Mariani from Eni Divisione Gas & Power, pre-sented a panoramic of the normative framework of the NGV sector at the International level. He pointed out the extreme complexity of this scheme, which is an evidence of the great technological maturity of this sector, even if there are still some normative gaps left, at the International level especially in the case of some particular forms of natural gas, such as LNG. Mariani pointed out the fact that there are some more crucial gaps in the National norms, where for example, norms on CNG self-service refuelling mode are still missing. The situation concerning the periodic inspection of CNG vehicles and the competence of the technical assistance workshops, also need some clarifi cation, to carry the sector along its growth path. He offered then some optimistic consideration about the future of this sector. The fi gures circulated by the IANGV in fact, show that over the last decade the NGV sector has experienced at world level an yearly growth trend rate averaging 18%, which lead to the present world NGV park around 7 million vehicles. According to the evaluations of IANGV, if the NGV sector will keep this growth trend, in 2020 there will be 65 million NGV in circulation around the world. The gas industry, and in particular Eni is determined to support this sector, and to foster its growth, assigning to this aim also valuable and highly professional human resources.Alfredo Zaino Director of the magazine Metano & Motori, pointed out that this sector needs a renovation of its image, to lose at long last its traditional thrifty niche connotation, thus entering the sector of normal automotive fuels also mature from the commercial point of view. This means to become a new fuel al-ternative, rather than just an alternative fuel. Classic economics relates quality and quantity of consumed goods in a determined market and the mix of purcha-ses that give the customer the maximum satisfaction. The rate of satisfaction perceived by the customer for the purchase of a good, in particular in the case of non-essential goods, is affected by communication campaigns made by fi rms in a more or less explicit way to allure the potential customer. Maybe it is disa-greeable the idea that our behaviour is determined by somebody we don’t know, but we cannot deny that this is the case. Let’s just think of all these tender mummies that take their children to school with me-chanical monsters designed to climb mountain’s mu-le tracks. A utility vehicle would suit in a more satisfac-tory and cheap way. Everybody can fi nd examples of

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the second step, with the dissemination of information about the possibility to keep high levels of mobility in urban areas without damaging the environment and the lungs of inhabitants, at acceptable costs for com-panies. For private passenger cars owners the defi ni-tion of the image is conveyed inward; it is a positive self perception that makes more desirable the use of CNG compared to the other energy sources. The ide-al consumers of CNG are sensitive to the atmospheric pollution problem in urban areas, because they live or work in this environment and suffer the consequences of pollution in terms of health and traffi c limitations. They use the vehicles preferentially on limited and repetitious itineraries. For them, the limited running range, typical of NGV, is not a real problem. Even with this limitation, the potential market is enormous, con-sidering the present level of CNG consumption. The consumer of CNG is able to choose the best option available because he is informed; he timely makes the best choice because he is confi dent in the future; he is not infl uenced by technology, but rather uses it to live better. The image of CNG must be rebuilt starting from the present image of thrifty fuel destined to who is easily satisfi ed, for the sake of money saving. CNG is the most valuable energy source among those not renewable. The methane molecule is the simplest one compared to the other hydrocarbons; it contains on-ly an atom of carbon and four atoms of hydrogen. Its combustion is intrinsically cleaner and offers a great potential effi ciency when technology takes full profi t of its characteristics. Natural gas is present in nature, it is ready for use as it is in reservoir; all you need is draw it out, and transport it with underground pipes up to the CNG dispenser. No refi neries, no ground transport, no pollution. Starting from these statements we can draw a reference scheme for defi nition of a new image of CNG. Its intrinsic value is coming from its capability to allow further increases of mechanical energy effi ciency compared to other fuels; and from the longer service life and higher reliability of CNG engines. Each vehicle “gives” its exhaust pipe gases to the lungs of the one who is following on the next vehicle, in an evil chain in which everybody is simulta-neously a poisoned victim and an aware poison emit-ter. A not negligible portion of gas is breathed by the producer himself. When parking in garage, when in a queue, and in many other instances all of us have smelt the disagreeable smell of our car’s exhaust gases. With CNG all this is over. Not good for aerosol, but the worst part is over. And the engine is more silent when running. The CNG cars alone are among the cleanest means of transport. If we consider the well to wheel process, the comparison is even better. Fur-ther improvements can come in the future thanks to dedicated and optimised engines. Some statements can be made about the image of NGV. CNG is tech-nological, it is strong, it is fast, it is sound because it is friendly with the nature and people living in it. We can try a synthesis of the two images (consumer – pro-duct): CNG is a technological strength for travelling

with confi dence in the future. The redefi nition of the image of CNG must eliminate the image of poverty it used to convey in the past. The user of a NGV knows he has got a time machine. If you enter some of the refuelling stations you fall back to the fi fties; and if you enter some conversion workshops you go back to the beginning of 1900. Not that all the refuelling stations operators offer a bad service, or are behind the times. Opposite, we have to appreciate their worth to have stubbornly defended the scope for an alter-native energy source that otherwise would have di-sappeared long ago. But neglecting the appearance of the refuelling stations is noxious for the develop-ment of this market. Another negative element is the diffi culty for the NGV driver to fi nd the service station. Many of them are located down the narrow country roads, without any signage leading to them. This is a consequence of norms now obsolete, but the nega-tive impression stays there. Another problem for the image is the lack of a sign which is distinctive of this product. A lot of people are still convinced that there is just one single gaseous fuel instead of two alterna-tive systems (LPG – CNG) with totally different charac-teristics. Maybe the dissemination of the new image of methane fuel should start from the sector operators themselves.Paolo Vettori, President of Federmetano, illustrated his brief study titled: “CNG sector– 30 years history”Over 30 year of history of this sector tell us what the future may look like. The available data confi rm how the distribution of CNG is sensitive, more than some other products, to some factors that determine its de-velopment: the trend of this sector cannot suddenly accelerate and it must grow in a coordinated and well balanced way in all its components. In the past this sector suffered for some “abuse” concerning:• The tax rate, which was increased in the middle of

the seventies, in a week, from 21 to 120 lire/m3. It is like if today the retail price would pass in a week from 0.80 to 1.70 €/kg;

• The “additional tax” – imposed in the second half of the eighties - to “meet” the needs of another ga-seous fuel for which a shift was in progress from the residential to the automotive market. This additional tax heavily affected the profi tability of CNG com-pared to diesel, and in particular compared to lpg, causing a decrease of NGV park and CNG sales;

• The proposal in the Financial act 1998 of an extreme-ly high carbon-tax of 567 Lire/mc. (at that time it was zero) probably not on an environmental rationale, as the proponent pretended; it was then reduced to one fi fth of that amount, after a strong battle in the Parliament. If that proposal would have been accepted, CNG would have today a retail price over 1.400 € per kilogram, instead of its actual price of 0.800 ;

• The Government fi nancial incentives for the conver-sions of vehicles to gas, originally were meant only for CNG, then they have been also extended to lpg. It appears quite odd that the offered amount of mo-

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periods, bringing the clock of the development back, and damaging the interest of the consumers and po-tential customers of this fuel, i.e. those to whom the High Chamber intervention is addressing. It would be a pity. Again, we would be forced to observe that unfortunately, the policy choices go in an opposite direction than the needs of the sector.Ermete Realacci, with his phone speech, has defi ned methane as the better energy source among the fossil fuels because of the reduced emissions of CO2, and also because of this it could have a strong develop-ment in the next decades. He is totally in favour of the activity in progress or proposed, in collaboration with Legambiente, concerning the Progetto Metano Autostrade (motorway methane project). During the debate there have been some critical interventions from the audience. Some operators present in the room outlined the lack of quality of distribution service, and the still rather inadequate development of the refuelling station network on the territory, to which the liberalization could offer a remedy; or could anyway improve the situation. Vettori objected that the development of the network must be harmonious and rational, and: «…it is necessary that who intends to enter the sector, is fi rst of all respectful of who has “built” it, and he must accept the fundamental principle that the distribution of methane is not like that of the liquid fuels and it needs the will of “doing things” and some humbleness to “learn how to work fi rst”».

Some of the papersAldo Bassi, Sintesi AB – “Italian and International Norms for NGV.”A certifi cation regulation or norm of an industrial pro-duct are means for defence of the consumer against possible risks and damages deriving from the use of the product, subjecting it to previous theoretical veri-fi cation and experimental tests according to a list of detailed compulsory directions. The preparation of norms is a complex process, invol-ving the harmonisation of the certifi cation regulations; sometimes it faces activity duplication problems. Be-fore publishing, standards must get a wide consensus from member countries around the world.

ney is the same in both cases, whereas there should be a difference in favour of CNG, which conversion cost is far higher.

