Posted on 01/24/2010 5:30:32 PM PST by thackney
Natural gas has been tried before in the US. The giant explosions that resulted were why it hasn’t been popular since.
Also, it should be noted that this means that the price of natural gas would rise due to demand, thus increasing the cost of electricity and home heating.
There’s always at least one turd in the punch bowl, isn’t there?
Not scalable for passenger cars at the number driven today.
Good article, I work in the natural gas industry very close to the Haynsville Shale. Natural Gas refueling would require a big investment in infrastructure, probably a mandate by government to build refueling stations. Since I don’t like mandates from the government and believe that prices will dictate changes we will just have to wait. To much oil in the ground yet but America has more Natural Gas than it realizes. Potential is there.
Thing is, natural gas isn’t really the answer. And Pickens is really pushing it as he stands to make lots of money off of natural gas.
Hydrogen is a much more practical solution, IMHO.
I would love to purchase one of those CNG Civics (actually assembled here in Indiana at the new Greensburg plant).
My problem is there are just a handful of CNG filling stations around central Indiana, and from what I’ve read the home refueling compressor rig is expensive and short lived.
(I did install nat gas and 220v in my new garage in anticipation of some day being able to try this).
And guess what happens when the home refuelling rig has a, er, ‘major malfunction’.
Before you count out CNG..India started a program to convert all their buses and cabs to CNG. The infrastructure is mostly there. You install gas compressors at gas stations to compress natural gas into cylinders to fill the vehicles. We already have the gas pipelines. The tanks are bigger, which is not much of problem for commercial vehicles and taxis..and if the carmakers go on it they could solve the design issue of where to put the tanks in passenger cars.
We should eliminate the use of natural gas for epg and convert all that to nuclear while shifting natural gas to heating and vehicles. We have lots of natural gas in NA..with more reserves every day.
I don’t mind folks experimenting with NG, but don’t expect me to subsidize it. We’ve had enough of that.
One of my Auto Gnomes told me what the added price is for off the assembly line, but that is not for here. Yes it is more. But down in AU their gasoline this summer was $4.80 American and their Gaseous fuel was 80 cents a gallon. Suplant Direct Injectors with Gaseous Direct Injectors, for even higher compression ratios or more turbo-boost for downsized engines with a nice kick.
All we need is Congress and Obongo to get off their @$$ and make it a reality.
As someone who has been reseaching this fuel for cars for over 2 years, Sarah Palin was right when she said Natural Gas is the fuel of the future...
It is a growing market, but has a ways to go.
Natural Gas Fueling Station Locations
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/natural_gas_locations.html
I’m just into the whole flammable gas under pressure in my (or anybody near me) car. Just seems like a bad idea.
Not without trading oil imports for natural gas imports.
Or a vast drilling program after the ejection of many politicians.
It would take a couple decades, and would be better as a split between oil and gas.
Ford has a Crown Vic version that runs on Compressed gas. Almost bought it but thought it would tough to travel longer distance.
Do you think it is more flammable than gasoline?
At least hydrogen and natural gas disapate upwards into the air if their is a leak, rather than pooling in a spreading flammable puddle.
I do not see the danger level much different than what we use today. The pressure is significant, but we transport welding type storage tanks every day.
Natural Gas is used today in may vehicles. Mostly by fleet maintenance types like city buses and UPS trucks.
You might be surprised in a city like Houston how many vehicles are already powered this way.
Gasoline isn’t under pressure, even without a spark natural gas presents an explosion hazard. Notice when we transport gas tanks today the vehicle has to have warning labels.
Can you explain what you mean?
Natural Gas has a low and quite limited air/fuel ratio mix to be ignitable.
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