One of the Sustainable Buses of the Year Runs on Natural Gas

Forget electric engines, the Sustainable Bus of the Year 2020 for intercity routes is powered by natural gas. 

According to Sustainable Bus, the Iveco Bus Crossway Natural Power Normal Floor has been named the most sustainable bus in the intercity category, underscoring the appeal of these natural gas powered vehicles for the suburban bus sector.  The judges for this award span eight European countries including France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, and the UK. 

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The natural gas powered bus has 360 horsepower 

The judges put the buses through the paces, requiring manufacturers to provide detailed information about the vehicles, answer questions from the judges and make the buses available for test drives before choosing the top buses in the categories. Sustainable Bus said the reward is the first and only European one to give a nod to sustainability in the bus industry.

According to FPT Industrial, the Iveco Bus Crossway Natual Power is fitted with the latest generation of the FPT's Cursor 9 Natural Gas. It's a six-cylinder engine that gives the Crossway Natural Power maximum power of 360 horsepower at 2,000 rpm and torque of 1,640 Nm at 1,100 rpm. The engine is the same size as the company's diesel version, which means the bus has the same accessibility, passenger capacity, and luggage space.  Sustainable Bus said the natural gas powered bus inaugurates a new category and enables operators to address energy transition in suburban routes where diesel engines dominate.  

"Natural Gas (NG) is currently the most viable and low-cost sustainable solution, with FPT Industrial leading this segment with some 50,000 engines sold worldwide," FPT Industrial said in a press release. "The Brand’s NG engines significantly reduce CO2 emissions whether with the compressed or the liquefied form of Natural Gas. They can also run on biomethane, bringing emissions down to almost zero."

Other winners include the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro battery electric bus which won in the urban category and the VDL Futura FHD2, which won in the coach category.