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NATURAL GAS THE DETAIL<br />
The future’s bright,<br />
the future’s gas?<br />
With all the furore around electric vehicles, it’s easy to forget that there are other<br />
alternative fuel sources out there that could benefit the camping and caravanning<br />
industry. Natural gas is making a case for being a fuel of the future.<br />
Photo: Stellantis<br />
E<br />
■lectric is the future<br />
of the leisure vehicle<br />
industry. Right? Well,<br />
actually, it might not be the only<br />
solution for our industry as we<br />
look towards trying to create a<br />
future that is more sustainable<br />
and kinder to the environment.<br />
There is a clamour of movement<br />
and noise around alternatives to<br />
electric vehicles, despite them<br />
appearing to be considered the<br />
go-to solution to stop using<br />
fossil fuels. So, what are these<br />
alternatives? They almost all<br />
take the forms of natural gases.<br />
One such possible alternative<br />
is CNG or compressed natural<br />
gas. Unlike liquefied petroleum<br />
gas (LPG), CNG is not refinery<br />
gas but a natural gas and just<br />
as safe as petrol or diesel. It<br />
is usually compressed to 200<br />
bars before it is stored to<br />
save fuel tank space. CNG is<br />
already becoming more widely<br />
available around Europe, with<br />
an estimated 900 filling stations<br />
that supply this in Germany<br />
and 1,250 in Italy. Low base<br />
price and low consumption<br />
makes CNG much cheaper<br />
that petrol or diesel, which is<br />
another big benefit. It was made<br />
evident that CNG has some<br />
legs as a future fuel alternative<br />
when German motorhome<br />
brand Bürstner revealed its<br />
first eco-friendly natural gas<br />
campervan, the Eliseo CNG.<br />
Based on a 100 kW/134bhp<br />
Fiat Ducato Natural Power, this<br />
hybrid Eliseo mainly runs on<br />
natural gas but is also equipped<br />
with a petrol-powered backup<br />
engine. The vehicle is equipped<br />
with five natural gas tanks<br />
with an overall capacity of 22<br />
litres/36kg that are cleverly and<br />
safely positioned underneath<br />
the floor to ensure that they do<br />
not reduce the available living<br />
space. The press launch vehicle<br />
had a reach of 400 kilometres<br />
before the engine automatically<br />
switched to petrol.<br />
“With the Eliseo CNG, we<br />
want to provide our industry<br />
with yet more inspiration<br />
for a more environmentally-<br />
18 | www.campingtradeworld.com
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