These problems have been solved, with struggle and determination. But it took years; and every one of them slowed down the development of the sector, and of the refuelling station network. Now the situa-tion is good. The CNG and NGV sales are growing concurrently. The refuelling station network is also in-creasing. And the total number of refuelling stations increased in few years from 335 to 595 by the end of 2007. What is still not OK is, unavoidably, the sales rate per each refuelling station. But, even if slowly, also this is improving. So, if nothing wrong comes about, we can be satisfi ed. But, now the sector must instead confront the project of law on the liberalization of the Minister Pierluigi Bersani. This project of law has already been approved by the Chamber of Deputies; it accepted the legitimate re-quests of this sector, and includes two very important points to grant the sector the constant development. A specifi c sub-paragraph to CNG (art. 1, sub-paragraph 5), prescribes that the Authority for Power and Gas regulate the delivery modes for natural gas as auto-motive fuel (which is only considered today as general fuel for industrial applications), and the possibility for the Regions to give instructions on how to develop the refuelling station network the proper way, with a privilege to the areas of lower penetration. At the time of the conference, everything on this mat-ter seemed to be under discussion in the upper Cham-ber. Vettori said he hopes that all this is not put in jeopardy for sake of “business competition” and “free market”. In this case, for the refuelling station network would mean coming back to the uncertainties of some

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Fig 1 Round Table “the future of NGV”

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Fig 2 il the CNG market from 1976 to 2007

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Fig 3 NGV normative framework

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The target is connection among markets through the mutual recognition of certifi ed products, with optimum levels of safety, reliability, and economy of production. Regulations R110 e R115 (ECE-ONU) have now been in force for years for certifi cation of CNG vehicles, and the norms of the series 15500 – 15501 for systems and CNG on-board components. Regulations are law, and are continuously updated, by amendments, coming from the experience built up. The standards for refuelling systems are still to be published (public refuelling stations and VRA, Ve-hicles Refuelling Appliance): prEN 13638 and prEN 13915, and we hope they will be published soon. Also norms for methane/hydrogen mixtures and LNG are under evaluation for industrial vehicles. UN/ECE (United Nation – Economic Community for Europe), after the Geneva International agreement of 1958 (ONU) has the mandate to issue UN/ECE regulations that are necessary for certifi cation and sale of industrial products. After a recent agreement between ISO and UN/ECE, the Standards published by ISO can be adopted and included in UN/ECE Regulations, so they become law too. The ISO Standards are not compulsory norms for certifi cation; they are recommendations for good en-gineering, nevertheless they can become obligatory in some countries. They can be used as collateral norms for International tenders for industrial products. This procedure is generally adopted by bodies of fi rms in countries in Asia or Latin America.Vanni Cappellato, President of Consortium NGV Sy-stem Italia – “the Italian NGV industries: management of the present and proposals for the future”The CNG industry in Italy can be one of the key ele-ments of success and competitiveness of Italy. It directly

offers a job to 7-8,000 people, and indirectly to some more thousand people; its turnover is about 1,500 million Euro; it invests in R&D about 4% of turnover. In Italy there are today about 420,000 NGV. Each year about 100,000 new cars enter the market (2007). In the areas where the NGV market is more developed, it reaches a penetration rate of 8% already today. A complete range of OEM CNG is available. About 2,100 urban buses are in service in 50 cities; and 7-800 municipal service vehicles. The bigger Italian cities made the strategy choice of CNG. CNG can be seen as a bridge towards even cleaner solutions, such as for example bio-methane. Since 1995 the Italian industry adopt biogas (from urban solid waste treatment, bio-methane) to fuel the trucks for garbage collection in Rome. In some other countri-es, bio-methane is collected by the natural gas pipeline system (the Swiss “naturgas”). Bio-methane is recovering the CO

2 produced by some human activity, hence the impact on the greenhouse effect is zero, or even negative. All systems that use natural gas can use bio-methane as well, without any modifi cation. Mixing a certain quantity of hydrogen with natural gas can give some additional benefi ts in terms of emission reduction. This does not ask for any revolution, it only need evolution, based on already existing gas technologies. Using well settled natural gas technology to promote the use of methane/hydrogen mixtures, can accelerate the development of a future hydrogen scenario, foste-ring its production and distribution, and the prepara-tion of the necessary norms. CNG must be promoted by government as solution for the present and the medium term, and as preparation for middle long term solutions, acting as a bridge to even cleaner solutions such as biogas and hydrogen, that are covered by the European strategy for energy and sustainable mobility. After more than ten years, since it was “Discovered for the second time”, “natural gas” is fl anking the other fuels with equal dignity. This development has accom-panied, and has been favoured, by a great innovation potential in the Italian industry. But we are in a delicate transition period; it is necessary that this market grows by a two digit trend, to support the industry, and to avoid the new customer being discouraged ad go back to traditional fuels (refuelling diffi culties). NGVSI believes that there are some im-portant points, such as the stability of incentives, and not stop and go like it is today; those who invest in this sector must get confi dence; who buys a CNG car must also be confi dent in his choice. The fi scal stability for a suffi ciently long time in the future is also very important; so are excise and other tax exemption. Some more key factors: the ease of re-fuelling; the development of the network of refuelling stations; the possibility to adopt self-service mode.

Innovation potential of fi rms: Refuelling stations• Modularity: small complete compressors, to add on

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Fig 5 scheme of a gas vehicle (CNG or LNG) and norms

Fig 4 trend of norms

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programmes for local CNG public transport”The Italian local public transport sector is made of over 1,260 operators, with a turnover of about 8 billion Euro and employs 116,500 workers. The transported passengers are 5.4 billions, running in total 1.9 billion kilometres. The vehicles (road and metro), are 48,000; regional railways (excluded FS) have 830 trains. ASSTRA represents, in terms of turno-ver, 95% of urban transport and 75% of extra-urban transport. The mobility is for sure the most manifest environmen-tal stress factor in cities. It is the origin of impact phenomena such as accident rate, congestion, atmospheric and acoustic pollution, with negative effects on welfare, health and life of inhabitants. Compared to the total emissions in cities, the transport sector contributes in the eight lager Italian cities (Mila-no, Torino, Genova, Bologna, Firenze, Roma, Napoli, Palermo), by more than 65% of emissions of PM10, nitrogen oxides and ammonia; by more than 85% of the emissions of benzene; 50% of non methane VOC; more than 80% of carbon monoxide. In the urban scenario the impact of pollution from TPL (public transport) is marginal

compared to that of the other categories: emissions of CO, CO

2, NOx and benzene are negligible compared to those produced by private vehicle traffi c; the emis-sions of PM10 from buses represent only a marginal share (about 7%) of the fl eet in circulation.[Source: Euromobility – CNR, Istituto Inquinamento

as the sales increase• Low consumption of power for compression, thanks

to high effi ciency• Low noise• Urban architecture: new refuelling stations often

adopt shape and technical solutions innovative and nice

• Hydrogen and biogas: prepared for the future: all appliances can use biogas and many of them are already certifi ed for hydrogen

Components• Valves: an effort for miniaturization and integration

provides compact valves including all the safety de-vices

• Innovative electronic systems control pressure over the whole gas vehicle system

• Electronic injection is controlled by originally desi-gned systems, which integrate CNG and gasoline functions

• Systems piping and fi ttings are optimized for quick refuelling

• High resistance steel or composite cylinders, lightweight sector leader

Engines and vehicles• Cylinders integrated in the structure ensure: crash-

test resistance meeting the most stringent norms; no space limitation on-board

• Low consumption natural gas engines; with very low emissions (2012 level); specifi c power delivery equivalent to diesel engine; universal application Systems

• Planning of the development of CNG on “regional” scale, with “proprietary” software to properly cal-culate the number and optimum positioning of the refuelling station network

• Innovative vehicle management systems; the fl eet operator only worries about his “core business”, the fuel supplier also looks after vehicle management (maintenance, cleaning, etc.)

• innovative refuelling stations management systems (dedicated to the fl eets, with also a section open to public); a “double face” plant, private and public, optimizes the investment.

Daniela Carbone, ASSTRA – ROMA “Targets and

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Fig 6 market trend of fuels in Italy

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Fig 7 Incidence of transport on emissions

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Fig 8 CNG bus percentage by region

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Atmosferico]. The number of buses in 2005 has increased by 700 units compared to 2004. The mileage of CNG buses increases for class I vehicles (9%) and also that of elec-tric buses, hybrids and LPG vehicles (5% of the total fl eet). For class II vehicles instead, the main fuel used is diesel oil (99% of the total consumption). In 2005 the number of CNG buses has tripled compared to 2004. In 2004 CNG buses were 511 out of a total 17,039, in 2005 they were 1,601 out of a total 17,792. This sector is very active, many local transport utilities are buying or will soon buy new CNG vehicles.Charalampos Dimitriadis – “Technology of the Mer-cedes Benz Citaro CNG bus”Our bus 405 CNG has been launched in 1994, and has been in production from 1994 to 2000. there are a high fl oor and a low fl oor version. It is propel-led by a naturally aspirated engine M 447 hG with a power of 175 KW (238 hp). The number of solo bus and articulated bus Mercedes fuelled with CNG in circulation is today about 600. In occasion of Expo 2000 in Hannover has been launched the articulated low fl oor CNG bus ÜSTRA. It has got an Euro 2 CNG engine. 40 solo bus have been put in circulation with a 185 KW (252 hp) engine, and 16 articulated bus with a 240 KW (326 hp) engine. Our Mercedes Benz Citaro CNG EEV has a gas engine M 447 hLAG 12.0 litres, with a power of 250 hp or 326 hp; it has got EEV certifi cation. In Mannheim we produce the Citaro CNG Euro 4/EEV 12 metres and 18 metres long, with 2, 3 and 4 doors, solo and articulated. In 2007 the production of the Citaro bus has reached its top at 400 vehicles, and we hope to continue at this rate also in the next years.

