Anniversary edition

May 2010Gas Vehicles Report31conversions but also due to theincreasing number of CNG refuellingstations.Currently, the country has aninfrastructure of 601 stations, thatmeans 116 more than by the end of2009, spread throughout 79 cities,among them the capital Bogotá (with145), Cali (with 77), Barranquilla(with 59 ), Medellín (with 48) andCartagena (with 22).According to estimates made byindustry experts, different measuresare being taken to encourage thegrowth of the sector, from plans withthe main automotive manufacturersto produce OEM NGVs to theimplementation of advertisingcampaigns and incentives bydistribution companies.On the other hand, the Mines andEnergy Ministry has developed aprogram to boost the use of naturalgas as main vehicle fuel, thusreplacing liquid fuels such asgasoline and diesel, which are moreexpensive and polluting. To executethis plan, several laws andresolutions were approved, amongthem VAT exemption on CNGrefuelling station parts andequipment vehicle conversion kits.In addition, it is expected a progressivedecrease in subsidies for liquid fuelsin the short and medium terms. Thiswill inevitably result in periodicincreases in the price of petroleum,what in turn will bring about morecompetitiveness for natural gas.It is also important to note thatthere are several companiesinterested in starting to use CNG inpublic transport in the mainColombian cities, like Bogotá,Cartagena, Santa Marta andSincelejo. One of them is Gazel,whose executives are determined toencourage the use of this fuel andthat is why they mention Medellín asan example, the first city in the countryto make the decision to use it for itstransportation service Metroplus.NGV Evolution in ColombiaNGV growth and coverageRatio of vehicles converted to NG - as of Feruary 28th, 2010Thus, the gradual growth of thesector, which places Colombia in thetop 10 countries of the world interms of conversions during the last10 years, shows not only how boththe public and private sectors havefostered its development but also thecredibility that it has generated inColombian drivers and car owners.Source: Prensa Vehicular ColombiaContact: pvcolombia@ngvgroup.com