Archive for the ‘natural gas vehicles’ Category
Why haven’t natural gas powered vehicles become more popular?
I would think a large percent of people have natural gas for their homes. They could refill the cars at their homes very quickly. I would think it would be less expensive than gasoline. It would burn much cleaner than gasoline.
Here is a very informative USA Today link about natural gas powered cars…
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2007-05-08-natural-gas-usat_N.htm
They are available now, but they are not being marketed, so nobody knows about them!
Link to the Honda GX NGV (Natural Gas Vehicle) page…
http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-gx/?ef_id=1097:35:b5e0f4831bb1d960c3f5c688378ccf4d:Fy6LQdB6B2YAADKVrPQAAAAI:20071230182813
According to this website http://www.cngmotors.com/gal/cng/index.php , apparently there are several used "natural gas" vehicles available. I even found a F-150 on their site that will run on gasoline OR natural gas. The site also states that one of the pros to the vehicles is that it gives you access to the HOV lanes!
Please read this about the Toyota Prius Hybrid vs. the Hummer…
http://clubs.ccsu.edu/Recorder/editorial/editorial_item.asp?NewsID=188
"Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage"
Apparently Hybrids aren’t as "FRIENDLY" as many people think!
Well the only new natural gas vehicle available is the Honda Civic GX. As you can see from the link below, its environmental impact is on par with the Civic hybrid and Prius. However, the GX costs a bit more. While refueling does cost less, it also doesn’t have the mileage efficiency of the hybrids.
On top of that, you have to lease the equipment to hook up to your home natural gas system to refuel at home. If I recall correctly, this is an additional $75/month. And the only place you can refuel is at home.
Plus natural gas is still a fossil fuel and non-renewable resource.
So basically it’s no more environmentally friendly than a hybrid, but costs more and has less convenience. That’s why they’re not more popular.
*edit* Prius does more environmental damage than a Hummer is a myth. It’s based on a study done by a marketing company. Not surprisingly, when a marketing company tries to do a scientific study, they make all kinds of terrible assumptions which lead to incorrect results.
Do a Google search for "Dust to Dust debunk" if you want to see the many errors made in that study.
A *scientific* study by the Swiss government showed that the Prius is the greenest car on the planet.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL2733658020070727
Energy in 2008: Ethanol vs. Natural Gas
Former Energy Secretary John Herrington discusses the future of ethanol and natural gas in America.
From the “Election 2008: Presidential Campaigns on Energy Policy” National Issues Briefing.
Duration : 0:0:43
Why don’t more people drive natural gas-powered vehicles like me?
We just bought a used natural gas-powered Ford F-150 pickup truck and it’s great! Natural gas (methane) is only 64 cents a gallon here in Utah, and it’s the cleanest fossil fuel in the world. Not every state has gas stations available for filling up, but if everybody would show some real interest in getting away from gasoline and moving on to something better for the environment as well as a whole lot cheaper, then it could become a reality for the entire country! All I know is I can fill up for $9.00 and the truck runs and drives just the same as any other pickup truck. There is plenty of natural gas in our own country (many people heat their homes and cook with it), so I’m thinking the only thing keeping the idea from taking off is our own government and "big oil". I just haven’t found a downside to this yet, and it’s not just an idea; it’s real. Start bothering your state and local reps – everybody should be using natural gas (cng). I do, and it feels great! No more blood for oil…
How many BTUs are there in one gallon of natural gas? What kind of mileage do you get? And how much do you pay in taxes per gallon? I will guarantee you that once people start using natural gas for auto fuel in sizable numbers, your cost per gallon WILL go up, when the feds start to see a decrease in revenue from gasoline taxes. That’s not to say that it won’t be cheaper than gasoline, but that it will get more expensive.
The other thing to remember is that if enough people start using natural gas for auto fuel, it will increase the cost due to supply and demand. Look at what happened to the price of corn when alcohol plants were being built. The cost of beef and milk jumped because suddenly there was more demand for corn.
And how safe is that tank of natural gas if you get in a collision? Is it stored in a liquid form, or compressed gas? If it’s a gas, is it heavier or lighter than air? What happens in a collision if the tank is ruptured?
How does one refuel a natural gas vehicle?
"A Vehicle Refueling Appliance (VRA) offers the distinct advantage of at-home or at-work refueling. The VRA, available from FuelMaker Corporation, connects to your home or office gas service and slow-fills your vehicle while it sits inactive. For details please contact FuelMaker directly."
If you do not have or want this at your home – you will need to make sure there are stations in your area to refuel.
SYSCO – LIQUID NATURAL GAS VEHICLE
ALBUM – IMAGES – HERE ICI http://rides.webshots.com/album/561815686NcSLxP
UN INTERNATIONAL FONCTIONNANT AU GAZ NATUREL LIQUIDE , DE LA COMPAGNIE DE DISTRIBUTION SYSCO , LE 18 DECEMBRE 2007 , A L ANGLE DE LA RUE ALVARADO ET DU BOULAVARD WILSHIRE .
Duration : 0:0:50
Where can I convert my vehicle to natural gas?
In the US. I prefer a website. Where can I get my vehicle converted so it can use natural gas. This could be done by putting in an extra tank.
There are many. Just google propane conversions
Long Beach Natural Gas Vehicle Conference
Talk of a bigger push to get more natural gas vehicles on the road was a big part of this weekend’s Natural Gas Vehicles Conference-Summit in Long Beach, Calif. Clean Skies News’ Lee Patrick Sullivan has more.
Duration : 0:3:57
Is it or when will it be possible to to fill an natural gas vehicle from your house.?
Would it be cost effective?
Yes, this can be done but I doubt it will be cost effective at the moment. Natural gas is cheaper than gasoline but it also isn’t nearly as efficient, meaning it takes MORE of it to operate your car than gasoline. Then there’s the problem of containment — you would have to be able to pump the natural gas into a pressurized on-board tank in your car from your home source and then recalibrate your vehicle engine management computers to burn the gas. By the time you invested in everything needed to make this happen you probably could afford to buy a thousand gallons of gasoline.
Is it or when will it be possible to to fill an natural gas vehicle from your house.?
Would it be cost effective?
Yes, this can be done but I doubt it will be cost effective at the moment. Natural gas is cheaper than gasoline but it also isn’t nearly as efficient, meaning it takes MORE of it to operate your car than gasoline. Then there’s the problem of containment — you would have to be able to pump the natural gas into a pressurized on-board tank in your car from your home source and then recalibrate your vehicle engine management computers to burn the gas. By the time you invested in everything needed to make this happen you probably could afford to buy a thousand gallons of gasoline.
Is it possible to use the natural gas piped into our homes as a fuel source for vehicles?
I know this is also a non-renewable resource but we have quite a lot of it. It burns clean. Fleet vehicles already use it. It seems little infrastructure would be necessary. What do you think?
Thanks gosh… i just caught that typo. I know.
It is my understanding that there are people with honda civics who already do this
just read about it, anyway. It seems like it would be fairly simple to set up. What would be necessary to convert regular car engines over?
yes it is possible to do that. BTW, natural gas burns cleanER than other oil based fuel (critical greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas are 23% lower than diesel and 30% lower than gasoline), but it is not "Clean."