The natural gas car fleet in Germany increased by 40.6% in 2006 from 38,993 to 54,772, according to the latest figures from the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamtes.
The increase is due to four reasons, according to Hartmut Hechler, chairman of the Initiativkreises Erdgas als Kraftstoff in Bayern (IEK Bayern): the lower cost of natural gas fuel, low emissions, an increasing network of natural gas fueling stations, and a broader selection of natural gas vehicles. Of those, the most important is the economic argument, according to Hechler. Natural gas fuel is some 50% less than gasoline and more than 30% less than diesel.