Volkswagen To Suspend Gas Vehicle Deliveries
German gas industry lobby Zukunft Erdgas (ZE) on August 6 criticised a decision by car-making giant Volkswagen (VW) to suspend supplies of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) and hybrid cars, with some orders already not being accepted for such vehicles. It stems from VW, and other brands, coming under much tighter US and EU regulatory scrutiny - following the VW emissions scandal of recent years.
Newspaper in Germany reported that VW would however resume deliveries later on in 2019 but that there would be a period lasting several months when such vehicle deliveries would be halted.
VW CEO Herbert Diess told German newspaper 'Welt am Sonntag' August 5 said the company had a shortage of trained engineers who could test and certify the vehicles: "We must reckon until October [2019] with further constraints; until then we will be able to offer 30 to 40 fewer varieties of vehicle than before." A company spokesperson told the newspaper that no more orders for hybrid and natural gas vehicles are currently being taken.
ZE chief executive Timm Kehler responded: "The fact that Volkswagen is now putting a stop to orders for natural gas vehicles, because the conversion to the new, more realistic test cycle was not carried out on time, is extremely regrettable. The most environmentally friendly vehicles in the portfolio obviously have the lowest priority. This sends a wrong signal to politicians, who are currently negotiating future CO2 fleet limits for cars in Brussels."
Last week ZE published data showing that new registrations of NGVs had grown faster in Germany than every other country in Europe during January-May 2018; it added Aug.6 that more than 1,700 natural gas passenger cars were registered on German roads in June alone. However, NGVs remain a relatively small share of the overall VW market in both Germany and Europe as a whole.
"This was also a very important sign for the operators of natural gas filling stations. The fact that Volkswagen no longer serves the increased demand is annoying. Both for consumers and for the climate. Natural gas as the alternative fuel with the lowest costs will thus be a late victim of the diesel scandal," said Kehler.