ANBA. Brazil's fleet of 1.5 million natural gas vehicles (NGV) should grow 10% this year, according to the Brazilian Institute of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (IBP). Brazil's NGV fleet expanded by 14% last year.
According to data for April this year, the southeastern Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro hosts the majority (655,540 vehicles) of the country's CNG-powered vehicle fleet, which totals 1,541 million. Second is the state of São Paulo (SE), with 377,416 vehicles.
NGVs represent about 10% of the total Brazilian fleet, according to the International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles (IANGV). In June 2007, Brazil's NGV fleet was the third-largest in the world, behind Argentina and Pakistan.
Also: Citroën and GDF Introduce Dual-Fuel Natural Gas C3 with Home Refueling
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| The C3 CNG |
Citroën and Gaz de France (GDF) have launched a dual-fuel gasoline-natural gas version of its C3, the C3 1.4i GNV, into a pilot program in the French market along with a home refueling system.
The Citroën C3 1.4i CNG develops 48 kW (68 hp) at 5,500 rpm with a torque of 110 Nm at 3,400 rpm. Natural gas is injected directly into the cylinder head via four special injectors. The engine switches automatically a gasoline reserve when the gas tank is empty.
The car has a total range of approximately 700 km (435 miles): 500 km (310 miles) gasoline and 200 km (124 miles) CNG. Fuel consumption in gasoline and CNG modes is equivalent: 6.6 liters/100km (35.6 mpg US) on a combined European cycle. (CNG consumption is gasoline equivalent.)
France is well behind its neighbors Italy and Germany in the use of natural gas vehicles and in the development of a refueling infrastructure to support them. According to statistics from the IANGV, Italy has some 390,000 NGVs and 509 stations, Germany has 27,200 NGVs and 558 stations, while France has a mere 7,400 NGVs and 105 stations.