Characteristics of gas engine M 447 hLAG EEV• Emissions: Euro 4 or EEV• Displacement: 12 litres; 6 cylinders in line; com-

pression ratio: 11.5 : 1• power: 250 hp at 2,000 rpm (12m); 326 hp at

2,000 rpm (12m + 18m)• max torque: 1,250 Nm at 1,000 – 1,400 rpm;

1,050 Nm at 1,000 – 1,400 rpm• turbocharge with waste gate• Single-point mixing; lean-burn lambda 1.2 – 1.55 • Exhaust gases after-treatment: oxicat

Innovations with Euro 4/EEV CNG• New generation engine control system and dia-

gnostic like diesel version • High performance lean-burn EEV engine• Torque optimization• Improved engine response at low revs• Fuel quality detection, EEV certifi cation with both

low and high heating power gas• Exhaust gas temperature monitoring • Overcharging optimization• Oxicat optimization• Air compressor lubrication optimization• Low exhaust gas temperature, thanks to lean-burn

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Fig 9 CNG bus per fleet

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Fig 10 emissions of EVO BUS engines

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Fig 11 Comparison of the power curves between Diesel and CNG

Fig 12 Comparison of the torque curves between Diesel and CNG

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Europe (and in primis Italy) is rather far from reaching the targets of carbon dioxide emission reduction agreed upon with the Kyoto Protocol.

Share of the various energy sources in Italy:Oil products: 43.0 %natural gas: 35.6 %solid fuels: 9.1 %renewable sources: 7.2 %imported power: 5.0 %

natural gas imports by country of origin

Edgardo Curcio, President AIEE “Which energy scenario?”Experts share the opinion that in the next years Eu-rope will face a great energy challenge. The present energy mix of Europe is: oil: 36.8 %; gas: 24.0 %; solid fuels: 18.2 %; nuclear: 14.4 %; other: 1 %; renewable: 6.4%. of which: biomass and waste: 4.2 %; hydro: 1.5 %; wind: 0.3 %; geo. 0.3 %; solar: 0.04 %.

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Fig 15 origin of oil and gas consumed in Europe

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Fig 17 dependence from external sources

Fig 16 energy demand in Europe

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Fig 13 The Citaro CNG articulated Bus

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Fig 14 consumption of renewable energy in Europe in 2005

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Fig 18 situation with the Kyoto Protocol

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(2006)Algeria: 36 %Russia: 29 %Holland: 12 %Libya: 10 %Norway: 7 %Croatia: 2 %Other: 4 %

Oil imports by country of origin (2006)Libya: 28 %Russia: 16 %Saudi Arabia: 12 %Iran: 11 %Iraq: 8 %Azerbaigian: 7 %Norway: 6 %Algeria: 3 %Other: 10 %

The critical points of the Italian energy sy-stemThe critical points of the Italian energy systemThe present and expected situation, without any clear energy policy direction, entails some criti-cal points that could have very bad effects in our country. They are:• Lack of suffi cient infrastructures for import gas

(above all GNL) with the risk of having a crisis in the offer and a scarce energy security;

• Energy mix in general, and in particular in power generation, excessively hinging on hydrocarbons, which entails higher costs and vulnerability,

• Critical electric system for power generation and transport with high costs and risk of black-out;

• Scarce development of pure renewable sources;• Excessive impact of energy cost on GNP, caused

by continued oil price increase• Continuous increase of emissions of GHG and

high level of pollution in cities.The structural constraints in an inconstant and risky International panoramic, make energy more and more insecure, vulnerable and costly for our count-ry and for fi rms, above all the medium and small ones. The incomplete market liberalization,

a short-sighted fi scal and low certainty about the institutional framework, lead to increased diffi cul-ties for operators that must compete on the Inter-national markets and must front the competition of tough Asian manufacturers on the national markets.

The increased commitment to environment pro-tection required by Europe, in the absence of a policy which supports the effi ciency and renewable sources, can result in additional costs for fi rms and people. In the transport sector, after two years from the adoption of the European Bio-fuels Directive, no regulation has yet been enforced for the application of the directive, introducing for instance penalties for those who does not comply with obligations to include a certain amount of bio-fuel into fossil fuels, and we still miss agreements of the agricultural-energetic sector, with the result that today we im-port raw material for bio-fuel production, the same way we import oil to produce gasoline and diesel. We still miss, despite it being contemplated by the Law of 2004, a great information campaign on all the main media, on energy saving i.e. what the consumer need to do in order to reduce consum-ption with the same available service.

The Italian fi rms do little for sustainability, despite the great publicity campaigns and the numerous statements made by their managers. Little or no-thing is done in the sector of the advanced tech-nologies of the renewable sources (photovoltaic, wind, biomass) where the main industries that pro-duce and sell on our market are foreign. Still little is done in production of new clean cars; and very little is done in the R&D; by the way, in the energy sector we have seen the biggest “fl op” of public and private initiatives.

Consequently, it seems urgent to draw strategy lines and defi ne targets for a new energy policy, together with application norms. We need increa-sing the use of gas instead of oil in all applications (including transport) with a more secure and fl e-xible supply (hence, building new LNG terminals). We need increasing the utilization of bio-fuels as

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Fig 19 energy trend scenario

a short-sighted fi scal and low certainty about the

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Fig 20 gas forecast

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simple and clear rules. Our country cannot wait any longer: maybe tomorrow could bee too late to have energy security and sustainable for the growth of our social and economic system.

Michele Gambino, Luigi De Simio, Istituto Moto-ri, Napoli, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. “New generation mixed fuel natural gas diesel engines for vehicles”The mixed fuel technology has been the fi rst solu-tion proposed for the use of CNG in the transport sector for HD vehicles. The problems coming from high THC emissions, mainly at low load, and from knocking at high load caused a scarce diffusion of this solution.

We are developing a new type of mixed fuel sy-stem, able to overcome these problems. We stu-died the infl uence of any involved component, on the performance and on the emissions of an HD engine in an optimum confi guration for reduction of emissions on the R49 test cycle. Based on the positive results obtained, we propose the use the same technology for LD engines with electronic control injection.

An old generation diesel engine (EURO 2) for urban public transport has been converted to mixed fuel, thus keeping the capability to also run on diesel oil alone. To optimise the combustion phase, we added a throttle and an EGR system in order to have a mixture close to stoichiometric and high end compression temperatures, despite parthialisation. This allowed using a three way catalyst, thus obtai-ning a strong reduction of emissions compared to pure diesel, at medium and high load.

This has been obtained by reducing the portion of diesel down to 8%. At low load, instead, we detected a bad quality combustion, and knocking has been detected at maximum power. For these reasons the 13 modes cycle (R49) test has been do-ne with pure diesel at idle and all modes up to 25% of full load; mixed fuel feeding has been adopted instead at medium and high load modes, which are the most signifi cant for emission calculation. To limit all risks of knocking, maximum power in mixed fuel has been reduced by 14% compared to pure diesel mode.

This strategy provided an important emission reduc-tion in the R49 cycle compared to EURO 2 limits. In particular, the typical trade-off NO

x-PT of a diesel engine has been strongly reduced (NOx -60%; PT -73%), whilst HC and CO have been reduced by 35% in mixed fuel. The average energy contribu-tion of CNG and diesel oil has been practically equal in 13 modes in mixed fuel, with a global effi ciency 14% lower than in pure diesel mode.

substitute for oil in the transport sector, and that of biomass in the sector of power generation and cogeneration. We need increasing the use of re-newable sources (photovoltaic, wing, solar) for all the possible applications, by means of adequate support and clean and durable laws. We need to increase the effi ciency in all sectors, above all in those where it is possible to obtain remarkable energy savings.

Among them there is for sure the public, building, and residential sector. We have to launch informa-tive and training campaigns in the energy sector, showing what needs to be done to save energy and to modify the present consumer’s style.

We also need to explain that energy is precious for the whole country, so, policies cannot be impeded because of egoisms and particular and individual in-terest. We need scientifi c and technology research to get, in the medium term, instruments and means to follow new paths to improve the effi ciency and reduce emissions. the scenario at 2020 expect an increase of natural gas coverage of the national energy demand, with a percentage that from 2006 to 2020, increases from 36 to 46%; an increase of renewable sources coverage, from 7% to 11% and a decrease of oil coverage from 43% to 29%.

The natural gas demand in Italy is expected to incre-ase by 2.4% per year with a strong penetration in all sectors (including transport). With this scenario of strong penetration of gas and renewable sources we would get signifi cant advantages in terms of economy and a remarkable reduction of CO

2 emis-sions that should go down in 2020 compared to present, going from 480 million tons to about 405 millions, i.e. at the same level of 1990. in this way we would not meet the target of Kyoto Protocol, neither would we meet the one set by EU (-20%), but we would have, compared to the present in-creasing trend, a reversal of the trend and a strong reduction of the emissions of GHG. AIEE foretells an increase of the use of CNG from 550 million m3 in 2005 to more than 5 billion m3 in 2020.

The present predictions made by Unione Petrolifera are more conservative; it is expected in 2020 a CNG consumption of 1,500 million m3 and a NGV park increase from 370 thousand in 2006 to 1 million in 2020. Unione Petrolifera expects a stabilization of the present CO2 emissions in 2020 rather than the reduction that we predict. The targets are the same clearly defi ned by EU, and also by our politicians. The problem is convincing people. Individuals often think they have more rights (e.g. more energy, more parks, more money, etc.) than duties. It is important once the that the basic targets are defi ned, making people aware of them and accept them, and then meeting these targets as soon as possible, with

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The positive results obtained in this research done with an old HD engine suggest a possible further improvement of emissions also in the case of mo-dern LD diesel engines with electronic control sy-stem (EURO 3 and subsequent).

In fact, the fl exibility of the fuelling system would allow doing a more sophisticated and articulated optimization of the main factors affecting combu-stion in mixed fuel mode

Manuel Lage, Iveco Natural Gas Vehicle Develop-ment “CNG engines, a solution for a clean urban transport”Iveco CNG means: experience; technology; com-mitment. The Iveco strategy for the low environ-ment impact HD vehicles take profi t of all the more effective solutions available, and develops them.

