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