The Regional Council of Molise, in southern Italy, has launched an ‘ecoincentivi’ or eco-incentive scheme for those drivers who convert their cars to LPG or CNG. A refund of 500 euros will be awarded to the first 200 applicants who reside or have registered their office in Molise, according to the Official Bulletin of the Region of Molise.

The total budget made available by the Region of Molise for 2016 is 100,000 euros. The grant starts applying to conversions made after 6 May 2016.

Applications must be submitted using the appropriate pre-filled form, available on the website of the Molise Region.

This support scheme was adopted to boost the adoption of gaseous fuels, in light of their numerous environmental benefits.

Italy is the European leader in number of cars powered by alternative fuel including LPG, CNG and hybrid vehicles. According to the Italian National Association of Automotive Industry (ANFIA), the country ranks first in the use of vehicles powered by LPG and CNG, with over 42,500 registrations in the first quarter of this year, amounting to 85.7% on a total of 49,700 registrations, followed by Germany (1500, 3.0%) and Poland (1400, 2.9%).