Some experts believe that the discovery and exploi-tation of new oil traditional reservoirs has peaked already.

The use of alternative fuels for trucks and buses offers important advantages, such as lower gaseous emis-sions, with fi gures below the Euro 4-5 limits; lower noise emissions; reduced CO2 emissions. In the case of the stoichiometric combustion, i.e. Iveco’s choice, exhaust pipe contaminants are well below the E.E.V. limits (enhanced environment friendly vehicles), very close to the level of fuel cells. Besides regulated pol-lutants, we need taking in due consideration also the

compounds that are not regulated at present, which are all but harmless. The noxious substances for health included in the list made by MSAT (Mobile Source Air Toxics) of EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) are: 1-3 Butadiene; Benzene; Toluene; Ethylbenzene; Xylene.

Besides the wide range of traditional CNG HD vehi-cles, Iveco also manufactures special CNG vehicles, such as airport vehicles.

Marco Brigati, Eni Di-visione Gas & Power “The support and com-mitment for NGV deve-lopment“

Italy still boasts the lager number of NGV in Eu-rope, and is second to Germany for refuelling station number.About 50% of the Italian

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Fig 21 Iveco strategies

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Fig 22 availability of fuels

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Fig 23 comparison of poly-aromatic emission

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Fig 24 the Iveco vehicle fleets

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Fig 25 Iveco airport vehicles

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Fig 26 NGV market in Europe

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Metauto: the new communication styleThe key points of this cultural change are the elimi-nation of the image of CNG as “thrifty fuel”, which only attraction feature was saving of money, and the introduction of its new image as “quality fuel”; the progressive “transformation” of the CNG driver into a person aware of the “added value” of the choice he has made for environment.National radio communication:• Le pillole (pills) December 2006, on Cnr radio

broadcasting• Collaboration with Caterpillar (January/February

2007 and then the Caterraduno in Senigallia 11 to 17 June)

Institutional communication:• Senate - Sala Palazzo Bologna - 26 June Presen-

tation of the document “Study on environmental benefi ts of CNG” made by Euromobility with the scientifi c consultancy by CNR

Promotional communication:• The advertising contestCultural communication:• The travel along Po river from 26 September to

20 October organised by Slow FoodTraditional communication:• Fiera del Levante 8 to 16 September• Ecomondo (November 2007, Rimini)• Motor Show (December 2007, Bologna)“dedicated” communication:• 10° Metanauto 9/10 October in Bologna at Pa-

lazzo del Comune in Piazza MaggioreThe target of promotion is to foster the use of CNG by describing its benefi ts: money saving; no traffi c limitations; lower polluting emissions; no limitation for parking; wide vehicle model range; performan-ce equal to other fuels.

Metauto activity areas Commercial development:• Identify opportunities for development and plan-

ning of the refuelling station network• Commercial relations with oil companies• Market analysis

CNG refuelling station network is made of mono-fuel service stations, but the share is increasing of the multi-fuel stations, delivering all fuels. Almost all oil compa-nies have entered this market.

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Fig 30 Metauto from Eni Gas & Power Division

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Fig 27 CNG refuelling station

network in Italy

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2004 2005 2010 2015 2010

lpg automotive applications

1,1 1,0 1,1 1,4 1,7

carboturbo 3,6 3,8 4,3 4,7 4,8

gasoline (cars + agricultural)

14,6 13,5 10,6 8,8 8,4

automotive diesel 24,0 24,3 26,6 25,4 24,8

agricultural and navy diesel

2,6 2,6 2,7 2,8 2,9

total 45,9 45,2 45,3 43,1 42,6

cng 0,4 0,4 0,6 0,9 1,2

cars in circulation 31,3 31,7 32,0 32,0 32,0

THE TARGETS: CNG SALE TREND IN ITALY (MILLION TON)

[source: Unione Petrolifera]

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Fig 28 advantages for environment

Fig 29 financial advantages

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Design for technical assistance:• Offer of technical assistance services to Eni cu-

stomers and/or prospect• Assistance to commercial operators as specialist

support• Monitoring of CNG technology

Relationship with National and International normative organisations:• Monitoring of and support the normative ac-

tivity• Monitor of International (IANGV) development

of CNG technology

The experience of Eni as service for the customerTechnical and economical feasibility studies of CNG refuelling stations, concerning:- installation of the CNG system into multi-fuel

service station;- mono-fuel service station (CNG only);- private CNG refuelling station for fl eets;

The study can have various focuses:- type of plant;- dimensioning;- site suitability assessment;- drawing of Lay-out;- profi tability analysis;- sensitivity analysis;- environment impact analysis (fl eets);

Preparation of technical specifi cations – after a fe-asibility analysis a tender specifi cation is prepared, concerning the CNG plant.Technical consultancy in tenders, support is offered to the customer in making the choice on the most suitable solutions for his needs;- technical assistance in submitting the project to

authorities for approval;- Assistance in test procedures, verifi cation of the

suitability of the plants to the customer’s requi-rements;

- Design analysis;- Assistance in the plant building yard supervi-

sion;- Assistance on problems in the plants;- Assistance in risk assessment.

Michele Ziosi, Fiat Group Automobiles Institutio-nal Relationship & Environment “10 years of OEM NGV: market outcome and prospects” Fiat Group Automobiles is strongly committed to development of solutions for a sustainable mobility in the short, medium and long term, to keep its leadership of environment protection.

Fiat believes this technology is today the concrete and available alternative to traditional fuels. The principal challenges of sustainable mobility today

are: to reduce emissions from diesel down to the level of gasoline engines; to reduce consumptions of gasoline engine down to the level of diesel; to develop alternative propulsion systems for urban vehicles with very low emissions and the dissemi-nation of alternative fuels to reduce oil dependency. Fiat, inside its clean vehicle range “Natural Power” offers the widest bi-fuel gasoline/CNG vehicle va-riety. Fiat is leader in Europe for CNG vehicles (~ 70% market share in 2006). It has been chosen CNG because it is:• The cleanest alternative today available in the

place of traditional fuels• An excellent fuel for engines • cheap: exercise cost is 58% lower than gasoline

and e del 35% lower than diesel• safe: second only to diesel• available: there is a refuelling station network, and its further development in plans

So far Fiat sold in total 135,000 CNG vehicles, i.e. 84% of total NGV market; the splitting up is: 57% Panda, 23% Multipla, 18% Punto, 2% Doblò. For Panda alone Fiat has 32,000 orders.

Panda Panda means: no compromise in space avai-lable on board; it is based on the platform of the 4x4; cylinders are underneath the platform. Good running range: 72 litres (13 kg) total CNG tank ca-pacity, with the same capacity of the gasoline tank as for the gasoline version; about 300 km range (extra-urban). Low emissions of CO

2: 114 g/km, in CNG mode.

After Frankfurt 2007, it has been presented today at Metanauto for the first time in Italy. It is an evolution of Panda Panda Dynamic, with the more sophisticated arrangements, and with the appealing look of Panda Climbing 4x4. It is available at dealers since the 20th October.

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Fig 31 Fiat CNG product evolution

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Fig 32 platform of Panda Panda

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UK, Italy, US, Russia) on one side, and the four emerging countries BCIM (Brazil, China, India, Mexico) on the other side. The 12 countries to-gether constantly ranks in the fi rst 12 places in the world ranking of richness production. Their global contribution to the world economy in terms of produced richness in 2004 is 69.2%. For the BCIM countries it is expected that there will be a signifi cant increase in population. For the G8 countries opposite it is expected that population stabilizes at the present level.

The percent increase of urban areas population between 1990 and 2003 much more marked in BCIM countries (average +46%) compared to G8 countries (average +9%): +27% for Mexico, up to +60% for China; for G8: –4% for Russia up to +23% for USA. Between 1990 and 2002 the increase of vehicles in BCIM has been 75% (19 million in 1990, 34 million in 2002). In G8 countri-es it has been +24% (300 millions in 1990, 372 millions in 2002). The increase of vehicles per ca-pita has been +41% for BCIM (0.043 vehicles per capita in 1990, 0.060 in 2002). In G8 countries it has been +11% (0.48 vehicles per capita in 1990, 0.53 in 2002). In Italy, in 1971 the industrial sector was the biggest energy consumer: 37% of the total energy consumed at national level, followed by residential sector (28%) and transport sector (16%).

Since the second half of nineties up to 2004 the transport sector has been the greater energy con-sumer, constantly above 30% of the total energy consumed by the whole country, followed by the residential and industrial sectors. Since 2005 the residential sector has been ranking fi rst, while the transport sector is slightly declining compared to 2004. The coming years will tell us whether this is going to last or not. This refl ects on the evolu-tion of the national vehicle fl eet. All together the commercial pre-EURO vehicles (LD and HD), even if they represent only 4% of the national vehicle fl eet, are responsible for 36% of the total PM10 emission originated by the transport system. All together the pre EURO HD vehicles, even if they only represent 1% of the national vehicle fl eet, are responsible for 26% of total NO

x emissions originated by the road transport.

How are the emission tendencies affecting air quality? We successfully intervened on the pri-mary pollutants: sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), lead (Pb), benzene (C6H6). But we did not get the same success in the fight against the secondary pollutants: nitrogen dio-xide (NO2), which is mostly of secondary origin (90-95%), and tropospheric ozone (O3), which is totally of secondary origin. The primary pollutants are found in the atmosphere in the same form

Fiat is carrying on an active information campaign on TV, radio and press. It is also active in the rese-

arch to develop other innovative solutions, such as the CNG/hydrogen mixtures, a bridge solution towards hydrogen, which signifi cantly improves the already very good environmental advantages offered by CNG.

