Bi-Fuel Car Manufacturers

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Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_natural_gas
CNG cars available in Europe are bi-fuel vehicles burning one fuel at a time. This means that they can indifferently run on either gasoline from a gasoline tank or CNG from a separate cylinder in the trunk. The driver can select what fuel to burn by simply flipping a switch on the dashboard.

Bi-Fuel manufacturers:

Chevrolet
Fiat
GM ( Opel )
Peugeot
Volkswagen
Toyota

Chevrolet:
The Cavalier was available in bi-fuel between 1999 and 2004. Due to lack of demand, the line was dropped as the average price of gasoline was was under $2.00 per gallon; high upfront cost of a home refueling station and lack of public refueling infrastructure. There is an active resale market demand for these cars among energy independent enthusiasts........if you can find one that somebody is willing to let go of.

Ford
The Ford Focus with bi-fuel CNG option is now available in Florida through Wise Gas, Inc. at approved aftermarket conversion facilities and should be available soon through participating Ford Dealerships. Ford Motor Credit has approved the financing for the incremental cost of CNG conversion.
"As we continue to build CNG Fueling stations throughout the state of Florida, the bi-fuel option of Altech-Eco's Ford Focus retrofit allows consumers the freedom to enjoy the benefits of driving on CNG without the fear of being stranded without fuel availability,"
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/03/23/florida-drivers-can-now-buy...

Contour: Between 1998-2999 Ford built a bi-fuel CNG/Gasoline compact sedan in the United States.

Toyota
Sept. 2008 -Toyota Motor Thailand Co (TMT) has introduced a compressed natural gas (CNG) powered car under the Limo brand for use as a taxi and due for initial delivery next month. The model is based on the Corolla Altis, using a Euro 3 bi-fuel engine running on CNG or E20 gasohol fuels.

Bangkok Post reports Toyota are projecting initial sales of 200 units per month rising to between 400 and 500 units per month next year. The Limo CNG, which is only available with a 1.6-litre engine, will retail at 724,000 baht, including value added tax and an air-conditioning system, 90,000 baht more than the gasoline-powered Limo. CNG is carried in a 75 water litre capacity cylinder. The new model will be manufactured at Toyota's Chachoengsao plant and the company is reportedly also considering a CNG fuelled 11 seater Ventury van.
www.ngvglobal.com/en/market-developments/toyota-launches-bi-fuel-cn...">http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:sVfhjQ02AZ8J:www.ngvglobal.com/en/market-developments/toyota-launches-bi-fuel-cn...

Toyota
Prius II Bi-fuel CNG on Display in Geneva
Two West Swiss natural gas companies—Holdigaz SA and Gaznat SA—have retrofit a stock Toyota Prius with a natural gas fuel system. The resulting bi-fuel Prius II CNG is on display at the Geneva auto show.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/03/bifuel_prius_ii.html

Corolla: Toyota is developing a 1.6-litre bi-fuel Corolla Altis in Thailand, to be ready by the year end.
The car - a "greener" version of the 10th generation Corolla launched in Singapore - will have a 70-litre compressed natural gas (CNG) tank that occupies "about a quarter" of its boot space and stiffer coil springs in its rear suspension to take the extra load.

Volkswagen:
The VW Golf is being sold in Europe in gasoline/LPG (propane) version, but not CNG
http://www.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021436_green-envy-volks...

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mark Feagins on July 8, 2009 at 9:46am: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/02/bifuel_benz_mer.html

Bi-Fuel Benz: Mercedes-Benz Expands Production of the E 200 NGT

Mercedes-Benz is expanding the production of its E 200 NGT bi-fuel sedan to include a right-hand drive version for Asian markets, due out later this year. In natural gas mode it reduces CO2 emissions more than 20% compared to gasoline mode.

The E 200 NGT made its debut in Germany last spring, then extended into Austria, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland later in the year. The 1.8-liter, inline-four cylinder engine produces 120 kW (165 hp) with 240 Nm (177 lb-ft) of torque in natural gas mode, matching the power and torque of the E 200 Kompressor on which the NGT was based. This makes the NGT the most powerful bi-fuel sedan in production, according to Mercedes.

Mercedes-Benz modified the basic supercharged engine by adding injector nozzles on the underside of the intake manifold. A pressure regulator with sensor and electromagnetic shut-off valve is fitted near the engine to regulate the supply of natural gas and maintain the required system pressure at a constant level. The reprogrammed engine electronics ensure seamless operation in both drive modes.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mark Feagins on July 8, 2009 at 12:02pm: Delete http://www.volvocars.com/mt/footer/about/environment/Alternativefue...

Volvo Bi-Fuel cars are equipped with dual fuel systems and tanks – one for methane gas and one for the backup fuel (petrol).

Methane – an environmentally sound choice
Methane can come from either natural gas or bio methane. Natural gas provides approximately 25% lower carbon dioxide emissions than petrol – and as bio methane does not come from a fossil source and is a natural part of our eco-cycle, it causes no greenhouse effect at all.

Long mileage range – without so much as a dent in load capacity

To provide you with the same generous space as our petrol or diesel driven models, the methane tanks are fitted beneath the floor. A full tank of methane will take you between 250 and 300 km*, while the reserve tank holds enough petrol to take you
a further 300 to 350 km. The engine automatically switches to petrol if the gas tank empties while you’re driving. And you're free to switch between fuel types whenever you like.
*Depending on the type and grade of the gas.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/03/volvorsquos_10y.html

In 2005, Volvo Cars (a division of Ford Motor) hit its tenth year of producing bi-fuel passenger cars. Since production of its current generation of bi-fuel engines began in 2001, Volvo has sold some 12,000 bi-fuel vehicles in Europe (7,500 powered by methane and 4,500 by LPG).

Volvo offers a five-cylinder 2.4 liter Bi-Fuel engine for its Volvo S80, V70 and S60 models with separate fuel systems, one for gas and another for gasoline. The engine automatically switches to the back-up gasoline power should the car’s gas supply run out.

Typically, a tank of methane will give a range of 250-300 km, and the reserve petrol tank provides an additional range of about 350 km.

Natural gas for vehicles is available in most European countries, with a total of about 2,000 public filling stations. The number is growing rapidly, especially in Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Sweden, Italy and Germany are Volvo’slargest bi-fuel markets.

A few datapoints:

In Germany, three new natural gas filling stations open every week.

Italy has some 400,000 natural gas vehicles on the road.

Growth in Switzerland is rapid, both for vehicles (+62%) and refueling stations (+80%).

Methane is usually from the earth’s crust in the form of natural gas by drilling. It can also be produced as biogas from waste sludge and biological waste.

Up to now, biogas has been produced on a small scale but interest in this cleaner fuel is growing. Sweden—Volvo’s home country—provides a good example of how biogas is produced from waste and is systematically added to the existing distribution of natural gas.

A bi-fuel Volvo driven on biogas reduces net greenhouse gas emissions by close to 100%, while driving on natural gas reduces greenhouse gas carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 25%, compared to gasoline.; ▶ Reply to This