The number of CNG models has fallen massively.
(Photo: Seat)
Cologne With a natural gas drive, drivers halve their fuel costs and significantly reduce CO2 emissions. Despite this, the technology never really caught on. Maybe because natural gas is priced by the kilo, petrol and diesel by the liter? In any case, the 50 percent higher energy content is not indicated at the pump. In addition, gas prices vary enormously depending on the region. In short: the advantage of natural gas is not obvious to the consumer.
It’s easy to calculate: A 130 hp VW Golf 1.5 TSI consumes an average of 7.5 liters of petrol per 100 kilometers. At a price per liter of 1.75 euros, this makes around 13 euros in fuel costs. The equally powerful VW Golf 1.5 TGI with gas drive gets by with around five kilos of CNG. Fuel costs at an average price of 1.20 euros per kilo: under 6 euros.
VW Group: No more new natural gas models
Everything actually looked good for the gas industry: in 2018, the VW Group even launched a major CNG offensive. “Natural gas has a long-term perspective in the automotive sector and must not be seen as an interim solution,” said Stephen Neumann, the then Group representative for CNG technology in an interview with the specialist magazine Firmenauto. “We need to reduce CO2 emissions in cities. You can’t do that with electric cars alone.”
Gas cars were seen as a tried and tested means because they emit a good third less CO2 than petrol cars. Fine dust does not occur at all. This realization resulted in a veritable flood of models in the VW Group. The group brands recently offered 18 models, from the small VW Up to the Audi A5. There were even plans to set up their own CNG dispensing system and to double the filling station network nationwide to 2,000 stations by 2026.
The initiative bore fruit: 10,800 natural gas cars were sold in Germany in 2018, three times as many as in the previous year. And today? Zero. All manufacturers quietly and secretly deleted the gas drive from their programs. Not just Volkswagen. A few years ago, Fiat had eight CNG models in its portfolio, while Opel had three. BMW, Mercedes or Ford and others also offered one or the other natural gas vehicle.
At Volkswagen, the reasons are clear. In 2018, CEO Herbert Diess sealed the death rate of the clean gas models with his electric only. But the generous promotion of e-cars was not exactly helpful either. After all, those who opted for gas technology got nothing. “Instead of promoting them, politics gave the death knell for a sustainable and economically viable technology,” criticizes Marc-Oliver Prinzing. As a member of the board of the Federal Association of Business Mobility, he represents the interests of hundreds of companies with a multiple of company cars.
Timm Kehler, board member of the industry association Zukunft Gas, sees it similarly. “In politics, a clear preference for electric and hybrid drives can be seen in the transport sector, which is why the industry also primarily relies on these technologies.” Kehler cannot understand this. Gas vehicles and technology are available. “And those who fill up with bio-CNG are almost climate-neutral on the road.”
Inventory is shrinking, the number of gas stations too
Association leader Prinzing blames politics for the death of CNG vehicles. “This is a good example of what happens when politicians don’t specify goals, but technology,” says Prinzing. “Manufacturers cannot count CO2 emissions from natural gas vehicles against the fleet limit. On the other hand, they even improve their balance sheet with plug-in hybrids, a technical concept that is more than questionable from an environmental point of view.”
>>Read here, why Volkswagen said goodbye to natural gas drives some time ago.
So why should the auto industry pursue CNG further? Fewer new cars, less inventory. Only around 80,000 CNG vehicles are on the road in Germany. In the best of times it was over 100,000. And of what used to be more than 1,000 gas stations, there are still almost 800 left, and the trend is falling. There will hardly be any new stations. The investments in the expensive high-pressure accumulator no longer pay off.
Nevertheless, even long distances are no problem for motorists. Apps like Gibgas help find CNG stations and plan routes. Even abroad. To Italy, for example, where more than 1,500 dispensers serve just under a million gas cars with “Metano” or “Gas Naturale”. But if you want to buy a new natural gas car now, you have to hurry. A handful of models can still be found on the used car portals. These include bargains such as a new Seat Leon Sports Tourer 1.5 TGI Style for 29,580 euros, a good ten percent below the 2022 price.
The selection of daily registrations and demonstration vehicles is somewhat larger. However, caution is advised: quite a few have more than 20,000 kilometers on the clock and are from the 2021 model year. And many vehicles are labeled as natural gas cars, but in reality have an LPG or autogas drive. Used car prices are likely to remain stable. Because you can’t drive cheaper than with natural gas, even in times of the electric boom.
More: SUV without a guilty conscience – the Seat Arona TGI in the test