Fewer people want to convert their cars to gas, says Sergei Zinoviev, an expert at Za Rulem, Russia’s oldest and most authoritative automotive publication. Here are three key trends the expert is spotting.
Gas stations close
Opening an autogas filling compressor station (CNG) is easy and cheap, as the state grants significant subsidies for this. But the contents of such a gas station are completely unprofitable. In 2020 there were 743 CNG filling stations in Russia, now there are only 635 (20 stations will be closed this fall). Pumping gas into car cylinders has become more problematic.
Modest parking space
To make CNG filling stations profitable for businesses, more vehicles must run on methane. That is, the existing 1.5 million gas-powered vehicles are not enough to grow the network of CNG filling stations. The number is impressive. But not a percentage – this is only 3.2% of the country’s car fleet, which has 44 million cars. In addition, not all of these vehicles use methane.
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Development of electric vehicles
In parallel with the program to convert cars to gas, electric vehicles are also being promoted, for which state subsidies of up to 625 thousand rubles are provided. In addition, electric vehicles are already being produced in Russia, and in the near future the number of models of domestic electric trains will increase.
But Gazprom, the methane-initiated innovator, has a plan. The potential of the program remains high and there are positive experiences in other countries.
Read about the features of converting cars to methane in the December issue of “Behind the Wheel” magazine – already on sale.
The material was prepared on the basis of Sergei Zinoviev’s article “Fountains of Methane”, published in issue 12.2022 of the magazine “Behind the wheel”.