For many who have no idea what the letters imply GNC, is the acronym for Compressed pure fuel, a sort of fuel that has been used for years as various to petroleum-derived fuels. It is vital not to confuse it with the Liquefied Petroleum Gasoline, whose initials are LPG and it is called AutoGas, which is a combination of butane and propane fuel that can also be used as a gasoline for automobiles (probably the most utilized by taxi drivers, at the least earlier than).
Nearly 200 fuel stations in Spain and rising
CNG is especially made up of methane and is like pure fuel consumed in properties, however compressed for use as gasoline. It’s cheaper and pollutes less than different fossil fuels, however it has a disadvantage: in contrast to LPG or AutoGas, which is probably the most broadly used various gasoline on the earth, the CNG provide community continues to be small, even supposing it has not stopped rising in recent times and there are already 181 CNG refueling factors in Spain, in accordance to up to date knowledge from the Sustainable Transport Affiliation that integrates the Gasoline and Hydrogen worth chain (Gasnam).
The Skoda Octavia Combi 1.5 TSI G-TEC 130 CV DSG.
Skoda Octavia Combi 1.5 TSI G-TEC 130 CV DSG
On this foundation, you’ll perceive our response when our associate Carlos Espinosa he advised us that Skoda Spain give us a Skoda Octavia Combi G-TEC of pure fuel to check it for 10 days. For private causes, we had to transfer on these days from Madrid to Malaga with the entire household and our first impulse was one in all deep concern. A number of doubts and questions assailed us: Can we get to Malaga and return with a CNG automotive? Are there fuel stations (because the service stations that serve pure fuel are referred to as) in Malaga? And on the way in which? How autonomous does a pure fuel automotive have? And the way a lot does CNG value?
Three CNG tanks and one gasoline tank
Fortunately, CNG vehicles just like the Skoda Octavia Combi 1.5 TSI G-TEC are automobiles bi-fuel or dual-fuel, which signifies that they’re powered by gasoline and CNG. They don’t seem to be hybrids, since they solely have an engine that works indifferently with gasoline or CNG. Our check unit, specifically, has three pure fuel tanks with a complete capability of 17.7 kg and one other auxiliary of 9 liter gasoline. So, within the worst case, we had the choice of fill the fuel tank each 100 or 120 kilometers (speeding the reservation) if we didn’t discover any fuel station in Malaga or on the way in which. We all know that that is what a co-worker did who went on trip to Galicia two summers in the past with a Seat Len Sportstourer TGI. And I survived.
Journey planning
We assume that it wasn’t going to be probably the most comfy experience of our lives, however there was no selection however to accomplish that. That’s what we created earlier than planning the journey, however the actuality was very completely different. It was sufficient to do a fast search on Google to discover the Gasnam web site, the place we discover a Iberian Peninsula map with all public CNG stations: 181 factors in Spain and 24 in Portugal. Zooming in on the map, we found that there was at the least 4 fuel stations on our route: a between Valdepeas and Santa Cruz de Mudela (in full A-4), two extra after Despeaperros (very shut to Guarromn, within the province of Jan) and, lastly, one other in an industrial property of grenade which was the one which saved our ‘lives’ each on the way in which out and on the way in which again.
With out fuel stations in Malaga
Though it might appear unimaginable, within the province of Malaga there is just one fuel station that dispenses CNG and is in Antequera, virtually 60 kilometers from the capital Costa Sol and virtually 110 kilometers from Marbella. Fortunately our vacation spot was sea Tower, on the jap coast of Malaga, in order that we are able to fill the fuel tank in Granada earlier than persevering with on the A-44 within the route of Motril after which line up the A-7 in route Nerja to Torre del Mar. Nevertheless it was evening and we couldn’t threat that the fuel station in Granada was closed, out of service or we couldn’t discover it, so we did a earlier cease at one in all Jan’s fuel stations to refuel, making the most of the truth that we had been already working out of fuel.
