Natural gas is needed not only for cooking, heating and power generation. It is also possible to fill cars with it. Natural gas as a vehicle fuel is much cheaper and environmentally cleaner than petroleum products.
Why don't we run cars on natural gas?
Liquefied natural gas is cooled into a liquid form for storage and use. It has limited use as a vehicle fuel because of the expense and complication of keeping it cool. Internal combustion engines can burn it instead of gasoline with just a few design changes, but storing it is challenging.
What vehicles are powered by natural gas?
A list of these is as follows:Honda Civic Natural Gas.Dodge Ram 2500 HD pickup truck.Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500 pickup truck.Chevy Express/GMC Savana van.Chevy Impala.
Can cars run on LNG?
A natural gas vehicle (NGV) is an alternative fuel vehicle that uses compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG). Natural gas vehicles should not be confused with autogas vehicles powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), mainly propane, a fuel with a fundamentally different composition.
Is it cheaper to run a car on natural gas?
On average, natural gas for vehicles is one-third of the cost of gasoline. Compare the price of diesel fuel, gasoline, ethanol, methanol, and propane to natural gas for conventional road vehicles and commercial vehicles.
What are the problems with CNG cars?
Lesser fuel range The lower fuel range means that you will have to take the car to refilling station more regularly. Additionally, the fuel efficiency of CNG-powered vehicles is also lower than other regular vehicles.
How long do CNG engines last?
Usually, a CNG cylinder can last anywhere between 15-20 years.
Can a diesel engine run on LNG?
The short answer is no. If you fueled a diesel engine with natural gas it simply wouldn't start. Diesel engines can't run on natural gas because natural gas combustion requires spark plugs. Diesel engines cause fuel to ignite through compression.
Why is LNG not a viable fuel for vehicles?
Due to its extremely low boiling point, LNG is required to be stored in cryogenic containers that increases investment and requires sophisticated technology. There is limited availability of infrastructure for delivery and distribution of LNG at fuelling stations.
Is LNG cheaper than diesel?
Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. CNG is the cheaper of the two fuels and is much more readily available today. However, CNG requires more space and increased weight than LNG does. While LNG is much cheaper than diesel, it is not as inexpensive as CNG.
Is CNG car good for long drive?
Small CNG tank: The CNG fuel tanks (cylinders) are smaller than petrol tanks. Hence, it results in a shorter driving range. However, you can use a CNG car for long drives as you can easily switch to petrol fuel if you run out of CNG.
How many miles per gallon does a CNG get?
"A regular gasoline-powered car averages 32 miles per gallon while a CNG-powered car averages 43 miles per gallon," Darian says, referring to compressed natural gas.
What are the disadvantages of natural gas?
Disadvantages of Natural GasNatural gas is a nonrenewable resource. As with other fossil energy sources (i.e. coal and oil) natural gas is a limited source of energy and will eventually run out. ... Storage. ... Natural Gas Emits Carbon Dioxide. ... Natural gas can be difficult to harness.
Can a gasoline engine run on natural gas?
Conventional vehicles and engines from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can be converted to run on fuels like propane, natural gas, or electricity.
How many miles per gallon does a natural gas vehicle get?
"A regular gasoline-powered car averages 32 miles per gallon while a CNG-powered car averages 43 miles per gallon," Darian says, referring to compressed natural gas.
Is CNG more efficient than gasoline?
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) saves up to 50% over conventional fuels, and CNG vehicles are available for all types of applications, including business fleets and vehicles for personal use.
Are CNG vehicles good?
Driving a CNG vehicle brings a variety of benefits to drivers. For instance, CNG is a much safer fuel source, which means you'll be eliminating the amount of pollutants you put into the air.
What is a natural gas filter?
Natural gas fuel filter:Traps contaminants and other byproducts to prevent them from clogging critical fuel system components, such as fuel injectors.
Where is compressed natural gas stored?
The engine functions the same way as a gasoline engine. Natural gas is stored in a fuel tank, or cylinder, typically at the back of the vehicle .
What is a fuel tank?
Fuel tank (compressed natural gas):Stores compressed natural gas on board the vehicle until it's needed by the engine. High pressure regulator:Reduces and regulates the pressure of the fuel exiting the tank, lowering it to an acceptable level required by the engine 's fuel injection system.
What is an internal combustion engine?
Internal combustion engine (spark-ignited):In this configuration, fuel is injected into either the intake manifold or the combustion chamber, where it is combined with air, and the air/fuel mixture is ignited by the spark from a spark plug.
What is a natural gas vehicle?
A natural gas vehicle ( NGV) is also an alternative fuel vehicle that uses compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG). Natural gas vehicles should not be confused with autogas vehicles powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), mainly propane, which is a fuel with a fundamentally different composition.
How is natural gas released?
In a natural-gas-powered vehicle, energy is released by combustion of essentially methane gas ( CH. 4) fuel with oxygen ( O. 2) from the air to carbon dioxide ( CO. 2) and water vapour ( H. 2 O) in an internal combustion engine. Methane is the cleanest burning hydrocarbon and many contaminants present in natural gas are removed at source.
