Posted 2/18/2019 11:36:32 CET
Gasnam, an Iberian association for the promotion of natural gas and renewable gas in maritime and land transport, has “deeply” lamented the reduction of more than 80% of the aid provided by the Efficient and Sustainable Mobility Incentive Program (Moves) It considers for mobility with natural gas and considers that this measure represents an “important disincentive” for transport professionals.
According to the association, the Moves Plan will allocate between 0.9 and 2.2 million euros to the heavy natural gas vehicle “in the best of cases”, leaving out cars and vans that use this fuel.
“This measure supposes a drastic reduction of the aid and an important prejudice for the sector of the professional transport of passengers and merchandise, especially for the heavy vehicle that, to day of today, does not count on an electrical alternative with the sufficient development, such and As recognized by the Ministry itself (for the Ecological Transition) in its press release, to replace 100 liters of diesel it would be necessary to use 3.5 tons of lithium batteries, which would make the operation of this type of transport impossible, “denounces Gasnam it’s a statement.
In 2018, the Movea and Movalt plans subsidized all types of natural gas vehicles with an allocation of more than 11 million euros, of which close to 10 million were destined for trucks, buses and vans. In the opinion of the association, these programs were a sign of “clear support” by the Government to the professional transport sector for its ability to contribute to the improvement of air quality and the reduction of environmental impact.
In this way, he argues that the effectiveness of a sustainable mobility plan requires supporting those sectors that are capable of producing a greater environmental benefit. “Professional transport, due to its high use, represents a high percentage of fuel consumption and consequently of emissions,” he stresses.
Gasnam considers that natural gas is a fuel that allows to maintain competitiveness in all areas of professional transport, which requires large autonomies, refueling quickly and without the penalties on the payload implied by batteries.
“The professional transport of passengers and goods is key to decarbonise transport and improve air quality in cities and, therefore, aid plans that pursue environmental benefits must allocate the necessary funds so that the self-employed and entrepreneurs who bet on sustainable transport have the incentives that allow them to choose alternative fuels without losing performance, “the association says.
The foundations of the Moves Plan include an allocation of 45 million euros aimed at encouraging the purchase of alternative vehicles, installing electric vehicle charging infrastructures, the development of incentives to implement lending systems for electric bicycles and the implementation of measures included in plans of transport to the work center.