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THE SAVINGS with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)

The cost of a gallon of CNG in the state of Utah is less than $.85 at the pump. Gasoline has gone well over $4.00 per gallon. By switching to natural gas, an individual who drives more than 20,000 miles a year will save over $6,300 a year, based on today’s prices. An adjunct of CNG Energy’s program will be to provide compressors to people who use natural gas in their own homes. This will make it possible for them to refill the automobile or truck’s fuel tanks at home, overnight, enhancing the savings and convenience to the consumer.

If an automobile gets 20 miles per gallon of gasoline, it will get 18 miles per gallon of CNG or better if the software is in harmony with the engine codes and requirements. Few kits have this ability.

Escalating fuel prices have driven up the cost of food and devalued rural or suburban housing. All goods and services reliant on transportation are experiencing significant inflation. The power boating and motor home industries are in the tank (both types of vehicles can be converted to CNG). The current Recession is being “fueled” by oil speculators and increasing demands for oil from China and India.



IT WORKS IN OTHER COUNTRIES Why not in the USA?

Worldwide, there are about 7.5 million vehicles running on CNG. European nations and India are well ahead of the US in converting to CNG automobiles and trucks. Pakistan now has 1.21 million CNG vehicles on their roads, while Argentina has 1.243 million and Brazil has 1.315 million vehicles that have been converted to CNG. These countries do not rely on foreign oil. The US has only 150,000 vehicles running on natural gas.


CONVERSION KITS for CNG ALREADY EXIST

The technology for conversions already exists and has been proven safe, reliable and cost effective. Discussions about the future development of hydrogen or electric power are way off in the future and will not retrofit to existing automobiles in this country. There are tens of millions of automobiles, trucks and boats in this country that can be converted today, substantially reducing or eliminating our dependency on foreign oil. Every conversion that occurs, is a step that reduces foreign oil dependency, cleans up the environment and averts global warming.


CNG MORE FAVORABLE EMISSIONS

Once converted, an automobile or truck that burns gasoline will reduce exhaust emissions of:
Benzene by 99% when compared to gasoline and 97% when compared to diesel,
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) go down more than 60 – 90% when compared to gasoline
and more than 50% when compared to diesel,
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is reduced by 30 – 40% compared to gasoline and 10%
compared to diesel,
Carbon Monoxide (CO) falls by more that 90% compared to gasoline and diesel,
Lead and Sulfur emission drop 100% compared to gasoline and diesel,
Non-methane hydrocarbons fall by 50 – 75% compared to gasoline,
Smoke and particulate matter fall up to 90% when compared to diesel.

Automobiles, trucks and boats powered by CNG leave a significantly lighter carbon footprint.

When evaluated from the standpoint of carbon, natural gas is the lowest of all fossil fuels based on units of energy. This results in lower carbon dioxide emissions per vehicle mile driven. While Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV) emit methane, another greenhouse gas, any slight increase in methane emissions would be more than offset by a substantial reduction in the CO2 and CO produced by other fuels.

If spilled, natural gas will not foul the earth below it or wash up on beaches, taking out wildlife in the process. It simply dissipates into the atmosphere.


WHY THE USA LAGS OTHER NATIONS IN CNG CONVERSIONS

In the 1980’s CNG conversions were taking place all over the United States and there were few restrictions. Unfortunately, many of the systems, which were imported from foreign countries, did not work. That’s because the conversion kits being imported from other countries were designed for 2-litre engines, a common size in other countries. Those kits malfunctioned when attached to the larger engines typical in our big sedans, SUVs and trucks.

Consequently, in many cases, polluting emissions were not improved due to improper installation, engine failures, or a miss-match between the kit and the engine size. The EPA then passed a rule that all kits, for each engine type must meet EPA testing guidelines prior to approval. The testing requires lab work, time, and fees.. No other country in the world has such burdensome restrictions…not even close. Anyone who installs a conversion kit not approved by the EPA is subject to very stiff fines..
My suggestion for EPA is:
1.Have States setup a number of CNG inspection stations that can comply with OBD ll inspections. This requires more testing of the system than a normal emissons inspection.
2. If the vehicle passes this inspection and emissions are as clean if not cleaner than what is required, then the vehicle is good to go.
This process would require the kit manufacture to do their own testing and development to be sure that the vehicle will pass the requied checks. This shifts the efforts of approvals to those that have the technology and labs to be able to move ahead more quickly. The kit is as good as if it had gone through extensive EPA processes.
This could save 50% of the current kit approval reqirements and open more develpment labs in the USA.

The companies that have won EPA approval have literally invested millions of dollars over the years to have their products approved. They are not anxious to have EPA relax its guidelines and devalue their investments. So they have a corner on the market.

THE BENFITS OF DRIVING WITH CNG

1. It will reduce and eventually eliminate America’s dependency on foreign oil.
2. CNG will reduce urban smog.
3. It’s safe and lighter-than-air. CNG is non-toxic and disperses quickly.
4. It has a higher ignition temperature than gasoline, which reduces the chance of accidental ignition.
5. It is cost effective, running about ¼ the current price of gasoline.
6. CNG burns cleaner, producing lower levels of harmful pollutants, like CO2 or CO.
7. CNG contains no particulates like diesel fuel.
8. Engine maintenance costs are reduced by extending time between oil changes CNG burns much cleaner than gasoline or diesel.
9. Readily available. There are currently the number of homes with natural gas runs in the millions. They all could have home fuel units for their vehicles.
10. It’s possible to produce a hydrogen-CNG blended fuel.
11. Natural gas is piped directly into fueling stations, eliminating transportation costs and delivery schedules. Cars refueling at home eliminate the costs of driving to a filling station.
12. CNG is cheaper than hydrogen, which currently costs over $8.00/gallon.