Sustainable Urban Mobility
Ostrava’s water management company OVAK (Ostravské vodárny a kanalizace) makes a major contribution to life in the city – helping to drive environmental improvements and urban development which will enhance quality of life for all citizens.
As part of the company’s environmental policy, it is implementing a programme to build up a fleet of eco-friendly vehicles. Currently the company uses 17 low-emissions CNG vehicles, and it will soon be acquiring a new electric vehicle to add to the fleet.
Vehicles running on natural gas (CNG) produce substantially less pollution than normal fossil fuel-powered vehicles – not only nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and particulates, but also various carcinogenic pollutants such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons, aldehydes, and aromatic substances including benzene. CNG vehicles also contribute much less to the greenhouse effect than their petrol or diesel counterparts, with the potential to achieve a 20–25% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared with petrol engines. Other positive “green impacts” include the zero risk of soil contamination as a result of diesel spillages (on roads or in garages).
Advantages of electric vehicles:
- They can use renewable resources – cheaper operations, environmental protection
- Zero emissions
- Electric vehicles are extremely reliable due to the low number of moving parts compared with internal combustion engines – the difference in reliability is huge
- Electric vehicles are comfortable, quiet and powerful
- They can be charged up anywhere
- Maintenance and operating costs are low