February 23, 2022. Car conversions to compressed natural gas (CNG) in Pernambuco, Brazil, grew 108% in 2021, compared to 2020. From January to December last year, the total number of units converted to use CNG was 12.861, compared to 6.191 in the same period of 2020.
The year 2021 was historic for gas vehicles in Pernambuco, with the record for the highest monthly marks ever reached in the state. The rise began in May, when there were 1.140 conversions, a number that had never occurred in a month. From August to December, the total was always above 1.000. In August there were 1.306; in September, 1.233; in October, 1.480; in November, 1.370; and, in December, the highest ever recorded to date: 1.755. Pernambuco closed 2021 with a fleet of more than 81.000 vehicles adapted for the use of natural gas, according to data from the State Transit Department (Detran).
The record figure also occurred in the increase in the average daily volume of CNG sold by the Companhia Pernambucana de Gas SAC (Copergas). In 2021 it was 378.8 thousand m3/day, an amount 31% higher than that obtained in 2020 and 27% higher than that of 2019.
The first numbers of 2022 show that the upward trend continues: the year had the best January for gas vehicles in the state, with 1.232 conversions, surpassing the results of the same month of 2019 (616), 2020 (803) and 2021 (745). The volume of gas sold by Copergás also grew, reaching 410 thousand m3/day, a record for the month of January.
To meet the growing demand, Copergás has been expanding the network of stations with natural gas supply. There are already 91 statewide. According to the President of Copergás, André Campos, this expansion of the supply network follows the guidance of the State Governor, Paulo Câmara, and the Secretary of Economic Development, Geraldo Julio. “We are working to make this fuel increasingly available to drivers, both for professionals who have an income-generating factor in CNG, and for those who want to reduce the costs of their vehicles,” said Campos. “As if all this were not enough, CNG is even less polluting, safer and more efficient. Whichever area you look at, the advantages stand out.”