Why is the range of CNG limited?
Also, because of the lower energy density, the range on CNG is limited by comparison to LNG. Gas composition and throughput allowing, it should be feasible to connect commercial CNG fueling stations to city gas networks, or enable home fueling of CNG vehicles directly using a gas compressor.
How much pressure is needed to store CNG?
CNG as an auto fuel. CNG, or compressed natural gas, is stored at high pressure, 3,000 to 3,600 pounds per square inch (21 to 25 MPa). The required tank is more massive and costly than a conventional fuel tank.
What is a NGV?
A natural gas vehicle ( NGV) is also an alternative fuel vehicle that uses compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG).
When was the first compressed natural gas station built in Ukraine?
Ukraine's first compressed natural gas refueling station (CNGS) was commissioned in 1937 . Today, there is a well-developed CNGS network across the country. Many buses were converted to run on CNG during the 1990s, primarily for economic reasons. The retrofitted cylinders are often visible atop the vehicle's roof and/or underneath the body. Despite their age, these buses remain in service and continue to provide reliable public transport combined with the environmental benefits of CNG.
Is the Honda Civic GX a bi fuel?
An increasing number of vehicles worldwide are being manufactured to run on CNG by major carmakers. Until recently, the Honda Civic GX was the only NGV commercially available in the US market. More recently, Ford, General Motors and Ram Trucks have bi-fuel offerings in their vehicle lineup. In 2006, the Brazilian subsidiary of FIAT introduced the Fiat Siena Tetra fuel, a four-fuel car that can run on natural gas (CNG).
How would natural gas be consumed more efficiently?
Daniel Lashof, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council 's climate and clean air program, suggested that as far as cars and light trucks go, American natural gas would be consumed more efficiently by using it to produce electricity that would then power electric and plugin hybrid vehicles.
How is natural gas transported?
As it stands now, most natural gas is transported by tanker trucks — a lot of tanker trucks. Trucks are also used to carry the water used in the hydraulic fracturing process, which involves pumping a high pressure mix of mostly water and a cocktail of chemicals that help break up shale to release tiny gas bubbles.
What countries use compressed natural gas?
As of 2010, countries in Asia and the Pacific have increased NGV use by 42 percent since 2000. China and India have the fastest growing fleets there, but Latin America's CNG use is also on the rise, and in Europe, Italy has been using NGVs since 1930. The Mediterranean nation, not often known for being cutting edge in anything other than race cars, fancy shoes, and political scandals currently has more than 700,000 NGVs on the road compared to America's 120,000 or so.
How much less carbon is produced from natural gas?
The U.S. Department of Energy says natural gas burns much cleaner than coal or oil — producing about 70 percent less carbon emissions — and estimates that replacing 3.5 million oil-burning heavy duty vehicles (trucks) with CNG-powered ones by 2035 would reduce oil consumption by 1.2 million barrels per day.
Does Honda have a bi fuel pickup?
The Big Three all either offer or will offer bi-fuel pickups — that can switch back and forth between CNG and gasoline — and Honda has a CNG powered Civic on the market. (Most natural gas powered passenger vehicles are retrofitted, not factory built, at this point.)
Is Honda a CNG car?
The Big Three all either offer or will offer bi-fuel pickups — that can switch back and forth between CNG and gasoline — and Honda has a CNG powered Civic on the market. (Most natural gas powered passenger vehicles are retrofitted, not factory built, at this point.) According to DOE testing, burning natural gas produces a fraction of the greenhouse gas of gasoline combustion, but with a 3 percent reduction in power.
Is drilling a gas well safe?
Then there's the part that has to do with human health, the environment, and a little bit of math. Gas companies say drilling is perfectly safe, and while it may not be the worst thing we've ever done to get fuel, there are more and more cases of drilling harming the environment and affecting people's health.
How many natural gas cars are there in the world?
But natural-gas cars have been zipping around foreign highways for decades. According to the industry group NGV Global, there are more than 15.2 million natural-gas vehicles on the road worldwide. However, natural gas has been slow to gain traction in U.S. passenger vehicles.
What percent of new garbage trucks run on natural gas?
Those significant savings have not gone unnoticed by businesses and municipalities. Today, 40 percent of new garbage trucks and 25 percent of new buses in the U.S. can run on natural gas, Kolodziej says. "In the city of Los Angeles, all the buses are now running on natural gas," he says.
Why are NGVs better than diesel?
They are also better for the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, NGVs pave the potential to emit 25 percent less greenhouse gases than diesel-powered vehicles.
How many miles can a Honda go without refueling?
Limited driving range: The NGV Honda can only go 220 miles without refueling. That's 130 miles less than a gasoline-powered Civic. Limited fueling stations: There are about 1,000 natural gas fueling stations across the U.S., but only 536 are available for public use, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuel Data Center website ...
What percent of natural gas is domestic?
Home advantage: Eighty percent to 90 percent of the natural gas we use comes from domestic sources, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Similar to driving a gasoline-powered car: ConsumerReports.org says drivers won't notice any difference except that "acceleration is typically slower.".
