The Passat EcoFuel, running on natural gas, beats the Toyota Prius on low emissions

Each year the FIA runs emissions tests to identify the least polluting production vehicle. While in previous editions of the Eco Tests the Toyota Prius was the king of the “green wave,” this time the award went to a fuel that is already a familiar face in Europe and South America, natural gas.

The Volkswagen Passat EcoFuel turned out to be less polluting than the Toyota Prius hybrid in the FIA Eco Tests. The Passat, equipped with a dual natural gas engine that is also offered in other Volkswagen models in Europe, uses the 1.4 TSI turbocharged direct-injection engine, which can also run on natural gas.

The truth is that natural gas is a fuel that has not received the attention it deserves. It is cheap for the user and much less polluting, and no major investment is needed for the gas to be used. It is true that in the case of the Passat, the technology in the engine itself plays a big part, resulting in a range of around 900 kilometres on petrol and gas combined. But it is also true that the “green” qualities of gas are nothing new.

It is a shame that Spain does not have more gas refuelling points, as other places in Europe or America do. And since the Prius was the benchmark against which the Passat’s emissions were measured: if gas were more popular than it is, the Toyota Prius would have more than one serious rival and perhaps would not enjoy the acceptance it has.

Via | Autoblog Green