OREANDA-NEWS. AvtoVAZ, with the assistance of the Department of Transport of the City of Moscow, handed over a gas engine LADA Vesta CNG for consumer tests to the taxi company "EuroStandart", the start of sales of which was held in July of 2017. This is the first model in the history of the brand with a serial gas-cylinder unit designed for the use of compressed natural gas, informs the press service of AVTOVAZ. A car, the cost of which starts from 600 thousand 900 rubles, taking into account the state subsidy for gas-engine transport, can work both on gasoline and on methane, which is a common type of fuel in Russia.

"Exploiting of a car with compressed natural gas reduces fuel costs by more than 3 times. Work on natural gas increases the life of the engine and in the mixed cycle increases the mileage of a fully charged vehicle (over 1000 km without refueling). The usage of cars of this type for taxi transport will affect positively the ecology of the city," - said the head of the department for working with corporate clients of AVTOVAZ, Dmitriy Sergeyev.

Within a month Vesta CNG will be used by a taxi company in various modes (city, route, mixed), by the results of operation, an assessment will be made of the car's consumer characteristics, fuel economy, and the frequency and duration of refueling.

"We support the development of gas motor vehicles in the city, the use of which reduces the negative impact on the environment. In addition, the price of one cubic meter of gas fuel does not exceed 50% of the cost of one liter of diesel. If a part of the city's taxi parc consists of cars with natural gas, it will improve the quality of the trip, and it will also have a positive impact on the cost of the service," - said Dmitry Pronin, deputy head of the Department of Transport and Development of Road Transport Infrastructure in Moscow.