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Fiat pitches natural gas for greener cars
Shoppers who look for cars with low emissions when they sign a
vehicle lease may soon have more green options thanks to Fiat.
The Italian automaker is planning a return to the U.S.
car leasing market after a three decade absence, with a fleet of vehicles that could run on natural gas instead of gasoline, according to Bloomberg.
The strategy would run against the current trend toward building hybrid and electric vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius.
Fiat is already the undisputed champ of the European market for natural-gas engines, selling 80 percent of all methane-powered cars and 55 percent of light commercial vehicles. The design could be even more popular in America, where fuel prices should stay low thanks to large domestic gas reserves.
Natural gas-powered cars are also faster to refuel than the recharging required for electric batteries, Fiat argues.
"Natural gas is very suitable for the U.S.," Constantinos Vafidis, Fiat's transmission and hybrid development leader, told reporters. "Especially for public services and goods transportation, where vehicles are refueled from a central base."
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