NGV, LNG, CNG… it’s easy to get confused with all these fuels! Let’s take a look at these key terms and their definitions in order to better master the language of clean mobility!
- NGV: Natural Gas for Vehicles (generic term for all types of natural fuel, either gaseous or liquid: CNG, LNG). NGV and its renewable version, BioNGV, offer an alternative to traditional fuels. These fuels have a smaller environmental impact and improve air quality: for example, NGV releases -95% fine particles and -50% NOx compared to the Euro VI standard threshold. Produced from renewable sources, BioNGV contributes to reducing CO2 emissions by 80% in comparison to diesel, and favours the circular economy and the region's energy independence.
- BioNGV: NGV that is locally produced from organic waste (agricultural and industrial by-products, household waste, residues from sewage treatment plants, etc.). This biomethane can be used to substitute natural gas as a biofuel.
- CNG: compressed natural gas from the distribution network, compressed to 200 bar.
- BioCNG: 100% biomass-based compressed natural gas; a carbon-free version of CNG.
- LNG: liquefied natural gas.
- Biodiesel: Fuel composed of domestic oil to which a proportion of rapeseed fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) has been added.
- Biofuels: liquid or gaseous fuels sourced from biomass (biodegradable products and waste from agriculture, forestry or fishing, biodegradable industrial and municipal waste, etc.).
- Advanced biofuels: new generation of biofuels that are exclusively produced from non-food resources, such as agricultural residues, forestry waste or dedicated crops.
- E-fuels or synthetic fuels: fuels created by combining renewable hydrogen – obtained via water electrolysis with renewable electricity – with another molecule, such as CO2 or nitrogen. For example: e-kerosene, e-methanol, e-diesel, etc.
- Renewable fuels: adapted to heavy transport, i.e. air, maritime, rail, trucks, etc., renewable fuels are classified by the European Union into four families: biofuels, advanced biofuels, Recycled Carbon Fuels (RCF) and Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origins (RNFBO).