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Fiat Group has been
participating at the 12th International Natural Gas
Vehicle Conference and Exhibition at the Fiera di
Roma which started on Tuesday morning and ends this
evening. Fiat is also sponsor of the event. This is a
way of reaffirming the company's commitment to
sustainable mobility, contributing to disseminating the
culture of methane and introducing the most eco-friendly
solutions on today's market to the general public. A
world leader in the methane car and commercial vehicle
sector, the Group has been showcasing several natural
gas Fiat, Fiat Professional and Iveco models, in
addition to Fiat Powertrain Technologies engines over
the last three days.
A Punto Evo Natural Power 1.4 77 HP bi-fuel
(petrol-methane) is on display at the Fiat stand by the
side of an Iveco EcoDaily hydromethane (fuelled with a
methane-hydrogen mixture) and two FPT methane engines: a
four-cylinder 1.4 litre bi-fuel for light commercial
vehicles and a six-cylinder in line 7.8 litre
supercharged engine for buses and special vehicles for
use in cities. An ECODaily Natural Power and a Ducato
Metropolis Natural Power is also displayed in an
external area next to the exhibition area along with an
Irisbus Citelis CNG bus. Further confirmation of the
Group's commitment to methane fuel is a white Fiorino
Natural Power sporting a special style that underlines
its “environmentally-friendly” character on show at the
ENI stand. Fiat believes that methane propulsion is the
most appropriate technological choice for the immediate
future to contribute to solving the problem of pollution
in cities because it is the cleanest fuel currently
available.
The ecological solutions offered at the Fiera di Roma
are concrete demonstrations of Fiat Group's contribution
to mobility which is simultaneously sustainable and
accessible for all vehicle types: from small cars and
professional vehicles, to industrial vehicles and buses.
Fiat is involved in the NGV Rome International
Conferences entitled “Creating a revolution in
transport”, specifically in the session devoted to
methane engines and OEM vehicles. Speakers include
Daniele Chiari, senior VP of Fiat Group Automobiles,
responsible for Powertrain Portfolio Planning &
Institutional Relations, Massimo Ferrera, Fiat
Powertrain Technologies, responsible for Alternative
Fuel Engines and Franco Villa, of IVECO-Irisbus Product
Marketing. "2009 was a particularly positive year for
the automotive methane market: FGA sold approximately
127,000 methane fuelled vehicles in Europe, with Fiat
gaining a share of 80% for cars and of 55% for light
commercial vehicles", declared Daniele Chiari.
"Regretfully, in today's critical market scenario,
methane has been damaged specifically because of the
discontinuation of government incentives. We will
continue to contribute, but it is crucial to reassert
the general intention to pursue an integrated approach
to this clean, efficient and readily available
technology. We must not forget that methane cars can
effectively contribute to strategies for improving air
quality in Europe."
"Fiat Powertrain Technologies is European leader in the
production of methane engines. We are here to promote
the use of alternative fuels for internal combustion
engines, and specifically for public transport, today
and tomorrow", declared Massimo Ferrera. "For example,
internal combustion engines will still play an important
role in road transport for many years to come, and this
is why alternative fuel vehicles must be introduced on
the market to create genuine choices. The methane engine
technology developed by FPT is pivotal for developing
these solutions."
"Since the 1980s, Iveco has been addressing CNG
propulsion and is today European leader in the research
and production of natural gas vehicles, with over ten
thousand on the road today in private and public fleets
which have clocked more than 600 million kilometres”,
declared Franco Villa. "Ours is the most complete,
modern range of methane vehicles on the market today."
With regards to public transport, Irisbus has a complete
range of CNG buses powered by FPT engines, which have
been adopted in over 70 cities across Europe".
The products on display
On the car front, Fiat has chosen to showcase the Punto
EVO, one of the most recent “Natural Power” ecological
models. This car confirms Fiat's leadership in the
methane segment and its continuous commitment in seeking
new solutions which combine the customer's needs
(roominess, excellent range and maximum safety) and
respect for the environment. The methane-powered Punto
Evo has a CO2 output of 115g/km (combined cycle).
