In 2008 Eni strengthened its European leadership (sixth place in the world) in terms of automotive methane sales. In Italy in particular, which has the greatest number of methane powered vehicles in Europe, with over 500,000 vehicles on the road, Eni increased its sales from 440 million m3 in 2007 to 452 million m3 in 2008.

Of the 702 automotive methane service stations, 492, equivalent to around 70% of the total, are supplied by Eni. Eni's strategy for consolidating its leadership in this sector includes information campaigns aimed at promoting the use of automotive methane by explaining the environmental and financial benefits of using a cleaner and cheaper fuel; training activities with leading car manufacturers, like Fiat and Mercedes, which resulted in 2900 car sellers being trained in 2008 to increase knowledge and awareness of the potential of methane gas as a fuel and of its environmental qualities; cooperation and support for local authorities in developing a network of automotive methane filling stations and taking action to promote an increase in automotive methane vehicles on the road.

Eni also worked with the Radio 2 Caterpillar program to inform listeners about the features and benefits of methane gas as a fuel.

The Agip Network was the first in Italy, in 1987, to distribute unleaded petrol and to produce, from the beginning of the 1990s, low-sulphur content diesel, as well as products such as BluDiesel, BluSuper, sulphur-free diesels and petrol. In recent years Agip service stations have achieved excellent results making them, in qualitative terms, among Europe 's best.

In order to satisfy customer requirements at service stations, the number of non-oil services has been widened to include car washing and catering, as well as the sale of products other than fuel, such as food. Furthermore, the number of Agip Bars and Agip Shops have increased and partnerships have been set up with distribution companies like GS. In 2008 - in order to promote excellent standards of service among operators - the company continued to distribute its "Service station Managers' Professional Guides" and to run the Training Van project to help operators and employees apply the standards of quality and courtesy described in the guides. The support provided by 44 itinerant trainers has contributed to increasing the number of points of sale achieving the excellence target.

As a complement to the training and to the monitoring of results achieved by the various operators, three "Mystery Motorist" campaigns were carried out during 2008 to verify compliance with the quality standards.

The You&Agip Loyalty Program for car drivers and motorcycle riders continued in 2008. The Program provides new rewards, such as the conversion of points into fuel discounts for all score thresholds, as an alternative to the prizes, the option of donating points to charity, choosing from a list of non-profit organizations who are Eni partners, and co-marketing agreements that grant a maximum number of You&Agip points for the purchase of products and services from other Companies.

In order to promote energy efficiency, Eni has established a programme that provides for photovoltaic panels to be installed in service stations. By the end of 2008, 76 systems had been installed with an average power of 15.7 kw. Further installations will allow the emission of 1,319 tonnes of CO2 to be avoided.

By taking part in the "Zero Regio" project, which is supported by the European Commission, Eni has built four innovative multiEnergy service stations for the refuelling of and experimentation with "zero emissions" hydrogen-powered vehicles.

On the petroleum side, multiEnergy is an innovative modular concept that integrates hydrogen refuelling with an offer of conventional liquid and gaseous fuels, including biofuels, with the aim of encouraging the development of the new generation of low/zero emission vehicles that the automobile industry is bringing to market.

In terms of energy saving, multiEnergy stations can, in the short term, become a platform for bio-construction and bio-architecture for the experimentation of recycled materials with a low impact, electrical and heating systems, and more efficient conditioning and lighting solutions that will reduce electricity consumption by kWh/m2/year.

Among Eni's objectives is the launching, both nationally and across Europe, of a hydrogen-methane blend as an immediate alternative, exploiting Italy's competitive advantage in terms of infrastructure and know-how in methane compared with the rest of Europe.

In 2003 Eni restructured and expanded the Multienergy station on the western Milan bypass motorway in the municipality of Assago and installed 180 square metres of solar panels that provide the station with part of the energy necessary for its functioning.

In July 2006 a world-leading Agip MultiEnergy service station was opened at Collesalvetti (LI). The station uses the following energy sources:

• a photovoltaic plant of around 20 kWp (with estimated annual production of 24,000 kWh);
• a 60 kWp eolic plant (three 20 kWp generators with an estimated annual production of 84,000 kWh);
• a 30 kWe methane-powered micro-turbine plant for the production of 188,000 kWh and 85.000 kWh (thermal recovery savings);
• an electrolyser production plant for the supply of hydrogen for a mini fleet of internal combustion engines.

In 2006 a MultiEnergy service station was opened at the Infraserv Höchst industrial park in Germany, in the Frankfurt area. The station, which is in the south of the industrial area, is supplied by a specially-constructed 1.7 km pipeline that connects the station to the hydrogen production plant. An innovative technology has been used for the first time for the compression developed by Linde and based on an ionic liquid compressor. The station is also equipped with photovoltaic panels installed of the station's roof and cover and produced with Eni technology.

In 2007, in Mantua, a fourth Multienergy station was opened providing hydrogen produced on-site with a natural gas-powered 20 mc/h reformer. The technology uses a high-temperature catalytic process with a pre-blended flow of steam and natural gas that is transformed into hydrogen in successive stages. The fleet of vehicles is made up of three fuel cell driven Fiat Pandas, bought by the Lombardy Regional Council on behalf of the City of Mantua.