NGVs battle zero-emissions rivals in EU transport sector

Fuelling vehicles with natural gas is often cost-effective, but a push to use even greener alternatives is holding the sector back

The use of natural gas in Europe's transport sector has slowed in 2019, reversing a previous upward trend, as competition with zero-emissions vehicles intensifies. The best growth prospects now lie in the commercial vehicles segment, industry observers say. New registrations of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in the EU fell 50pc year-on-year to 9,546 in Q1 2019, according to European automobile manufacturers' association Acea. That contrasts with healthy growth seen in 2018, when new NGVs registrations were up 31.4pc year-on-year to 65,092. Nevertheless, NGVs still have a strong and growing appeal. "A greater focus on environmental emission limits supports the increasing penetration of natural g