Attractive, safe, technological and full of special
details: these are the peculiarities of this low
environmental impact car equipped with a 1.4 - 77 HP
bi-fuel (petrol/methane) engine (delivering 70 HP on
methane). The Punto Evo Natural Power - Active, Dynamic
and Emotion versions are available - has solved the
issues typical of methane cars. By exploiting a raised
floor bed and integrating two separate methane cylinders
with a total capacity of 76 litres (13 kilograms), the
Punto Evo Natural Power has the same space for
passengers and luggage as the original. The petrol tank
capacity is the same as the petrol version (45 litres),
which means carefree running even where methane filling
stations are few and far between.
The Fiat Natural Power range also targets an extensive
category of professional users. Representing the large
range of Fiat Professional methane commercial vehicles
in Rome are the methane fuelled Ducato Metropolis and
the Fiorino Natural Power, the latter on display at the
ENI stand. The Ducato Metropolis comes in several
configurations for passenger transport in cities: ten
comfortably seated and seven standing passengers, in
addition to the driver, or one wheelchair, eight seated
and four standing passengers.
Natural Power Ducato is another chance to shine for Fiat
Professional’s iconic model, of which over two million
have been produced since its launch in 1981. A
commercial success stemming from its versatility: it is
a favourite with decorators, plumbers, shopkeepers and
farmers, and equally popular with large companies and
special clients, like local authorities, the police,
public administrations and health boards. The Ducato 140
Natural Power adopts a three litre engine, delivers a
maximum power of 136 HP (100 kW) at 2750-3500 rpm and
maximum torque of 350 Nm at 1500 rpm. It is configured
to normally run on natural gas. The engine automatically
switches to petrol only when the methane is about to run
out: the 15 litre petrol tank assures a range of 100 km
in recovery mode to reach the next methane refuelling
station. The gas cylinders are installed under the
flooring and this leaves the entire storage area free.
The Fiorino Natural Power, ideal for low environment
impact transport solutions in cities, is equipped with a
1.4 Fire Euro 5 engine with low CO2 emissions (only
119 g/km). The Fiorino Metano has a bi-fuel
methane-petrol system with two independent circuits. It
normally runs on methane. The engine is always started
on petrol and then automatically switches to natural
gas. In this way, the petrol fuel system remains
efficient and is only required when the gas in the
cylinders is about to run out. The driver can, however,
always switch from methane to petrol and vice versa at
will by pressing a button on the dashboard.
Another strength of the
model is its extraordinary range: in methane mode, the
Fiorino Metano can cover 300 km as a result of the total
capacity of its two cylinders (77 litres, equal to 13.2
kg of gas at a pressure of 200 bar) and it costs just 11
euros to fill the tank with methane. What's more, by
fitting a 45 litre petrol tank, its overall range
reaches 1000 km over a combined cycle.
The attention to sustainable mobility is a key part of
Iveco's company strategy as well. In the outdoor area
next to the exhibition hall an Irisbus Citelis CNG
stands next to a ECODaily Natural Power. This natural
gas fuel version is the most recent transformation of
the popular model two million of which have been sold.
Today it sports a facelift and new engines in addition
to improved comfort and onboard electronics. The Iveco
stand, instead, showcases an ECODaily Natural Power
Hydromethane, one of the most recent results of the Fiat
Group's R&D in the field of sustainable mobility. The
vehicle is provided with a hydromethane bi-fuel engine,
which runs on a mixture of hydrogen and methane as well
as petrol. Iveco is European leader in the methane
commercial vehicle segment and believes that natural gas
is a valid solution to responsibly tackle the needs of
commercial road transport. The environmental impact of
this key segment for economic development can be
optimised by using state-of-the-art technologies.
Fiat Powertrain Technologies, the Fiat Group division
dedicated to researching, developing, producing and
marketing engines and transmissions, is displaying two
methane engines, proof of the company's commitment to
developing eco-sustainable mobility solutions. Leader in
the methane engine segment, which exploits the low
carbon content of the fuel and significantly cuts CO2
emissions, FPT offers a bi-fuel four-cylinder 1400 cc
engine, for cars and medium-small commercial vehicles.
This Fire engine is ahead of Euro 5 pollution standards
and was designed from the beginning to run on methane.
It implements many special features with respect to a
normal petrol-only engine to assure maximum reliability,
like the intake and exhaust valves and housings made
with special geometry and materials optimised for
methane. The injection system has a rail/gas injector
system integrated directly on the intake manifold while
the catalytic converter has a specific design. The
maximum power of 77 HP (petrol) and 70 HP (methane) is
delivered at 6000 rpm while the maximum torque at
3250 rpm is 115 and 104 Nm, respectively.
