Arriva Italia has presented 20 new IVECO BUS CROSSWAY 12 intercity buses powered by natural gas that are already serving suburban transport in the province of Brescia. The vehicles were purchased through two public tenders awarded to IVECO BUS. The Brescia fleet currently has 420 vehicles of which 45 run on CNG (10.7%).
“These 20 buses are part of a much bigger and more ambitious project that, starting from the beginning of 2022, has seen the gradual introduction into Arriva Italia’s fleet of about 50 new natural gas vehicles, with the aim of reaching 200 by the beginning of 2024. Of these buses, about 100 will be deployed in Brescia, while the remaining will be delivered in Bergamo, Turin, Cremona, Aosta, Udine and Veneto. Our goal is the transition to an increasingly green and sustainable fleet,” said Angelo Costa, Managing Director of Arriva Italy.
“Natural gas is a technology in which IVECO BUS has always invested and believed, anticipating the demands for truly sustainable mobility. Today the market is recognizing the merits of our commitment, as demonstrated by our partnership with Arriva with the delivery of our 20 CROSSWAY CNG buses, the ideal vehicle to travel together towards decarbonization,” commented Tiziano Dotti, IVECO BUS Italy Public Sales Manager.
For the type of service provided by Arriva, mainly on medium suburban routes, CNG-powered vehicles today represent essentially the only alternative with low environmental impact.
Moreover, Arriva Italia’s goal is to develop the biomethane production chain, also thanks to the partnership started with Greenture. The exclusive use of biomethane to fuel vehicles would in fact allow CO2 savings between 85 and 121% in the well-to-wheel cycle depending on the feedstock used in the anaerobic reaction.
However, the switch to the use of CNG already allows a reduction in pollutant emissions: the CO2 emission goes from 677 g/kWh (diesel) to 576 g/kWh (natural gas) with a 15% reduction. In addition, PM goes from 2.3 to 0.4 mg/kWh.
The construction of a new CNG station for buses at the Brescia depot is actually underway, as the work will be completed in early 2024. The facility will be built by Greenture and connected to the Snam network: the site will initially deliver CNG and later it will also allow biomethane supply.
Source: Arriva Italia
