The natural gas alternative: Understanding CNG cars
Today, in an attempt to reduce emissions and maximize fuel efficiency, a lot of car manufacturers are focusing on hybrid or electric cars that run on both electricity and fuel or electricity alone. However, there is another alternative that is starting to get a lot of buzz lately—compressed natural gas (CNG) cars.
Although CNG cars have been available since the 1930s, they really haven’t taken off because of their high prices, lack of CNG refueling stations, and the fact that auto manufacturers focused more on ethanol-fueled-, electric-, and alternative fuel-powered cars.
CNG cars have cleaner emissions and similar, if not better, fuel economy than gasoline-powered cars. Drivability and performance of CNG and gasoline-powered cars are quite similar as well, albeit CNG cars suffer a bit on the acceleration end. Natural gas-powered cars are very reliable—so reliable that in India, public utility vehicles, like taxis, use liquefied natural gas (LNG).
CNG cars have cleaner emissions and similar, if not better, fuel economy than gasoline-powered cars. Drivability and performance of CNG and gasoline-powered cars are quite similar as well, albeit CNG cars suffer a bit on the acceleration end. Natural gas-powered cars are very reliable—so reliable that in India, public utility vehicles, like taxis, use liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Since owning a CNG car means that one will no longer be affected by the ups and downs of the petroleum industry, some publications, like Forbes.com and Fleetowner.com, have reported that more CNG-powered vehicles will be sold in the coming years. Furthermore, the federal government offers tax credits to buyers of CNG vehicles, making CNG vehicles an attractive option for those in need of a secondary car.
CNG vehicles prove to be promising for the automotive industry, and this is all made possible by processing natural gas, a process explained in more detail in Dr. Ali Ghalambor and Dr. Boyun Guo’s highly acclaimed book, The Natural Gas Engineering Handbook.
This Twitter page contains more updates on the natural gas and petroleum industry.
This Twitter page contains more updates on the natural gas and petroleum industry.