By Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
The success of energy transition, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), largely depends on the transformation of the global energy sector from fossil-based energy sources to zero-carbon sources by 2050, which will bring about the reduction of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in order to mitigate climate change and limit global temperature to be within 1.5° of pre-industrial levels.
With regards to this energy transition plan and Nigeria’s push towards increasing autogas utilisation, immense growth was recorded when Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company (IVM) Limited, which is located at Nnewi, Anambra State, brought out a range of vehicles that are operated using CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) and LNG (Liquified Petroleum Gas).
The President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Otunba Francis Meshioye, was present to commission the new range of IVM autogas vehicles, which comprised of an intra-city mass transit bus model, heavy-duty truck heads (tractors), and a compact passenger car named SMART.
Meshioye, at the commissioning, was accompanied by MAN’s top council members, who included the Director General, Segun Ajayi-Kadiri; the National Vice President of the Eastern Zone, Engr. Giandomenicco Massari; the Chairman of the South-East Zone, and Lady Ada Chukwudozie, among others.
The Association’s team, as well as other guests, applauded the Innoson Group Chairman, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, for the initiative and emphasized that autogas is a very available alternative fuel that has various advantages, such as being relatively less expensive per distance when compared with petrol or diesel vehicles, and also having the quality of environmental friendliness.
According to MAN, the Innoson Group Chairman and his manufacturing Company, which is Nigeria’s first indigenous auto manufacturing plant, are the pride of Africa.
The IVM gas vehicles that were commissioned include the IVM 6125 City Bus, which is a vehicle that is built to accommodate 56 sitting passengers with room for 44 standing commuters. It is a bus that is designed to operate within cities and towns with large populations.
There is also the IVM 440 and IVM 375 Truck Heads or tractors, which made their first public outing at the roll-out and an amazing detail is that Innoson is also planning on launching into the market, a range of 40-feet flatbed and container trailers that can be hooked up to their IVM tractors.
Then, finally, there is the IVM Smart, which is a 1.5 litre compact car with its gas tank located in the booth.
At the roll-out or showcase, it was revealed that some of the big vehicles are hybrid, which implies that they have the ability to alternate between autogas and diesel, depending on the need and availability.
With regards to economic insight, at the ceremony, the Chairman of Innoson Group revealed that he was motivated by the vision to find a more sustainable solution to the high pump price of diesel and its crippling effect on transportation, mainly in the delivery of dry and wet cargoes across the nation.
He expressed hopes that the green energy in IVM vehicles would help Nigerians discover the huge benefits of transiting from fossil fuels to CNG and LNG.
Dr. Chukwuma sounded optimistic that by the time the huge gains in motoring with vehicles running on autogas is realized, Nigerians will no longer like to go back to vehicles that operate using petrol and diesel.
He also expressed confidence that embracing autogas would considerably reduce the cost of delivering the cargo to about N300,000 instead of the N800,000 that is currently obtainable.
In his words, “this is one of the reasons I said that the automotive fuel of the future is gas, that is, CNG and LNG. It has a lot of benefits in terms of transportation and even for the individual user. It has huge economic advantages and is also environmentally friendly.”
According to Dr. Chukwuma, the roll-out is a testament to the fact that Innoson motors is making Nigeria a hub for car manufacturing in Africa.
“I observed that normal diesel and petrol are very expensive now in Nigeria. So, we have to find an alternative. This is to also ensure that the purchase of vehicles is made easier and their maintenance less costly. This way, average Nigerians can afford to buy vehicles and operate them without the challenge of high maintenance costs.
“We have now ventured into LNG, CNG-powered vehicles and are also trying to do electric vehicles. Electric vehicles, as well as LNG and CNG-powered vehicles are the future. The durability and running costs of these vehicles are comparatively better. They have been tested and found reliable, just that many people don’t know about them yet.”
He also informed those who attended the ceremony that patronage of the vehicles has been very encouraging so far, adding that many more purchase orders had been received from Benin City, where some units are already in use due to existing support facilities.
The Chairman stated that most of the orders in the factory are from Benin, which implies that people there already have an understanding of the advantages of using these vehicles, and production is done according to demand.
