The FINANCIAL — EDP, SEAT and Volkswagen-Audi Spain signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that aims at promoting the development of CNG vehicles and the infrastructures that are necessary to foster the use of this alternative fuel. CNG allows users to achieve significant cost savings and considerably reduces vehicle emissions in comparison to traditional fuels.
The agreement, which is valid for two years and extendable through the express accord of all parties involved, was signed today in Bilbao by the CEO of EDP Spain, Miguel Stilwell; the Vice-president for Government and Institutional Relations of SEAT and Volkswagen Group in Spain, Ramón Paredes; and the President of Volkswagen-Audi Spain, Francisco Pérez Botello.
The signing of this agreement took place in the framework of the strategy shared by the three companies that aims at fostering sustainable mobility through the use of alternative fuels, such as natural gas, in order to promote the fight against climate change and improve air quality in cities, according to Volkswagen.
Accordingly, EDP, SEAT and Volkswagen-Audi Spain will collaborate in the development of joint commercial packages that will include CNG-propelled vehicles, refuelling infrastructure and CNG supply. In parallel, they will also launch several initiatives to attract new customers.
In addition, the agreement foresees the development of commercial offers for the car rental industry, focused on renewing their fleets with CNG vehicles. Furthermore, the three companies will develop joint sustainable mobility demonstration projects, in which SEAT and Volkswagen-Audi Spain will supply CNG vehicles while EDP provides the necessary refuelling infrastructure.
Similarly, the three partners will coordinate several activities to raise public awareness on the benefits of Natural Gas Vehicles, whether those initiatives are developed by the companies themselves or through a partnership with industry organisations or public administrations. They will also map the geographical distribution of CNG infrastructures.
By virtue of this agreement, SEAT and Volkswagen-Audi Spain will develop commercial offers for their CNG vehicles that will adapt to the fleet renewal plan developed by EDP. Moreover, the three companies will study installing several CNG public refuelling points at car-dealers of special relevance.
The CEO of EDP Spain, Miguel Stilwell, said: “Our commitment to sustainable mobility is constantly moving forward. We have already opened the first CNG refuelling point in the Basque Country, and we are already working to launch several others. Our natural gas distributor is the first company to have its entire fleet of vehicles running on environmentally friendly fuels.”
Meanwhile, the Vice-president for Government and Institutional Relations of SEAT and Volkswagen Group in Spain, Ramón Paredes, highlighted the user benefits brought by CNG. “Compressed Natural Gas is a safe, sustainable fuel that involves substantial cost savings, since its price is well below that of traditional fuels. It can mean saving up to 30% in the case of diesel vehicles, and up to 50% in the case of gasoline vehicles”, he assured.
On the other hand, the President of Volkswagen-Audi Spain, Francisco Pérez Botello, stressed out the positive aspects of NGV from an environmental perspective, “because the use of this type of fuel in cars reduces carbon emissions by up to 25% compared to gasoline, and by over 85% in the case of NOx emissions when compared to diesel”.
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