Is biomethane an inexhaustible supply?
But it is not an inexhaustible supply, although NGVAmerica's Kolodziej says the industry has the technology to make biomethane -- chemically identical to natural gas -- from renewable sources such as agricultural waste.
Is an NGV more expensive than a hybrid?
Plus, the economics of buying an NGV don't add up. They are thousands of dollars more expensive than a gasoline-powered or hybrid car, plus you'll be shelling even more out to install a home refueling system, Friedman says. "You'd be better off with a hybrid," he says.
Natural Gas Vehicles: Pros
Natural gas emissions don’t impact the environment as negatively as other fuels because natural gas burns cleaner. When you compare NGVs to gasoline and diesel vehicles, NGVs produce up to 30% less greenhouse gas emissions. They reduce carbon-monoxide emissions by 90% - 97%, carbon-dioxide emissions by 25%, and nitrogen-oxide emissions up to 60%.
Natural Gas Vehicles: Cons
Finding a place to fuel up an NGV is tough. There are 1,200 natural gas stations in the USA compared to over 120,000 stations for gasoline. Unless you live in California, Oklahoma, Texas, you will have a hard time buying NGV fuel, if you can purchase it at all. If there are places to get NGV fuel, it is miles away and inconvenient.
Should You Buy a Natural Gas Vehicle?
First of all, see if there are NGVs on sale near you. If not, will you travel the distance to purchase one? Then decide whether you prefer a new or used natural gas car. A used CNG car can cost $10,000 more than a new gasoline model.
What are the advantages of electric cars?
And it inadvertently highlights one advantage of electric cars: They can be recharged using electricity generated by any number of pathways, from coal to renewable sources.
What would allow EV makers to build a lot of flexibility?
Building the motors, steering, suspension and more into the corners, without mechanical linkage in between , would allow EV makers a lot of flexibility.
Is natural gas used in cars?
While natural gas is presently abundant in North America, courtesy of the controversial process of hydrofracturing ("fracking"), a new study suggests there's a better use for it than using it to power combustion-engined cars.
Can you use natural gas in a hybrid?
Researchers noted, however, that using a natural-gas engine in a hybrid vehicle would raise the efficiency of the fuel use and reduce the advantage.
Does Lucid deliver electric cars?
Lucid says that it will deliver an undisclosed number of Air Dream Edition electric sedans as part of a rally in California with company executives.
Is natural gas more efficient than electric cars?
Their conclusion was that the latest natural-gas combined-cycle turbine generator technology made it more efficient to use the fuel to generate electricity to power plug-in electric cars than burning it in adapted car engines.
Does the analysis address the vehicle cycle cradle to grave energy use for batteries and CNG tanks?
Furthermore, "The analysis did not address the vehicle cycle cradle-to-grave energy use for batteries and CNG tanks," Green Car Congress notes.
Summary
CNG/LNG as fuel for automobiles
Existing gasoline-powered vehicles may be converted to run on CNG or LNG, and can be dedicated (running only on natural gas) or bi-fuel (running on either gasoline or natural gas). However, an increasing number of vehicles worldwide are being manufactured to run on CNG. Until recently, the now-discontinued Honda Civic GX was the only NGV commercially available in the US market. Mo…
Overview
NGV filling stations can be located anywhere that natural gas lines exist. Compressors (CNG) or liquefaction plants (LNG) are usually built on a large scale but with CNG, small home refueling stations are possible. A company called FuelMaker pioneered such a system called Phill Home Refueling Appliance (known as "Phill"), which they developed in partnership with Honda for the American GX model. Phill is now manufactured and sold by BRC FuelMaker, a division of Fuel Sy…
LNG fueled vehicles
LNG is being evaluated and tested for over-the-road trucking, off-road, marine, and railroad applications. There are known problems with the fuel tanks and delivery of gas to the engine.
China has been a leader in the use of LNG vehicles with over 100,000 LNG powered vehicles on the road as of 2014.
Chemical composition and energy content
The primary component of natural gas is methane (CH4), the shortest and lightest hydrocarbon molecule. It may also contain heavier gaseous hydrocarbons such as ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8) and butane (C4H10), as well as other gases, in varying amounts. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a common contaminant, which must be removed prior to most uses.
Combustion of one cubic meter yields 38 MJ (10.6 kWh). Natural gas has the highest energy/car…
Storage and transport
The major difficulty in the use of natural gas is transportation. Natural gas pipelines are economical and common on land and across medium-length stretches of water (like Langeled, Interconnector and Trans-Mediterranean Pipeline), but are impractical across large oceans. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker ships, railway tankers, and tank trucks are also used.
Implementation
Natural gas vehicles are popular in regions or countries where natural gas is abundant and where the government chooses to price CNG lower than gasoline. The use of natural gas began in the Po River Valley of Italy in the 1930s, followed by New Zealand in the 1980s, though its use has declined there. At the peak of New Zealand's natural gas use, 10% of the nation's cars were converted, aroun…
See also
• HCNG dispenser
• Hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicle
• List of natural gas vehicles