VW Eco Up Adds Compressed Natural Gas Engine to Up Line

VolkswagenVolkswagenGermany, 1938 > present98 models
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is adding a new UpVolkswagen Up! Gen.1Germany, 2011 > present107 versions
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to the range with the new Eco Up that runs on compressed natural gas (CNG) and emits just 79g/km of CO2. VW says that it is the most efficient car running on natural gas in the world. 

The Eco Up uses the same engine as the 1.0-liter Up but converted to run on CNG and biomethane. It produces 67hp and uses 2.9kg/100km of CNG, which at current rates in Germany would cost €3 to drive 100km. In addition to CNG, the Eco Up can also be fueled by biomethane where available

The Eco Up is available as either a two-door or four-door.

Biomethane as an automotive fuel is becoming increasingly popular. It is essentially carbon neutral because it only emits the carbon dioxide that the plants used to make the fuel absorbed. Germany completed a facility that produces biomethane from excess straw crops in February 2012. 

Italy is the largest consumer of CNG cars in Europe with about 785,000 CNG-fueled cars on its roads as of 2011. This is mostly because of the lower tax on CNG in Italy, which makes it a cheaper fuel. In comparison, there are about 97,000 CNG-fueled cars on German roads as of mid 2012. However, because of new tax incentives, analysts believe that German CNG sales will increase in the coming years. 

In the future, biomethane could also be produced from wind power. The turbines create the energy to create hydrogen fuel than can then be converted into methane. With current technology, this process is expensive and inefficient, but companies are investing to make the process better. 

VW will add a GolfVolkswagen Volkswagen Golf Gen.7 [VII]Germany, 2012 > present363 versions
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that runs on CNG and biomethane later in the year. 

The Eco Up will be for sale soon in Europe, but VW has not announced pricing yet.