World’s Longest Natural Gas Tour to End in April

Driver Rainer Zietlow made a pit stop in Los Angeles at the Century Plaza Hotel, where he also took time to make a few statements regarding his natural-gas marathon tour, the longest in the world. Zietlow stated he is planning on completing the Transamerican tour in the first week of April, when he will reach Barrow, Alaska.

The VW Caddy Maxi EcoFuel, driven by Zietlow, will be powered exclusively by compressed natural gas (CNG) during the entire tour.

Zietlow began stage one of his world tour by first driving from the Atlantic Ocean (Lisbon, Portugal) to the Pacific Ocean (ending in Tokyo).

Stage two consists of a drive from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska. This means that when it ends, Zietlow and his team will have driven the world's two longest roads, Russia's "Amur Transcontinental" and the "Panamericana", all without a drop of gasoline.

Zietlow is sponsored in his quest by global natural gas equipment company Landi Renzo. "We share a spirit of adventure as a pioneer in this sector." Andrea Landi, President of Landi Renzo said in a release.  "Innovation is at the core of our philosophy. We want to contribute the benefits of our global experience by take a leading role in building a new future."

The engine in the Caddy EcoFuel is a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre petrol unit which has been optimized to use CNG or petrol. It has CO2 emissions of 157 g/km, over 20 per cent lower than a conventional petrol engine.

It produces 109 PS and 118 lbs ft of torque at 3,500 rpm, with a five-speed manual transmission, and is able to go from a standstill to 62 mph in 13.8 seconds, before reaching a top speed of 105 mph.