The main advantages are: further reduction of CO2 emissions by 11% compared to CNG; clea-ner and more effi cient combustion; engine per-formance and running range almost unaffected. This solution eases experimentation and distribu-tion of hydrogen. The HYper Panda prototype, is a demonstration car, fuelled with a mixture of methane and hydrogen; it was presented in Fe-bruary 2007. This solution has risen the interest of the Public Administrations, for experimental application to fl eets.

Mario Cirillo, APAT “Quality of environment in urban areas”Based on the present energy policies, we can expect that the world energy consumption will increase by 57% from 2004 to 2030. If oil prices will keep at the present level, coal will be the energy source that will grow faster. In 2004 CO2 emissions in non-OCSE countries have passed for the fi rst time those of OCSE countries. In 2020 China will pass USA as the main energy consumer in the world.

Let us mention the urban dynamics in the com-ponents of G8 (Canada, France, Germany, Japan,

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Fig 33 Panda Panda Climbing

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Fig 34 exercise costs comparison

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as they are emitted by the various sources. The secondary pollutants form in the atmosphere as a consequence of physical and chemical processes, originating from other substances, called “precur-sors”, emitted by various sources. The particulate matter (PM) is partly of primary origin, and partly of secondary origin.

In urban areas at present, the secondary PM10 can be above 50%. In rural areas, the secondary PM10 can be as much as 80-90%. The pollutants that contribute to the formation of secondary PM10 are: sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), organic compounds (COV), ammonia (NH3). There has been a certain concentration reduction of total suspended particulate (PTS) up to the fi rst nineties, then it has kept stationary. The critical pollutants are at present the exclusively secondary ones: O3, PM10 (and PM2.5), NO2. the concentration in air of these pollutants is linked in a complex way (not linear) to the atmospheric emissions.

We have to create an integrated strategy for ozone, PM10, NO2 (for this last, a limit will be enforced in 2010), and PM2.5 for which the new European Directive will include a limit. We must fi nd emission reduction measures that are effec-tive for all these pollutants. These strategies must also cover the GHG. In particular it is necessary to answer the questions:• what needs to be reduced, i.e. on which pollu-

tants must we act• how to reduce, i.e. are temporary reduction suf-

fi cient, or it is rather necessary to reduce them in a permanent way

• where do we have to reduce, i.e. in which place do we have to enforce measures to reduce the pollutants

• how much do we have to reduce polluting emis-sions compared to the present level

Scientists and experts on technical matter can answer these questions, even if the answer for PM10, O3, NO2 and PM2,5 is particularly complex and imply the use of a great amount of knowledge and data, with an inter-discipline approach and particularly sophisticated mathematical models (atmospheric chemical transport models). Without detailed and focused model analysis, we can do

generic statements for what concerns how and where:About how to reduce, i.e. if temporary measure are suffi cient (such as circulation based on number plate, periodically applied or una tantum) or is ra-ther necessary to make them permanent, we must take into account that the characteristic timing of the chemical/physical processes of PM10 and ozone formation and persistency in atmosphere range between some hours up to some days. For this reason it is sensible to think that the emissions of primary PM10 and the precursors of secondary PM10 (and ozone) must be reduced in a perma-nent way. This requires the structural reduction of polluting emissions.

About where, a model study done by Agenzia Regionale Prevenzione e Ambiente in Emilia Ro-magna (Deserti et al., 2006) which has taken in consideration the emissions of the whole Po valley using data from the APAT national emission inven-tory, shows that even if we should totally elimi-nate the polluting emissions in the whole Emilia Romagna, on the territory of this same region the summertime daily average of ozone would stay substantially unchanged, and the yearly average of PM10 would reduce by not more than 30-40%. So it is clear that the main contribution to PM10 and ozone concentration in Emilia Romagna comes from areas outside this region. What can be said in general is that for PM10 and ozone, as for all the exclusively or predominantly secondary pollutants the local measures have a limited effect.

This shows how the emission reduction measures, even the most strict, that are limited to the ter-ritory of only one region, have limited effect for the region itself; in the case of the Po valley, only the policies applied to the whole area can grant some effect.

According to the present norm – D.Lgs. 351/99 – the evaluation and management of air quality is to be handled at the regional level. The new norm should take all these considerations into account. About what, it is clear that in principle nitrogen oxides, COV, sulphur dioxide, ammonia and prima-ry PM10 are to be reduced. But we must discover in the specifi c situations, which are the limiting factors, i.e. which are the precursors for which a reduction of the emissions would effectively result in reduction of the concentration in air of ozone and secondary PM10.

This can only be done with a detailed model analy-sis focused on macro area, which must also give answers about how much, i.e. defi ne how much the polluting emissions must be reduced compa-red to the present level. The amount of reduction which is necessary to meet the air quality limits

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Fig 35 PM 10 concentration in the different areas

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(CNG and lpg), of diesel with a sulphur content < 10 ppm

• development and adoption of innovative tele-matic systems aimed at addressing the demand for mobility and controlling and traffi c impro-vement

• introduction of a vehicle taxation system depen-dent on emissions (pollutants and CO2), in line with the directions given at the EU level

• continuation of the incentive policies for reno-vation of the car fl eet

the transport sector ranks first in emission of PM10. The emissions have been reduced by 14% from 1990 to 2003 thanks to the introduction of new engine technologies and improvement of the fuel quality.

In these last years there has been a trend reversal of the particulate matter emissions as consequen-ce of the increase of the diesel vehicle fl eet. Road transport is responsible for 65% of total. APAT indicates that the emissions of PM10 deriving from road transport in the main Italian cities are more than 70% of total. The emissions from space hea-ting vary from 26%, for the cities in the North, to 8% for those in the South. Those coming from air and maritime transport vary from 1% and 10%. It is necessary that the institutions collaborate with each other zone, also involving various Ministries, Regions, Metropolitan Areas, Provinces and local administrations.

With the subsidisation programmes started by the Ministry since 2000 in favour of local bodies (about 60 million Euro), about 5 million Euro sub-sidies have been grant for purchase of 71 CNG bus to local public transit utilities in Bologna, Mo-dena, Ravenna, Udine, Massa and Carrara. About 100,000 Euro were allocated for the purchase of 14 bifuel cars (gasoline/CNG) of the public muni-cipal services fl eet. Then there are the incentives grant by the Initiative Progetto Metano and the initiative Carburanti a Basso Impatto ICBI, (low impact fuels) started in 2001, thanks to these two initiatives, more than 3,600 CNG LD OEM vehicles have been purchased, and about 6,400 LD vehi-cles have been converted to CNG. Also thanks to these initiatives a fi nancial support has been grant to the construction of 30 new refuelling stations, to refuel fl eet vehicles for public utility services.

Measures for diffusion of low impact fuels• Policies addressed to public bodies and priva-

te to be pursued in a governance system with other entities (Ministries, Regions, local bodies, category associations)

• Renovation of public transport fl eet and public utility service vehicles, by means of low impact vehicles

• Rationalisation of the distribution of goods in

is all but mild. The Piano Energetico Nazionale of 1988 (PEN 88) has been the fi rst measure – and also the last one – to include in the analysis the environmental themes by means of the formation of a working group “Energy and environment”.

In 1997 ENEA drew up for Ministry of Environment the draft of the Piano Nazionale di tutela della qualità dell’aria, mentioned at art. 3, subparagra-ph 4, point b) of DPR 203 of 1988 (“the Minister of Environment together with the Ministry of He-alth, shall: …(omissis)… b) draw up the national plan for protection of the air quality, based on regional plans, after verifi cation of their com-patibility… (omissis)”). In 1999 the D. Lgs. 351 of 1999 “Attuazione della direttiva 96/62/CE in materia di valutazione e di gestione della qualità dell’aria ambiente” at the art. 13, subparagraph 1, point a) repealed the requirement for a national plan for protection of the air quality.

The pollutants as PM10, ozone and nitrogen dio-xide must be treated at the level of a wide area (e.g. the entire Po valley), and for sure above the regional level. There also are interactions natio-nal-regional covered by the directive 2000/80/CE for large combustion plants and the directive 2000/81/CE for national emission limits – let alone the connection with the Kyoto Protocol. On these themes, a nationwide vision is needed.

Bruno Agricola, Managing Director of Direzione per la Salvaguardia Ambientale “the initiatives of MATTM for the dissemination of CNG”The Ministry of Environment created, with the DM 18/2/2005, n. 160, the CNEIA, National Commis-sion for the Emergency of Atmospheric pollution, to devise a plan of urgent interventions to reduce as much as possible atmospheric pollution.

And to acquire in a short time information and scientifi c evaluations as support of the decisions to be taken at national, regional and local level, concerning the intervention both in emergency, and for the short, medium and long term.intervention priorities in CNEIA – Transport Sec-tor– Urban areas • creation of Urban Mobility Plans (PUM)• development of mobility management policies • increase of the offer for local public transport

and renovation of fl eets by means of substitu-tion of obsolete vehicles

• increase of car sharing• rationalization of distribution of goods in ur-

ban areas with infrastructural ana managerial interventions

• incentive for the use of local public transport (e.g. deduction of commutation ticket from ta-xable income)

• promotion of low environmental impact fuels

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urban areas by means of low environmental impact vehicles

• Tax rebate (TVA and excises)• Development of research programmes and mo-

nitoring of fuel availability, distribution, storage, trade

Programme agreements• ICBI (Iniziativa Carburanti a Basso Impatto – 20

million Euro, signed on 19 October 2005) about 42,000 CNG or lpg conversions done, 14 refuel-ling stations subsidised.

