Driving Across the World Without a Drop of Gasoline

Legendary long-distance natural gas driver Rainer Zietlow made a pit stop in Los Angeles yesterday at the Century Plaza Hotel to speak with journalists and alternative fuel industry stakeholders about his natural-gas marathon tour, the longest in the world. Zietlow plans on completing the Transamerican tour by motoring into Barrow, Alaska during the first week of April. Remarkably, the entire tour will be powered exclusively by compressed natural gas (CNG).

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. By the end of this road trip, spanning over 24,855 miles, Zietlow and his team will have driven the world's two longest roads – Russia's "Amur Transcontinental" and the "Panamericana" –-all of it in Volkswagen Caddy Maxi EcoFuel, and all without gasoline.

The current leg of the marathon tour, the "EcoFuel-TransAmericana," runs along the legendary "Panamericana." With its 15,534 miles, the longest and most famous road of the world bisects the American double continent. The starter's gun fired on January 2, 2010, in Rio Grande, Argentina at the southernmost natural gas fuel station in the world and will end in Alaska at the world's northernmost natural gas fuel station. The vehicle transporting this ambitious team is the VW Caddy Maxi EcoFuel, the new "natural gas long-distance champion." No other series vehicle can drive 600 kilometers using natural gas only.

Holding two places in the Guinness Book of World Records for his auto adventures, it is natural that Zietlow would partner with another leader in the global natural gas equipment industry. A newcomer to the United States, but certainly not to the natural gas market, the Landi Renzo Group has been in the business of sustainable mobility for more than 50 years with a presence in over 50 countries worldwide. Landi Renzo is a global leader in the design and manufacture of systems for liquefied petroleum gas and compressed natural gas vehicles. Andrea Landi, President of Landi Renzo USA, joined the lunch and commented on their support of Zeitlow's mission. "We share a spirit of adventure as a pioneer in this sector." Landi Renzo recently chose Torrance, California as the headquarters for Landi Renzo USA, and operations will commence at that location in April 2010. "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."

For more information on the EcoFuel TransAmericana Tour, please visit www.ecofuel-transamerica.com. More information on the Landi Renzo Group is available on the company's website at www.landi.it.

Source: PRNewswire.com