Empresa Municipal de Transporte (EMT), a Madrid-based municipal bus operator, is acquiring a total of 520 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses from Solaris, Mercedes Benz and Scania. These OEMs are all customers of Hexagon Agility, a provider of clean fuel solutions for commercial vehicles.
The buses are capable of running on RNG and align with EMT’s commitment to replace its most polluting diesel-powered buses. Deployment of the new buses will commence this year.
“We commend EMT for its ongoing commitment to technology innovation and sustainability initiatives to reduce its fleet’s carbon footprint, resulting in cleaner air for the city of Madrid,” says Eric Bippus, senior vice president of global sales and marketing at Hexagon Agility.
As proponents of some of the world’s most stringent environmental policies, the EU is actively focused on protecting its natural resources while driving to improve air quality across EU communities. EMT Madrid is one of the key contributors to help achieve the EU’s sustainability goals of a clean, resource efficient and carbon-neutral future in the mobility sector.
Studies show that natural gas emits approximately 27% less carbon dioxide when compared to diesel fuel and, while electric-powered motors are viable for passenger cars, CNG and RNG are environmentally compelling technologies for heavy-duty trucks. These technologies are proven and available today, enabling fleets to achieve cleaner air in the near term.
“These latest public tenders allow EMT to achieve its key objective in the city of Madrid: to eliminate the presence of diesel buses by the end of 2023 and reach the 100% of zero-emission vehicle fleet within the framework of the current Madrid 360 Environmental Sustainability Strategy,” says Carlos Sierra, director of transport services of EMT.
