In France, in 2020, 99.4% of the running coaches have a diesel engine. The establishment of Low Emission Zones (LEZ) is accelerating to improve air quality. As a result, a large number of diesel vehicles are being affected by these limitations. Today, passenger transport companies are looking for solutions to continue their transport activity in LEZs, at a reasonable cost because of the fragile economic context. School coaches drive an average of 20,000 km per year. They are checked every six months and are therefore in very good functional condition after several years of use. They do not need a long range of autonomy (300 km target) and make little or no use of the luggage compartments.

The vehicle was retrofitted by the replacement of  its Euro V diesel engine by the equivalent brand-new Iveco Bus CNG one  (Euro VI standard). CRMT integrated the new CNG components including a new after-treatment system, and adapted the diesel vehicle's functions for CNG operation. The CNG tanks are installed in part of the luggage compartments, as these last ones are rarely used in school coaches.

The solution is now available and ready to decarbonize the transport sector at a competitive price. The retrofit operation is realized by CRMT on a 2-week delay.