A lead role for biogas

For over ten years, the team of video specialists from Halsundbeinbruch Film has been on the road with CNG cars. The Zurichers drive with biogas out of conviction. How it came about and what experiences they already have with their CNG vehicles, you can read here.

The team at Zurich-based Halsundbeinbruch Film GmbH has been providing a lot of action on video shoots since 1999 and also captures a lot of action with their cameras. Source: Halsundbeinbruch Film

From ten-second social media clips to full-length documentaries, the team at Zurich-based Halsundbeinbruch Film GmbH realizes a wide variety of video formats. CNG vehicles also play a role in the various projects, outdoor or in the studio, elaborately produced commercials, impressive image films and exciting event and explainer videos. Owner and managing director Alec Wohlgroth explains which ones in an interview.

Alec Wohlgroth likes to go full throttle on the road, figuratively speaking, with his biogas Fiat and also gives it his all on the shoots, as here on the Spalihorn in the Valais. Source: Halsundbeinbruch Film

Mr. Wohlgroth, how did you come up with the original company name Halsundbeinbruch Film?
Alec Wohlgroth, Managing Director Halsundbeinbruch Film GmbH: We’ve been around for almost twenty-five years, and when we were founded we were very active in the outdoor, mountain sports and mountain bike scene ourselves. And in sports you wish yourself luck with ‘Break a leg! In addition, the wild ‘Jackass clips’ on the TV channel MTV were very popular at the time. Of course we emulated them with our first videos, and sometimes we were close to breaking our necks. Today we are more mature and a bit more relaxed, but we still like to push the limits with our ideas and in the realization, and so we still find our name cool and fitting to us.

What made your video and film specialists and you decide to use CNG vehicles in everyday operations?

We spend a lot of time out in nature, whether filming or in our free time, so nature and sustainability have always been close to our hearts. My goal as CEO is to leave as small a carbon footprint as possible with our company. That starts with small things, like printing less stuff, turning off computers in the evening, or even taking the smallest possible vehicle to the set. There are very small video shoots where we go by train or even by cargo bike. I also discovered CNG-powered vehicles ten years ago as a sustainable mobility solution for our team and myself.

The Fiat Panda with CNG drive after a relentless reconnaissance mission for a video shoot. Source: Halsundbeinbruch Film

Which CNG cars did you choose, and how many are you using?
At the time, we bought a Fiat Panda, which we drive around 15,000 kilometers a year. I love the rattle and rattle of its two-stroke engine and am an enthusiastic biogas driver. The other team members also like the little CNG runabout. We also use a larger Fiat 500L with CNG drive and, when we need a lot of storage space, a Transit – with a diesel engine, but here we compensate for the CO₂ emissions so that we are also on the road as sustainably as possible.

With the two CNG Fiats, do you try to fill up only with biogas wherever possible?
Yes, it always gives me a good feeling when I can fill up with 100 percent biogas and know that I’m driving in an almost CO₂-neutral way. That’s also worth the extra cost compared with conventional CNG. In addition, we explicitly indicate the use of biogas in our orders and to our customers. The higher mileage allowance is included in the offers and invoices and is also appreciated by the customers.

The two CNG vehicles are fuelled with 100 percent biogas whenever possible. Source: Halsundbeinbruch Film

Does refueling “only” with biogas present a certain challenge?Sometimes yes. You have to know where you can fill up with pure biogas. That’s not always easy for productions in unknown regions, but in the meantime (laughs) you know and have your favorite filling stations.

What experience have you had with CNG vehicles and how satisfied are you with them?
Very satisfied! In terms of the CNG drive, we have never had anything to complain about in all these years. And the two CNG Fiats are not really spared and have to really perform when they are used. Our garage owner tends to be skeptical about Fiat models, but he has nothing but praise for the Italian company’s CNG technology.

Source: Halsundbeinbruch Film

With your commitment to the environment, you are setting an example. What are the reactions, for example from customers, employees, partners or the competition?
At first, people are often skeptical. But when you explain to them that the biogas, which would also be produced when the biogenic residues rot, can now even be used for mobility, the reactions are always positive. I always like to bring up the example from the movie “Back to the Future,” in which Doc Brown throws a banana into his flux compensator and flies into the future. In the meantime, we have arrived in this future with an ordinary Fiat Panda and are on the road cleaner than almost any electric car.

Biogas is being pushed more and more into a secondary role. How could biogas be restored to a leading role in the future of propulsion?
First and foremost, by using it and talking about it. We drive with biogas out of conviction and enjoy it. You have to pass that on to your environment and your customers. We have already pointed out biogas to customers who were making an image film and wanted to express their sustainability efforts in it. Because they were using it, but it wasn’t even on their radar as a sustainability topic in the film – that also happens. At Halsundbeinbruch, we try to live the idea behind the sustainable and social responsibility we implement for our clients with videos and communication projects – that’s probably the best way to support it. (jas, June 1, 2023)

The film crew’s Fiat 500L, which offers a little more space for equipment and props, is also powered by a CNG engine. Source: Halsundbeinbruch Film