• PROGETTO METANO (20 million Euro, two pro-gramme agreements for incentives to the pur-chase of vehicles, expansion of refuelling station network, signed on 7 September 2006)

Government fi nancial support in favour of low impact public fl eet vehicles• Law n. 166 of 1 August 2002: 90 million Euro,

incentives distributed by the Cassa DD.PP. , of which 36 million Euro for CNG and lpg vehicles (30% of the vehicle purchase cost, up to a ma-ximum sum of 4,131 Euro)

Splitting up of fi nancial resources (90 million Euro for the year 2007): • 75% for metropolitan areas• 14% for municipalities included in the atmosphe-

ric pollution risk areas determined by Regions. 5% of these fi nancial resources are devoted to interventions for promotion of bicycles.

• 10% for re-fi nancing of programme agree-ments already in application, for support of new programme agreements and for single projects involving many different urban areas

Initiatives going to start

Fund for the sustainable mobility in urban areas (270 million Euro for the triennium 2007-2009)Interventions in favour of the diffusion of low impact fuels• local public vehicle fl eet empowering and sub-

stitution with low environmental impact vehi-cles

• interventions for rationalization of goods di-stribution in urban areas also by means of low environmental impact vehicles

• diffusion and use of low environmental impact fuels and development of the relative refuelling station network, in particular for public fl eets

Financial Act 2008 and related decree with the force of lawThe project of Law on the Financial Act 2008 con-templates the institution, starting in 2008, of a fund of 24.3 million Euro for the energy effi ciency improvement and reduction of the emissions of polluting gases from public rent cars.

Also covered are taxis, motor boats and other pu-blic lake transport means for passengers.

Alessandro Marconi, Landi Renzo – “the sale, in-stallation and assistance of the lpg and CNG systems of Landi Renzo is certifi ed to ISO 9001”

The market of Landi Renzo is equally distributed among OEM and aftermarket. The market share of Landi Renzo in Italy is 35% for lpg and 57% for CNG. Its world market share for lpg + CNG is 23%.

The aims of project ISO 9001 are:• constant training of Landi Renzo’s network• extension of the del Quality System of Landi Renzo

to resellers and authorised workshops• standardisation of distribution processes, installa-

tion and assistance of lpg and CNG systems• the offer of a high quality product, with a high

technology content, must censure a control over quality and high professionals.

The Regulation R115 defi nes the installation as the ultimate ring of the system production.Landi Renzo has an history of quality:1995: Certifi cation to ISO 9001 Landi Renzo Quality System 2001: Certifi cation to ISO/TS 16949 Landi Renzo Quality System2007: Certifi cation to ISO 9001 Management of Landi Renzo Rete ItaliaThe steps of the project:• July – November 2004: on-field analysis on a

sample of workshops and resellers, drawing up of handbook, forms and procedures.

• November 2004: document audit done by Bure-au Veritas – preparation of training material for courses

• January – July 2005: courses on Quality System ISO 9001 LR-RI for 300 Landi Renzo authorised workshops and 20 Landi Renzo resellers

• July – November 2005: audit / interne verifi cation to 290 workshops and 20 resellers

• December 2005 – February 2006: update / opti-misation of the web site to cope with the needs detected by the internal auditing

• March – August 2006: automatic of data collection relative to the customer satisfaction

• September – October 2006: verifi cation by Bureau Veritas, with positive result, and proposal of certi-fi cation to the Certifi cation Committee,

2006 2007 (estimate)

turnover 138,7 M 165 M

export 74% 74%

operators 400 400

systems 700.000 700.000

THE LANDI RENZO GROUP

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systems and accessories for hydro cleaning ma-chines. Thanks to the constant innovation of its working machines, the company could also extend its production scope to other fi elds, adding to its traditional products also special components and devices in cast iron and aluminium.

Valtek SpA mainly operates in the automotive sec-tor. It designs manufactures and sell automatic valves for liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, both for high and low pressure. Its production includes automatic valves for lpg with and without fi lter to be installed on piping systems; automatic valves for gasoline; automatic tank valves for lpg; ma-gnetic devices for reducers/vaporizers, fi lters for lpg and injector housings.Emer Latinoamericana, has its Headquarter in Buenos Aires, produces and sells on the South American market the products designed by Emer SpA.

Sicom Srl produces, assembles and commits com-pressors and CMG refuelling stations.Emer SpA is leader in production of valves and components for CNG and since its formation in 1975, has constantly kept its products on pace with innovation, up to the highest quality levels and drawing the guidelines for the new technolo-gies, designing and experimenting products that satisfy an ever demanding NGV market. It is also supplying components to OEM.The production in the two factories in Collebea-to and S. Eufemia (Brescia), is made with all the most advanced machines and procedures, to en-sure meeting the international standards. Emer’s strength is technology, and production fl exibility. It has its own complete system for R&D, design, industrialisation and production. The last product of its technology evolution is the new EMER TEN BAR METANO system. It is the result of research and experimentation in the laboratories of the company, which include emission test bench and power measurement test bench.

This system has been conceived for operation in the most different atmospheric and road condi-tions. It is working at a pressure of 9 bar and it en-sures constant performance and reliability over the time. It is the fi rst after-market system to adopt this high pressure technology, which is normally used by OEM. The main system components are the pressure regulator, the electric injectors and the CPU.The pressure regulator provides a stable outlet pressure, thanks to the operating principle based on two stage pistons, and to an accurate engine-ering. The electric injectors are very reliable and censure repeatability of operation over the time, thus optimising the driveability, thanks to the hi-gher opening/closing speed and to the stability

• November 2006: certifi cation by Bureau Veritas for 189 authorised workshops and 20 resellers

• January – June 2007: courses 2007 on ISO 9001 LR-RI Quality System for 362 Landi Renzo autho-rised workshops and 21 resellers

• May – June 2007: inspections on upkeep by Bu-reau Veritas

• June – October 2007: internal audit / verifi cation of 350 Landi Renzo workshops and 21 resellers

• October – November 2007: upkeep inspections by Bureau Veritas. Target 2007: 300 Landi Renzo workshops and 21 resellers

The company has developed a web based quality system. All documents are available “on line”. Data collection from net and from customers is made by means of interactive “forms”.

The web is a quick communication tool. The evalua-tion of the customer satisfaction is based on 2,810 fi lled in questionnaires.

Our improvement plans include:• Extension of the Quality System Landi Renzo Rete

Italia to other authorised workshops• Development of the web• Management of the activities of each single unit

of the LR-RI by objectives • Constant increase of attention to customer• On line test of ISO / Technical training effective-

ness

Stefano Paoli, EMERBesides Emer S.p.A., the group includes the fi rms Mec Sirio S.r.l., Valtek S.p.A., Emer Latinoamerica-na and Sicom Srl. The group, coordinated by the Headquarters in Collebeato (Brescia), is made of 200 employed and has a production capability of 10,000 valves per day (at 2006).

Mec Sirio is leader in the sector of the machining with transfer machines; it was formed in 1987 focusing on production of valves for CNG/lpg

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Fig 36 results of the research on quality

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of gas fl ow. The CPU controls the functions of the whole system. It elaborates the signals with sophisticated algorithms to obtain the best per-formance and low emissions.

These technical solutions give the product superior characteristics and improve vehicle performance in terms of emission, performance and drive-ability. Emer has got the certifi cation to ISO/TS 16949:2002 and ISO 9001:2000 standards. It has always offered quality, innovation, research and affordable costs. For this reason it is partner in the CNG projects of the main OEM.

Enzo Zuelli, industrial designer “the reliability and technology evolution of CNG refuelling sta-tions”The traditional CNG refuelling stations until ’80 – ‘90, where similar to bunker in concrete. The

prevailing concept adopted by the norms was the passive safety. Burst was an element that had to be taken into account, and its consequences had to be averted or mitigated by means of anti splinter walls, and by getting people away of the vehicles during refuelling.

Wide areas were needed because of the safety distances imposed by norms. So it was necessary to fi nd cheap available areas in the open country, which was diffi cult to reach, so not friendly with customers. The refuelling stations were mono-fuel, only dispensing CNG, hence with high exer-cise costs. This allowed the construction of only limited numbers of service stations; and forced operators to build large plants for a great number of customers, necessary element for the pay back of the construction costs and exercise costs.

Refuelling time was long, which was likely to cre-ate queues. High investment costs were required (actualized cost about 750,000 Euro, ground ex-cluded). Since the second half of the nineties, this type of plant became obsolete. The customer was no longer willing to divert from his usual itinerary a long distance to fi nd the CNG service station, and he did not want to wait long either. The fuel cost keep decreasing as share of the total vehicle exercise cost, because of the decreasing specifi c consumption, and increasing prices of the vehi-cles. The fuel cost saving allowed by CNG is thus a necessary but no longer suffi cient condition to determine the choice of the potential customer.

A level of service comparable to that of the liquid fuels is also needed. A strong change has thus occurred to this sector, involving new operators such as in particular: Snam, appliance manufac-turers, associations, plant owners, gas utilities, oil companies, legislators. The automatic dispenser appeared on the market, thus eliminating the anti splinter walls in the refuelling areas. As conse-quence, at last the dispenser occupied its own area under the classic fuel dispensing canopy, together with the liquid fuels.

The fi scal metering of CNG was then possible, thus ceasing at last with the CNG sale by calculation. At the same time the “package” compressor con-cept started diffusing, including in the package the main components of the plant. The manufacturers started to adopt metallic box, which were lighter and fl exible structures, with a better aspect.