The other engine on display is the C78 ENT G, a
six-cylinder in line 7.8 litre supercharged by a
turbocharger with wastegate and intercooler, compliant
with EEV standards. This unit delivers a top power of
200 HP at 1750 rpm and a torque of 1100 Nm at 1100 rpm.
It is designed for use on buses and special vehicles
prevalently in cities where the low cost per kilometre
is particularly appreciated (methane is one of the most
cost-effective fuels). Behaviour in terms of noise and
vibrations is very favourable, because of a less extreme
compression ratio with respect to a corresponding diesel
engine among other features: this in general reduces
noise emissions by approximately 3-5 dB. Last but not
least advantage of methane fuel is the extremely low
pollutant emissions: for example, nitrogen oxides (NOx)
reach barely one fourth of the legal limit.
Fiat Group Automobiles
Fiat is one of the international automotive groups which
is most effectively responding to the need to limit the
impact of transport on the environment. JATO - world
leader in automotive research and consulting - has
recently announced that of the ten best selling
automotive brands in Europe in 2009 and for the third
year running Fiat Automobiles registered the lowest
average CO2 emissions on cars sold. In line with this
commitment, Fiat believes that methane propulsion is the
most appropriate technological solution for the
immediate future to help solve the problem of pollution
in cities. Methane has positive repercussions in terms
of benefits for the environment (CO2 emissions are
reduced by approximately 23% with respect to petrol and
PM emissions are practically zero) and in terms of
cost-effectiveness, because it is a valid alternative to
traditional fuels (diesel and petrol) which are always
more prone to increase in price. For example,
approximately 10 euros of methane allow travel up to 270
kilometres on the combined cycle on the Panda Panda.
Vehicles running on methane offer minimum emissions and
complete safety: this translates for the customer into
the possibility of driving in all urban areas subject to
traffic restrictions (linked to excessive pollutant
emissions) and they can also park the vehicle in
multi-storey car parks. Furthermore, the methane
refuelling network is increasingly more widespread:
there are over 720 stations in Italy today.
World leader in the OEM methane vehicle segment
(approximately 127,000 units were sold in Europe in
2009, with a 80% market share gained by Fiat for cars
and by 55% by Fiat Professional for light commercial
vehicles), Fiat Group Automobiles is the first
manufacturer to offer, through "Natural Power", a large
range of bi-fuel (methane-petrol) vehicles, capable of
responding to the needs of the most diverse users,
including shopkeepers, decorators and plumbers and
transport professionals: Multipla Natural Power, Punto
Natural Power, Panda Panda Natural Power, Doblò Natural
Power, Grande Punto (all available in light commercial
vehicle version), Punto Evo, Qubo, Fiorino and Ducato.
The attention of Fiat for the environment does not stop
at engineering and marketing eco-compatible products,
but continues after sales. The role of servicing is
crucial: keeping vehicles efficient means keeping
consumptions and emissions under control and
guaranteeing safety and performance of the vehicle over
time.
Iveco
Supporting sustainable mobility is an increasingly
important factor in strategic company policy for Iveco.
Aware of the importance of environmental sustainability
in road transport, Iveco offers state-of-the-art
technological solutions capable of providing products
which respond increasingly well to the specific needs of
customers in their various missions:
Natural gas vehicles. Remaining in the field of
fossil fuel and considering the great attention which
the quality of air in urban areas requires, natural gas
engines are evidently the cleanest internal combustion
engines on the market today. They are as quiet as petrol
engines and emit much less carbon dioxide. Iveco is
European leader in the natural gas fuelled commercial
vehicles and has the most complete product range on the
market today. The range includes models particularly
suited for city use: a wide range of buses, the Daily
(the most recent version was launched last year), the
ECODaily Natural Power, Eurocargo and Stralis. There are
over 10,000 Iveco natural gas vehicles on the road
today.
Renewable fuels. Second-generation bio-fuels
(both gaseous and liquid) will be available in the
future and Iveco is supporting their development to
promote high availability. Among gaseous bio-fuels,
bio-methane produced by organic waste, animal waste and
discarded vegetables has important advantages on an
environmental level in global terms (WTW - Well to Wheel
analysis) and is an interesting opportunity to
contribute to reducing the 10% renewable fuel target set
for 2020. Bio-methane supports and integrates the fossil
fuel offer and can be used now on Iveco vehicle.
