April 17, 2025. Transdev and the Pays de la Loire Region unveiled a diesel bus converted to biogas that will be integrated into the Aléop school fleet, providing an overview of the technical stages of the retrofit and the efforts undertaken with its partners, CRMT, a pioneer in retrofitting, and GRDF, a key player in decarbonization through green gas, for more sustainable transport in Pays de la Loire, France.
Retrofitting involves replacing a vehicle’s diesel engine with a cleaner one, in this case a Bio-NGV engine, a process that is less expensive than purchasing a new unit. This Aléop bus, converted in France by CRMT, had several components replaced with gas systems: circuits and storage system, auxiliary heating, and a European-produced engine. It also incorporates a new electronic control and monitoring system, pollution control, and electronic gearbox recalibration. The vehicle in question, an Iveco Crossway Euro VI coach, retains its initial comfort and interior space characteristics while benefiting from reduced emissions. In fact, Bio-NGV helps reduce CO2 emissions by 80% compared to diesel, 95% of fine particle emissions, and 50% of NOx emissions compared to the Euro VI standard threshold, for improved air quality, with a range of 300 km suitable for school trips.
Bio-NGV is a renewable energy source, produced locally from organic waste at 62 local methanation sites. Regionally, biogas production exceeds one terawatt-hour (TWh) per year, equivalent to the consumption of approximately 4,000 buses or coaches. In Pays de la Loire, the fueling network is being expanded, with 25 public stations in operation and around 15 planned.