The concept of large storage in giant CNG cylin-ders, in deep trenches, was abandoned, replaced by the concept higher fl ow capacity compressors, thus simplex plants were built. This opened a new phase for construction and operation of CNG ser-vice stations.

Prize giving to the winner of Eni’s advertising contest

Vehicle exhibition in front of Re Enzo palace

CNG appliance exhibition in the inner courtyard of Re Enzo palace.

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This lead to a strong reduction of the initial in-vestment cost (about 200,000 €), and to the possibility for exercise cost savings, with multi-service.Today a modern CNG refuelling station includes:• Gas metering system, without pressure reduc-

tion. The system is working at variable pressure and temperature. The metering appliances are inside a light metallic box as in the case of resi-dential/industrial applications.

• Compression system, which usually also inclu-des the gas pulsation dampening system and the delivery pressure control system. Today the reinforced concrete compressor rooms and the storage room are no longer necessary. We use simple metallic, or reinforced concrete boxes, in which all machines and ancillaries are installed; they are tested at the manufacturer’s premises, and can be installed in a matter of days.

• Refuelling system, constituted by one or more dispensers, similar to the liquid fuel ones.

• Refuelling managing/ monitoring system.• Standard ancillaries (electric cabin, compressed

air system for control devices, an additional gas refrigeration system to increase the amount of delivered gas during refuelling, and the vehicle running range).

The fi nal result is:• Customers comfort; CNG is together with all

the other fuels, with the same dignity; the same ease of refuelling operations.

• The refuelling and payment are comparable to those of the other fuels.

• The safety of refuelling stations is totally sati-sfactory; the compression plant today includes refrigeration system, storage, delivery pressure regulation; the plant is totally pre-assembled

The concept of active safety was adopted, which imply: • Gas fl ow automatic shut off devices for the case

of accidental break (excess fl ow valves, break-away,..)

• Gas leak detectors with the capability to shut down the whole system in case of anomaly

• Systematic and redundant control of delivery pressure

• Installation of electrical devices according to the classifi cation of areas with danger of explosion or fi re

• Remote control of main station parameters • Risk analysis and adoption of suitable prevention

measures as intrinsic and previous activity in the refuelling station design.

The adoption of the active safety concept enabled the complete integration of plants with surroun-dings destined to different applications.In modern plants, new sale philosophies are adop-ted today:• Multi-fuel multi-service (car wash, workshop,

bar, shop).• Location on the main roads and closet o custo-

mers (but here a loti s still to be done, e.g. on the motorways).

• Wide visibility to the refuelling area (under canopy, like liquid fuels), with compact tech-nological areas thanks to package compressor rooms.

• Automatic quick refuelling (3 – 4 minutes).• Centralized management of refuelling also with

card payment.• Increased reliability of the appliances with an

average yearly availability rate of 95- 98%, which eliminates the need for redundant ap-pliances in the case of the public stations.

• Simple and modular plants, which follow the development of the station.

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and tested at the manufacturer’s premises. The installation on-site is extremely simple and quick (in two weeks the plant is ready to start).

• The appliance reliability is high and comparable to that of liquid fuels plants.

• The average cost of a new plant is reduced to one third compared to twenty years ago.

Another sector that has well developed over the last decade is that of the public and private com-pany fl eets (bus, garbage collector, transport of goods, forklifts,..).

They operate well inside the urban areas; so they can give a prize to the best characteristic of CNG, i.e. environment friendly. The refuelling system has been brought right into the vehicle depots, with plants that are not very different from those of the public refuelling stations (but with appliance redundant, given the critical mission of the public service).

In these last years also some combined systems ha-ve been built, i.e. refuelling both private vehicles

and the fl eet vehicles; a common technological area (metering, compressor, storage) allows a sy-nergy (day time refuelling open to public vehicles, and night refuelling of the fl eet vehicles), with short pay back time (in some cases less than 5 years).Some aspects still need to be improved to optimise and increase the CNG market, such as:• Increase of the refuelling station net on the roads

and on the motorways, over the whole national territory.

• Self–service; it is under examination a new norm, which will hopefully lead as soon as possible to unattended self-service also for CNG, as in the case of all the other countries in Europe.

• Introduction of new appliances (multi-dispenser, home refuelling,...)

• Simplifi cation of the administrative procedures by means of: self-certifi cation of designers; spe-cialised design.

These will be the decisive factors to encourage the OEM to widen the range of their CNG models, which is a necessary condition for the develop-ment of NGV market.

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GAS SYSTEMS: FOR GROUND VEHICLES,

MARINE APPLICATIONS AND AIRCRAFTS

■■ THE PRESENTLovatogas S.p.A. is among the biggest firms in the world in the manufacture of CNG systems, with a total sales constantly increasing (in 2006 we reached the record of 700.000 conversion systems).

Research and innovation are the strength point of our firm, and innovation indeed allowed us to enter the market as the main protagonist and world leader in all the other application fields.

■■ THE PASTOur company, founded in 1958, is among the international protagonists of CNG and LPG conversion of cars.

Our success all over the world (we export in 100 countries in the five Continents) lead us to the development of a full range of components for the auto industry, and more..

The engine Fast

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Among the most recent novelties we can list:- conversion Kit for scooters (certified for engine

power up to 15 Kw)- conversion kit for marine engines (certified for

Mercury engines with power up to 60 HP)- conversion Kit for power generation units (for

power up to 40 KW)- conversion Kit for Go Karts (equipped with

Honda and Bridge & Stratton engines)- conversion Kit for LPG cars (for engine

displacement up to 5,500 c.c. Euro 4)- conversion Kit for CNG cars (for engine

displacement up to 3,500 c.c. Euro 4)

■■ THE FUTURELovatogas S.p.A. has always been farsighted, to satisfy the need of an ever evolving market.

New products now in the certification process:Conversion Kit DUAL FAST (Dual-Fuel system, Diesel/CNG, for engine displacement up to 4,000 c.c.)CNG sequential conversion Kit Easy Fast for CNG cars (engine displacement up to 5,500 c.c. EURO 4)

■■ LOVATO IN THE WORLDThe increasing need for a presence on the main markets, with technical and commercial personnel in situ, lead Lovatogas S.p.A. to open two new operative and productive branches, in India and in Brazil.Today there are in the world more than 3,500,000 car drivers that have chosen the clean vehicles equipped with the CNG systems made by Lovatogas S.p.A.

Dual Fast Fast

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■ FRANCE IS THE FOURTH WORLD MARKET FOR INVESTMENT IN BIOFUELS France is the fourth most attractive market of the world for investment in the field of biofuels, ac-cording to the index of national attractiveness of Ernst & Young 2007. France is also at a top posi-tion worldwide for competitiveness in the various sectors of this market: it ranks in the second place for biodiesel, and in the fourth place for ethanol. “There is a huge potential for innovative projects in the field of biofuels in France: we rank at the second place in the EU countries for the biofuel consumption, and consumption has grown by al-most 63%” says Philippe Favre, president of Invest in France Agency. The development in this field is due to special initiatives such as the “Grenelle de l’environne-ment”, launched by the French government, aimed at the use of clean energy to reduce CO2 emis-sions. Transport is another sector that is making this market to grow: the National Federation of French Road Transport (FNTR), has implemented a project plan which aims at increasing the use of biofuel for transport vehicles, and at stimulating the major vehicle manufacturers to produce more and more clean cars and trucks, that are fuelled with biofuel.For many international biofuels companies, France is the country where you need to be present: the British chemical company INEOS, the agricultural group SICLAÉ and the oil group C. Thywissen, which produces oil from seeds, are currently in-vesting almost 70 million Euro for doubling the production of biodiesel in their plant in Baleycourt by 2008. The American company Cargill intends to invest more than 50 million euros in the plants in Montoir (western France) to be more active in the production of biodiesel. Investors that are foreigners in France may par-ticipate in innovative research projects dedicated to biofuels through partership within the poles of competitiveness, such as the “Industry & Agro-Risorse” pole, and the “Capenergy “ pole.Invest in France Agency (IFA) promotes and leads the international investments in France. The IFA net-work operates worldwide, with offices in France, North America, Asia and Europe. More information on the site www.investinfrance.org

■ ROMAN BIONDI, EVOBUS ITALY, IS THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE UNRAE BUS SECTIONUNRAE announced that Ing. Roman Biondi, CEO and Chairman of EvoBus Italy SpA, has been unanimously appointed President of the Bus Section of UNRAE. The new President has commented “I enthusiasti-cally accept this important assignment, and I offer all the experience that I have gained in the field in the recent years. The objective is, of course, the in-creasing role of UNRAE and its Associates in an area

that is – I point out - the most important European market after the German one”.In this sense, the guidelines that we will follow are primarily directed to lead the Association, and the same Associates, to high levels of visibility and reco-gnition of the Bus category, particularly addressing organizations and public institutions, with which the dialogue already initiated in recent years will be intensified, also thanks to our participation to some technical working groups. We will also address the public opinion, promoting communication activities and participation in events and expressions of strong interest in the sector. Another key point of the program is to improve and consolidate the relations with the other organizations of this sector, i.e. that of Manufacturers (ANFIA), that of the local public transport companies (ASSTRA), as well as that of the companies that rent vehicles for passengers (ANAV). It is indeed necessary to develop further confronta-tion on the most important issues, such as renewal of the bus park, the actual utilization of the available funds that are allocated for vehicle purchases, the European and national norms for the sector, the application of new Environmentally friendly technologies.

