Compressed Natural gas vehicles (CNG)?
Just wondering if natural gas fuel is lot cheaper than petrol(gasoline)
Why the car manufacturers don't produce car than run on natural gas (switchable between petrol/natural gas).
From what i know if the car user wanted to install CNG tank, after he/she bought the car he/she has to install it in a CNG installation workshop, and than go to (government appointed department) to test the car and obtain approval. Isn't this very troublesome?
Maybe this is the reason that many people reluctant to use natural gas as fuel for their vehicle.
Comments
For many years Utah has required that natural gas utilities provide the fuel to motor vehicles at the same rate supplied to houses. This created a huge market for natural gas vehicles in that state. With Ngas prices presently so low the incentive is being felt elsewhere.
There are conversions that must be performed by a regulated shop and then certified by the EPA. There are also a few Ngas vehicles, but for the most part Ngas will take money away from gasoline and an individual looking for a Ngas vehicle is fighting against a very powerful lobby for the oil industry that wants to continue selling gasoline domestically and eventually Ngas to overseas customers (which will raise the price of our domestic Ngas)
My mother had a CNG car for work one time. The CNG would turn on after a certain speed. Otherwise the car ran on gas. That car got really good gas mileage. However, finding CNG was hard. The car would die on the on ramps and people would flip her off as if she was intentionally slowing down. She would have to start the car to get the gas flowing. Sometimes the fumes in the trunk from the CNG were strong. I would be afraid to have a speaker or other electronics in the back for fear of sparks. Also, two tanks take more room than one gas tank. Plus, any serious wreck requires the gas to be turned off, just another thing to worry about catching on fire.
CNG has to be cooled to very cold temperatures to produce LPG Liquefied Petroleum Gas. This process takes a lot of energy and not marketable in small quantities.
Natural gas is economical. The per gallon equivalent of energy would be about $1.75 per gallon of gasoline. In my area gasoline is selling at $3.59 per gallon.
We have abundant supply of gas. I live on top of the Marcellus Shale gas play in SW Pennsylvania.
Currently there are two natural gas filling stations near Pittsburgh and one in Washington, PA.
There is at least one garage in the area that does conversions. It costs about $6,000 to convert a vehicle to run on natural gas. It would cost another $6,000 to add a compressor station in your home.
Ford does build cars that run on natural gas.
its not a lot cheaper but the conversion pays off.
no they burn more per mile so the cost is about the same I owned one