Abu Dhabi plans to run 20 per cent of government-owned vehicles and taxis on natural gas in six years.

Abu Dhabi’s air quality is expected to improve significantly once this plan is impelmented, said a report quoting from the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi’s (EAD) quarterly magazine Al Dhabi.
The report also identifies taxis, buses and government-owned vehicles, such as municipality and police cars, as the most polluting vehicles in the emirate. To address this problem and achieve sustainable transportation, EAD in co-ordination with government agencies and oil companies, has prepared a strategy with its implementation already under way.
As per the strategy, 20 per cent of government-owned vehicles and taxis in the emirate will be converted to run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which EAD also calls Clean Natural Gas, by 2012. All government diesel vehicles will also be converted to run on Ultra Low Sulphur Fuel (ULSF) with at least Euro III emission limits or equivalent by 2012.
The measures under the strategy will include the introduction of CNG and the phased conversion of all vehicles to use ULSF, the report added.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has installed a CNG filling station on Mina Street to initiate the introduction of the new vehicle fuel.
“In January 2003, the UAE switched to unleaded petrol. More than 500 service stations converted to this cleaner and greener fuel, bringing major advantages, including improved fuel economy, reduced engine maintenance and lower emissions since it is catalyst-friendly. Studies show that vehicles equipped with catalytic converters achieve over 90 per cent reduction in exhaust emission,” the report said.
Adnoc has already prepared a timetable for the introduction of ULSF, which will achieve a target concentration of 10ppm (particles per million) sulphur in fuel by 2012.