Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Britain says it will have the only compact panel van in the UK to be powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) when the Caddy EcoFuel goes on sale this summer.
The larger Caddy Maxi EcoFuel, offering an extra 1.0 m³ of loadspace, will be introduced simultaneously.
The Caddy EcoFuel has been developed as part of Volkswagen’s broad environmental research programme. It went on sale on the Continent in 2006 where 7,500 examples were sold last year.
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There are two key benefits of operating a CNG-powered vehicle, VW says:
- Lower, cleaner emissions; and
- Reduced fuel costs (CNG is approximately 50 per cent cheaper than diesel)
The greatest environmental benefit of using CNG as a fuel is the dramatic reduction of exhaust gases; for example, compared to the equivalent TDI engine carbon monoxide (CO) emissions are over 50 per cent lower, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are 97 per cent lower, and there are zero particulates.
The engine can operate on biomethane, a sustainable fuel that is now becoming commercially available from renewable sources, or CNG, which is the same gas we use for our heating and cooking at home. It also has a 13-litre petrol tank as a reserve, which is automatically and smoothly engaged should the gas supply run out.
Natural gas, VW points out, is a practical alternative fuel that is easy to use, with claims that there are enough natural gas reserves to last 70 to 100 years, compared to a predicted 40 years for oil.
The steel gas tanks do not intrude on the Caddy’s load volume of 3.2m³ as they are mounted beneath the vehicle. Depending on how the Caddy EcoFuel is driven and the payload carried, the 26 kg capacity of gas offers a range of around 270 miles or, if combined with the petrol reserve, a range of over 350 miles. This is more than adequate for most operators, and ideal for back-to-base fleets that are able to install an on-site CNG refuelling facility. The Caddy Maxi EcoFuel’s larger gas tanks offer a range of 350 miles, plus 80 miles from the petrol tank – making a total of 430 miles.
Volkswagen builds the Caddy EcoFuel models in the same factory as the rest of the Caddy van range and they are sold with the identical three-year/100,000 mile warranty. This, VW claims, achieves a superior quality product than after-market conversions and includes benefits such as the gas filling point being fitted behind the fuel filler flap, plus an electronic fuel gauge display integrated into the dashboard instrument panel.
The engine in the Caddy EcoFuel is a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre petrol unit which has been optimised to efficiently use CNG or petrol. It has CO2 emissions of 157 g/km, over 20 per cent lower than a conventional petrol engine.
Full details, including prices and technical specifications, for the Caddy EcoFuel and Caddy Maxi EcoFuel will be released in late spring.
