January 24, 2020. The Ministry of the Environment wants the big cities of Brazil to use natural gas buses instead of diesel models. Speaking to the local press, Minister Ricardo Salles said the goal is to improve air quality. According to the official, the project, which will receive subsidies from the government, should be presented next April.
According to Salles, the change to the gaseous fuel would be made at the first moment of the execution of the plan. In the second phase, gas buses could be replaced by electric models. The Minister said he is already talking to representatives of car manufacturers.
The project can count on foreign investments. According to Salles, the financing should have interest rates close to zero. “Everything will be subsidized. We are already negotiating an international resource to help replace the entire fleet,” he says.
For the Minister, the measure conforms to government initiatives to combat climate change. He said Anfavea, an association that brings together vehicle manufacturers in the country, is involved in the project. “We are talking with people who produce trucks and buses in Brazil. It makes no sense to do much in the long run. We have to do viable things in the short term.”
The official added that for the project to be feasible, it will also be necessary to define the type of technology. “It has to be technology that suits Brazil,” he explains.