A pure fuel pump on the Petrol service station
40% cheaper than gasoline
It was then that we had the largest shock of the journey. For less than 12.50 euros we load 14.06 kg of CNG and we get autonomy to journey others 450 kilometers with pure fuel, in accordance to the on-board laptop. The value of CNG was at 0.889 euros for every kilo on the service station Repsol de Guarromn (subsequent to the Hojaldres Moreno retailer), virtually 40% cheaper than a liter of gasoline and 30% cheaper than a liter of diesel. 140 kilometers later, in Granada, we solely had to recharge six kilos of CNG for less than 5.50 euros (0.925 per kg).
We arrived at our vacation spot in Torre del Mar with virtually 300 kilometers of autonomy to flow into with pure fuel. Extra than sufficient to transfer for a week alongside the Axarqua coast, with out utilizing the gasoline tank, and return to the Granada fuel station in the course of the return journey. We run out of fuel one kilometer from Petrol & Go Granada, the Naturgy fuel station! True. Ah we went again to fill the deposit with 14.13 euros, what gave us for 15.28 kilos of GNC earlier than persevering with the street to Madrid.
The driving place of the Skoda Octavia Combi 1.5 TSI G-TEC.
From Granada to Madrid with out resposting
This time, on the return journey to Madrid, we didn’t want to cease in Guarromn to refuel and We did all the way in which in a single go to the Cepsa Las Arenas service space, in Pinto. From one fuel station to one other there’s a journey of 395 kilometers and we did all of it with pure fuel, with out spending a single drop of gasoline. Skoda says the Combi G-TEC has a autonomy of 500 km when it runs solely on CNG, though it appeared to us that the actual autonomy underneath regular driving circumstances is under 450 km.
A really low-cost method to journey
Be that as it might, after we obtained to the Pinto service station there was nonetheless some fuel left within the tank (a little less than the reserve), so we solely had to refuel 12 kilos of CNG at 0.839 euros per kg (the equal of 10 euros) to get the tank full once more. In complete we spend 42.30 euros in 10 days and 1,455 kilometers traveled, a third of what we’d have spent with a gasoline automotive and less than half of what it could have value us with a diesel. Unbeatable even for an electrical automotive and far sooner, for the reason that pure fuel refueling operation is analogous to that of a gasoline or diesel passenger automotive: join the hose, flip a lever and press the inexperienced Begin / Cease button. In less than 5 minutes you can begin the journey once more.
The rear seats of the Skoda Octavia Combi 1.5 TSI G-TEC 130 CV DSG.
Energy and efficiency
Moreover, the efficiency and advantages of the Skoda Octavia Combi 1.5 TSI G-TEC are like these of a gasoline or diesel automotive. It’s pushed by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that develops a energy of 130 hp and a most pair of 200 Nm obtainable from 1,400 rpm. The motor is related with a 7-speed dual-clutch DSG automated transmission which works wonders and could be operated with the paddles behind the wheel. All this mechanics permits you to speed up from 0 to 100 km / h in 10 seconds and attain a most velocity of 213 km / h.
Clean and quiet
At no time did we get the impression that the engine lacked energy or was lazy when fueled by pure fuel, and we had been the entire household (two adults and two kids) and with the trunk loaded to the roof. The automotive runs very effectively, nervous if we take it above 3,000 laps, and no variation is famous within the response (not even a slight change in engine sound, very clean and quiet) when the CNG runs out and gasoline begins to enter it.
The boot of the Skoda Octavia Combi G-TEC has a quantity of 495 liters.
And by the way in which, what a trunk! Has 495 liters capability145 liters less than the remainder of the vary due to the set up of the three CNG tanks positioned on the underside of the car, however it’s extra than sufficient to journey as a household. In return, the Skoda Octavia Combi 1.5 TSI G-TEC permits a financial savings of up to 40% in gasoline relative to its gasoline equal and emits 25% less CO2, so it carries the prized DGT ECO label.
Costs
As for the worth of the Skoda Octavia Combi Ambition 1.5 TSI G-TEC 96 kW (130 hp) DSG, it doesn’t value way more than the equal in diesel or gasoline: 30,790 euros with out reductions, a determine that drops to 29,290 euros in case we decide for the model with 6-speed handbook transmission. To get an thought, the 150 hp Octavia Combi Ambition 2.Zero TDI with DSG automated transmission is priced at 28,904, whereas the Octavia Combi Model 1.5 TSI MHEV 110 kW (150 PS) DSG prices 28,983 euros.
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