■ BRC GAS EQUIPMENT ACQUIRES ZAVOLI BRC Gas Equipment, an Italian brand leader in the production and marketing of components and systems for CNG and LPG conversion, has acqui-red the entire shareholding of Zavoli Srl, historical company from Cesenatico, active in the same area as BRC. With this operation BRC Gas Equipment further consolidates its presence in the international mar-ket, and increases its turnover, which in 2006 was as much as 100 million euros. Zavoli Srl in 2006 recorded a turnover of 14 million. It has 58 employees, two plants in Cesena. It distri-butes its products in Italy and in other 40 countries. Born in the early’90s, Zavoli was capable of rapid industrial and technical development. Among the innovations proposed by this firm there are the compensation device, installed on the traditional pressure regulator, and more recently, the modular gas injector.BRC Gas Equipment is a trademark owned by MTM Srl, an Italian company founded in 1977, which is based in Cherasco (CN) and has 485 employees. Today it is present in more than 60 countries through exclusive distributors, and in South America with two offices. With this agreement Zavoli has become an integral part of the BRC group, although preserving full managerial autonomy, on technical and commer-cial matters. Among the two companies important synergies will settle at all levels, to consolidate the group position on the international market. BRC Gas Equipment has created in 2003, with the

NV NEWS FROM NGV COMPANIES

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American Impco, the largest association for world production in the sector of the ecological fuels: the holding Fuel System Solutions. The group, currently listed at the Nasdaq, has recorded a turnover 2006 that amounted to 230 million dollars. It has 795 employees. the driving force of BRC Gas Equipment has always been the Research & Development divi-sion, which employs about 10% of the workforce. It is this division that, in 1996, gave birth to the first Italian gaseous injection system for methane and LPG. And, in 2006, it created the Sequent Direct Injection, the first gaseous LPG injection system for cars having the gasoline direct injection. Known mainly for the production of kits for metha-ne and LPG conversion (400,000 units per year), over the years BRC has extended its offer with the gas compressors and the installation of a centre where the QVM conversion is done of a wide range of bi-fuel cars on behalf of the major automobile brands: Chevrolet, Hyundai, Jaguar, Mitsubishi, Citroen, Subaru.

www.brc.itwww.brcgasservice.it

■ HONDA PRESENTS THE FOURTH GENERATION HOME ENERGY STATION Honda announced the completion and start of the Home Energy Station IV, at its plant Honda

R & D Americas, Inc in Torrance, California. This fourth generation experimental unit is designed to provide fuel for a hydrogen ve-

hicle, and heat and electricity for the home. The technology of the Honda Home Energy Station is designed to facilitate a wider dissemination of zero emissions fuel cell vehicles, such as the FCX Clarity, developing a solution that efficiently uses the exi-sting domestic supply of natural gas to produce hydrogen at home, providing at the same time heat and electricity for a medium-sized house. The Home Energy Station IV can reduce both the costs for the consumer and the emissions of car-bon dioxide (CO

2). Compared with the house of an average American, with electricity supplied by the network, and a petrol car, it is estimated that a house that uses the Home Energy Station IV for the production of heat and electricity as well as the supply of a FCX Clarity, can reduce by 30% the CO2 emissions caused by the production of electricity, and can reduce by 50% the cost of electricity. Honda is committed in an effort to cope with the need for an infrastructure for the supply of vehicles powered by hydrogen. The Home Energy Station represents a promising solution since it offers the added benefit of providing heat and electricity to the house in a more efficient way.

■ ACHIEVEMENTS OF FAAM The Faam group deli-vered to Amsa in Milan 68 CNG vehicles Jolly CH4 for the collection of garbage, and has supplied to the courier Bartolini, the Centre for Food in Parma, and the Interporto of Padova some methane fuelled vehicles for the delivery of goods in the city centres of the Italian cities.

www.faam.com

■ HONDA FCX CLARITY: A CLEAR SOLUTION TO THE CHALLENGE OF THE FUTURE Honda presented the fuel cell vehicle FCX Clarity at the Los Angeles International Auto Show, which commercialization will start in 2008. FCX Clarity is a new generation, zero emission, hydrogen vehicle, fuelled with the powerful, ef-ficient and compact fuel cell power unit V Flow

Honda FC Stack. With incredible impro-vements in terms of driving performance, power, weight and ef-ficiency, and boasting

a sleek and sophisticated design, which was pre-viously impossible in a vehicle fuel cell-FCX, Clarity testifies the significant progress that Honda con-tinues to make in improving the performance of hydrogen cars. Honda plans to provide leased FCX Clarity to a li-mited number of customers in Southern California, with the first delivery which will take place in 2008. FCX Clarity employs a V Flow Honda unit, in com-bination with a new compact and efficient lithium ion battery, and a single tank of hydrogen, to po-wer the electric motor of the vehicle. The fuel cell unit is the main source of power of the vehicle. In the fuel cell, hydrogen combines with atmos-pheric oxygen and the energy originated by this reaction is converted into electric power which is used for the propulsion of the vehicle. Further energy is generated through the use of the kinetic energy developed by braking and deceleration of the vehicle (known as regenerative braking). That energy is stored, together with the excess energy from the fuel cell, by the lithium-ion battery, and is used to integrate the output from the fuel cell when necessary. The vehicle emits only water vapor.

■ IVECO WAS SPONSOR OF THE VEHICLE FAIR AND THE ENGVA CONFERENCE 2007 Iveco was the sponsor of the Vehicle Fair and the ENGVA Conference (European Natural Gas Vehicle Association) in Strasbourg. Now an historical mem-

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NV NEWS FROM NGV COMPANIES

ber of ENGVA, - which, founded in 1994, collects more than 60 companies from 17 countries, with the mission to develop a sustainable and profitable market for this type of vehicles throughout Europe - Iveco has demonstrated once again its commitment to the development of natural gas vehicles, further to being present as an exhibitor of three natural gas vehicles at the exhibition. Iveco is undoubtedly the European leader in the CNG technology, and in the production of vehi-cles using this fuel. At the end of 2006, Iveco had produced and put on the market 2,560 Daily vans and buses, 1,070 off-road vehicles HDT, 3,900 bus, as well as 2,260 engines to be installed on vehicles made by other manufacturers. The technology applied by Iveco CNG engines is constantly evolving and currently meets the requi-rements imposed by the standard EEV (Enhanced Environmentally friendly Vehicle) with all composi-tions of natural gas, with a level of NOx emissions equal to ¼ of the level permitted by the standard EEV . The engines are designed with 4 valves per cylinder, made according to an Otto cycle stoichio-metric combustion, combined with a three-way catalyst. The air/fuel ratio is kept under constant control in order to allow the engine to react to any changes in the composition of natural gas.

■ DAIMLERCHRYSLER ANNOUNCES ITS NEW HYBRID BUS MERCEDES-BENZ This year Daimler-Chrysler will present the first prototype of Mercedes-Benz Citaro diesel-electric hybrid urban bus. The company announced this in occasion of the World UITP Congress of the operators of public transport, which was held in Helsinki. It is a hybrid system of traction from se-ries production. It is very sophisticated in terms of technology, which allows to switch to exclusively battery operation for short distances travelling, wi-thout exhaust emissions. The system is mounted on an articulated bus Citaro G model; in this configuration, it represents today something unique in the world. In 2008 the test phase of the vehicle will begin, while the series production is scheduled for 2009. Daimler-Chrysler boasts the longest and most ex-tensive experience worldwide in the field of hybrid buses. The first hybrid drive bus in the world was in fact presented by what was then called Daimler-Benz AG, at the 1969 IAA Fair: an eleven meters long, urban line bus Mercedes OE 302.

■ PRESENTED AT THE 22ND EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR ENERGY IN MILAN SOLARWORLD NO. 1 It does not pollute, it do not emit noise, but its solar panels will propel it at a speed of 120 km/h in the crossing of the Australian continent. Today it is a prototype, tomorrow it could become the everyday car.

It’s called SolarWorld No. 1 and it is a car only run-ning on solar energy. From 21 to 28 October, it has engaged in an extraordinary competition, the 20th edition of the World Solar Challenge, a sort of unofficial World Championship for solar energy cars. The car, which design process took more than a ye-ar, and was done in partnership with the University of Bochum, is made by SolarWorld, the world lea-der in the production of photovoltaic panels. And in fact it is just the solar cells embedded in the bodywork of the vehicle that provide the necessary energy to feed the remarkable performance electric engine that drives the car.

SolarWorld No. 1 is five meters long. The innovative materials used to build it allowed to limit its weight to just two hundred kilos 200. Six square metres of its surface are covered with solar cells, which are capable of generating enough power to propel the car at a maximum speed of 120 km/h, and at a cruise speed of 85 km per hour, all day long. What is today a prototype, which nice looking sha-pe was designed to win a race of global importan-ce, however, could one day become an utility car for everyday use. One of the basic requirements in order to be able to participate in the World Solar Challenge, in fact, is that the vehicles engaged in the confrontation adopt design solutions that are applicable to eve-ryday life vehicles. Also for this reason, the driving place of SolarWorld No. 1 has been designed so as to keep the pilot in exactly the same driving position as in the driving place of any ordinary car in the street. With the launch of this project, SolarWorld aims at knowledge dissemination, and at creating a growing interest among younger generations about research projects on solar energy. At the sa-me time, SolarWorld No. 1 demonstrates with its characteristics that the technological progress in the field of renewable energies is ready to ensure so high performance, that they can make a spec-tacular entry in the world of sport.

www.solarworld.de