Hydromethane is obtained by mixing green hydrogen (from
renewable sources) with 30% methane (or bio-methane).
This mixture guarantees further advantages in terms of
CO2 emissions and other polluting emissions with respect
to pure methane. The most important liquid bio-fuel is
definitely bio-diesel, up to 5% of which can be mixed
with fossil fuel diesel without needing any other
intervention.
Alternative traction. The synergy between
electric engine and thermal engine with the recovery of
kinetic energy when braking make Iveco hybrids the best
fuel savers. With respect to traditional vehicles,
hybrids assure quieter, more comfortable running and
significant fuel savings, in addition to the
possibility, in some configurations, of travelling with
zero emissions in protected urban areas. The Iveco range
of serial and parallel hybrid buses is already
operational in many European cities. This technology is
being extended to freight transport: two years ago,
Iveco started a full-scale road test programme for light
and medium commercial vehicles - Daily and Eurocargo -
in collaboration with several key customers. The Iveco
portfolio for urban travel includes the ECODaily
Electric, a zero emission light commercial vehicle, the
features of which include very low noise and a range of
up to 120 km. The vehicle is entirely designed, made and
sold by Iveco.
Polluting emissions. Air quality is a fundamental
issue in environmental protection and public health.
With this in mind, Iveco has introduced Euro 5 compliant
vehicles (in force since October 2009) over four years
ahead of the legal deadline. Today, Iveco is already
working on Euro 6 compliant solutions with the objective
of once again keeping ahead of legal requirements to the
benefit of the environment and customers. More
specifically, each Iveco range has EEV (Enhanced
Environmentally-friendly Vehicle) diesel engines, and is
the undisputed European leader in the natural gas
sector, with vehicles with already meeting future Euro 6
standards.
FPT – Fiat Powertrain
Technologies
Established in March 2005, FPT – Fiat Powertrain
Technologies develops, makes and supplies engines and
transmissions for Fiat Group companies and customers.
With a yearly production of over 2.5 million engines and
almost 2.5 million transmissions and axles, 20,000
employees, 22 plants and 14 R&D centres in 11 countries,
FPT is a worldwide leader in the engine segment. The
very diverse FPT range can satisfy virtually all market
requests and includes engines (with power from 20 to
1020 HP and displacements from 900 to 20,100 cc) and
transmissions (from 143 to 400 Nm) for a wide array of
applications: automotive (cars, commercial vehicles,
trucks, buses, special vehicles), industrial
(earth-moving and construction site machines, farming
machines, irrigation pumps, special machines), marine
(yachting and professional applications) and power
generation (electricity generators).
The FPT environment protection strategy is based on the
development of a portfolio of solutions (such as
conventional engine improvements, alternative fuels,
alternative propulsion) tailored to social-economic and
energy conditions of the various target markets (e.g.
methane or natural gas in Europe, flex fuel in Brazil).
The work of FPT in various areas - from cars and light
and heavy commercial vehicles to farming and industrial
vehicles - and the gradual transfer of technology from
cars to industrial applications ensures effective
answers to the community to promote sustainable mobility
also from a medium-to-long term perspective. From the
Common Rail electronic injection system (the precursor
of the Multijet system) to the brand-new “TwinAir” 900cc
two-cylinder engine with MultiAir technology soon to be
released, FPT has developed high-tech innovations for
the automotive industry aimed at reducing emissions of
polluting substances and CO2.
FPT believes that methane propulsion is the best
response to the problem of pollution in cities. Safe
technology: natural gas is the cleanest, most
eco-friendly fuel available today. The current
production of FPT engines includes methane models for a
wide range of applications (cars, light and heavy
commercial vehicles, buses) with a power range from 60
to 272 HP. Furthermore, FPT sees methane as the bridge
solution to hydrogen, because methane and hydrogen can
be mixed to fuel the engine: FPT has successfully tested
a mixture formed of approximately 30% of hydrogen and
70% of methane. FPT address hybrid propulsion for
commercial vans, by developing a system which employs an
electric generator between a 2.3 litres four-cylinder
diesel engine and a robotised transmission system. A
fleet of 10 hybrid Iveco Daily vehicles has recently
been delivered to Fed-Ex.
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