Almost 6,000 natural gas vehicles in Austria
More than 300 natural gas cars were registered in Austria last year, it has been announced.Statistik Austria said today (Fri) that 333 gas-powered cars, 221 natural gas lorries and 48 buses equipped with natural gas engines were registered in 2010.The state agency explained these developments increase the overall number of natural gas vehicles in the country to nearly 6,000. The authority added that around 40 per cent of last years registrations were in the capital Vienna.These figures mean that the overall share of cars powered by natural gas remains at a low level. Almost 329,000 petrol engine cars were registered in 2010, around three per cent more than in the previous year.The Austrian Traffic Club (VCÖ) said recently that the number of electric cars (e-cars) almost tripled in Austria year on year in 2010. Their number is however significantly lower than the amount of natural gas vehicles.VCÖ found that 112 e-cars were registered in the country last year, up from just two in 2008 and 39 in the following year.Austrias greenhouse gas emission level is meanwhile expected to rise.Car traffic and industrial production processes created an overall carbon dioxide equivalent pollution of 80.1 million tons in 2009. This was a year on year drop of 6.8 million tons, but the amount may soar in the coming years as the Austrian industry plans to be more active than in 2009 when it was badly hit by the global economic downturn.