Last week I discussed the two kinds of natural gas products that can power vehicles on the roads. Those are Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Both of these natural resources are available in the Houston area to fuel natural gas cars. Mind you, they are not like your corner gas station that has a location every mile, but they are there.
One of the many things I learned while researching this week’s blog is that natural gas vehicles have been around since the 1930s. Most people are in agreeance that we can’t nail down the official date of the first. Scientists, engineers and tinkerers have been experimenting with hydrogen or different biofuels for running engines since their inception. The picture below claims to be the first, but who knows.
Major automobile makers are beginning to give the consumers options for NG vehicles. Right now Honda, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors offer CNG vehicles. However, not all of them are available on the lot. There is a good chance it will be a special order.
Obviously the environmental impact of an NG powered vehicle compared to what is on the road now is significant.
Of course there are pros and cons to NG vehicles. I got a lot of great information from Consumer Reports on what consumers did and did not like about natural gas vehicles. So let’s make a list.
Pros:
- Natural Gas is cheap right now. CNG is selling at $2.10 per gallon. Whereas gasoline is $2.68
- Less emissions from your vehicle, see the graphic above.
- No change to your driving experience.
- Lower maintenance costs due to less oil changes
- Safe in an accident. CNG will evaporate if the tank is compromised during a car crash. Gas will pool & is still flammable until it is completely removed.
Cons:
- Less trunk space since the CNG tanks are so much larger
- Finding a refueling station close to you. http://www.afdc.energy.gov/locator/stations/
- 2x’s as long to fill your tank
- At least $3,500.00 more than a gas powered car because of the high price of the compressed fuel cylinders.
- Not as many readily available options for vehicles. And we Americans need our options.
Now there still is a whole other option for driving a vehicle powered by natural gas. You can convert your current car to run on natural gas. But we will discuss that later.
Croft Production Systems can help you process your natural gas while being environmentally friendly. Click the button below to learn about our equipment that requires no air permits.
Resources:
http://www.automostory.com/first-natural-gas-car.htm
https://www.ngvamerica.org/vehicles/consumers/
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/03/the-natural-gas-alternative/index.htm
