Gas vehicles as an alternative to electric transport
Despite the global downturn in the industry, 2023 was a very successful year for Iveco. The number of truck registrations in the Polish division increased by 45%. However, the company has identified gas vehicles as one of its priority areas. According to Daniel Wolszczak, the division’s director, they are a more practical alternative to electric vehicles.
The logistics sector faced many challenges last year. Demand for the industry’s services fell, reducing the number of vehicles involved. Analysts hoped to introduce new tachographs, but the situation did not change dramatically.
While other European countries had a transition period, Poland did not. As a result, when the tachographs started working, there was a sharp increase in new car registrations. Amid the excitement, Iveco increased its sales to 1,345 vehicles with a GVW of 16 tonnes or more.
It is worth noting that Iveco is the market leader in gas-powered vehicles in Poland. Its market share is 83%. Despite the challenging years of 2022 and 2023, the situation should improve significantly in 2024. Wolszczak believes that the current period will begin the industry’s recovery. Several factors point to this:
- stabilisation of gas prices on the global market;
- a rebalancing of the balance between gas and diesel:
- a reduction in the overall cost of owning a gas vehicle.
Considering all this, analysts are making optimistic predictions for the near future.
Benefits of the sector’s development
News from the European government also supports the optimism of experts and market participants. The European Parliament is on the verge of approving a law on developing the gas vehicle segment. One of the main aims is to expand the production and use of biomethane. As part of the innovation, vehicles powered by biogas and biomethane will receive the status of low-emission vehicles. Accordingly, there will be efforts to have the infrastructure in place for this purpose. The Polish authorities are already considering options to expand the biomethane industry.
Based on assessing the sector’s prospects, Iveco plans to develop its gas vehicle business actively. However, Wolschak sees customer scepticism as one of the main limiting factors. Hauliers are not yet confident that prices will stabilise, and there is an expectation that prices will rise. Subsidy or exemption programmes will help to reduce negative sentiment.
According to an Iveco representative, spreading gas-powered vehicles will significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, these vehicles still have significant advantages over electric trucks. First of all, their advantages are related to range. Unlike electric cars, gas-powered vehicles can travel long distances without recharging. Another advantage is the developed infrastructure and the availability of many refuelling stations.
