| US energy reserves in the form of natural
| |
| | perform flawlessly without any
|
| gas are about 80% larger than its
| |
| | performance handicap. However, the
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| petroleum reserves. Future drilling will
| |
| | conversion of a gasoline powered car is
|
| add modestly to either reserve with the
| |
| | expensive and the large, high pressure
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| likelihood that new natural gas reserves
| |
| | cylinders for storing CNG must be
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| will be more significant.
| |
| | installed in the car's trunk when
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| T. Boone Pickens is proposing to use more
| |
| | retrofitting.
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| natural gas as fuel for automobiles. His
| |
| | A few car manufacturers are already
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| ads are gaining traction and many people
| |
| | offering vehicles equipped to use both
|
| are beginning to ask themselves if a
| |
| | fuels, CNG and gasoline. One can either
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| Compressed Natural Gas or CNG powered car
| |
| | use the one or the other fuel. An
|
| is in their future.
| |
| | immediate changeover can be made by
|
| The answer depends on knowing three
| |
| | toggling a simple switch. In the US
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| simple facts; is CNG really much less
| |
| | Honda is already offering its Civic GX
|
| expensive than gasoline, is CNG readily
| |
| | model. Volkswagen, Opel, Mercedes, and
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| available, and are commercial cars with
| |
| | Fiat are selling bi-fuel models in
|
| bi-fuel capability available for sale?
| |
| | Europe. Other Europeans are making CNG
|
| The answers are yes, no, yes.
| |
| | powered models, too. American carmakers
|
| Natural gas can be offered at a
| |
| | are sure to follow.
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| significantly lower price than gasoline.
| |
| | There are two remaining questions. How
|
| In a recent ad by a large gas company a
| |
| | much natural gas reserves does the US
|
| price of $2.04 per GGE was offered for
| |
| | possess and how reliable are early price
|
| CNG while the comparable price for
| |
| | signals? After all, imported natural gas
|
| regular gasoline was shown at $3.46 per
| |
| | is sold mostly by OPEC countries and the
|
| gallon. The energy content of compressed
| |
| | US is already importing small amounts of
|
| natural gas is quoted in "Gallon of Gas
| |
| | natural gas.
|
| Equivalent" or GGE. This is a new
| |
| | Available data puts US natural gas
|
| measuring unit, which is based on the
| |
| | reserves at 230 tcf (trillion cubic
|
| energy content of the dispensed gas. By
| |
| | feet). Present consumption is about 2
|
| basing the price of CNG on its energy
| |
| | tcf annually. Consumption of natural gas
|
| content, one can compare energy prices of
| |
| | will obviously sharply increase once CNG
|
| CNG and gasoline directly. This is by
| |
| | is used widely in automobiles and will
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| far the best approach for the customer
| |
| | also continue its annual rise as overall
|
| who can compare prices for two equal
| |
| | US energy consumption continues to grow.
|
| amounts of energy, one for a gas, the
| |
| | Annual natural gas consumption may soon
|
| other one for gasoline. Measuring the
| |
| | grow close to 4 tcf. With this rate of
|
| dispensed amount of CNG is more difficult
| |
| | consumption known natural gas reserves
|
| than measuring an equivalent amount of
| |
| | will last for more than fifty years.
|
| gasoline. However, a precise measurement
| |
| | When buying a bi-fuel car, we need to
|
| can be made. Installing a CNG measuring
| |
| | convince ourselves that CNG prices will
|
| device is just more expensive than its
| |
| | stay stable and competitive in order to
|
| gasoline counterpart.
| |
| | recover the higher purchase price of the
|
| At present, there are almost no fueling
| |
| | bi-fuel equipped car. The natural gas
|
| stations equipped to dispense CNG. The
| |
| | industry has been using recent increases
|
| natural gas industry will have to make
| |
| | in the price of heating oil to
|
| considerable investments before a
| |
| | significantly increase the price of
|
| sufficient number of fueling stations
| |
| | natural gas. How can we make a realistic
|
| will be locally available. If you are
| |
| | estimate about future price stability of
|
| the lucky one who lives close to such a
| |
| | CNG? Past history shows that the
|
| new station, you should seriously
| |
| | pipeline companies that sell natural gas
|
| consider buying a new car with bi-fuel
| |
| | to local distribution utilities were
|
| capability. For local driving one uses
| |
| | setting prices based on the same
|
| CNG, for long distance traveling one
| |
| | cut-throat practices used by OPEC.
|
| continues to depend on gasoline. By
| |
| | Realistically, we do not have any
|
| having two fuel tanks on board, one for
| |
| | effective protection from similar pricing
|
| CNG, the other for gasoline, the driver
| |
| | policies in the future. We can
|
| can select the fuel he wants to use.
| |
| | therefore, expect that the advertised
|
| Existing cars can also be converted.
| |
| | lower CNG energy prices will not last
|
| Cars burning compressed natural gas will
| |
| | forever.
|
