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Page added on July 1, 2012
Natural Gas for Automotive Fuel
It is difficult to say which of the growing number of fuel options will power the cars of the future. But natural gas, given its domestic abundance, low price and lesser carbon footprint, is certainly a contender, at least as far as researchers at the federally funded Argonne National Laboratory are concerned. Some of the same engineers there who developed the batteries now used in electric cars have been tasked with improving natural gas powered engine technologies, thanks to anticipated consumer demand for vehicles powered by something cheaper and greener than gasoline but without the hassles of other alternative fuels.
“Our conclusion is that natural gas as a transportation fuel has both adequate abundance and cost advantages that make a strong case to focus interest in the technology as a real game changer in U.S. energy security,” Mike Duoba, an engineer at Argonne’s Transportation Technology Research and Development Center outside of Chicago, told the Talking Points Memo news blog. “In terms of consumer ownership and use costs, the case to make a switch from current fuels to compressed natural gas (CNG) is much more compelling than for other alternative fuels like ethanol and electricity.”
Given this promise—in addition to a February 2012 Department of Energy announcement of a $30 million competition aimed at finding ways “to harness our abundant supplies of domestic natural gas for vehicles”—Duoba and his colleague have been ramping up vehicle systems analysis and engine research and testing around CNG as a way to wean ourselves off of foreign fuel sources.
Their goal is to improve the efficiency of the CNG combustion process so that it can fit into a new line of engines that can run on gasoline or CNG equally as well, giving consumers the flexibility of choice without any trade-offs. Duoba thinks such a vehicle would have significant consumer appeal, especially in light of sluggish sales of the latest round of electric vehicles from the major automakers.
“At least for some time, compared to plug-in vehicle batteries, CNG storage offers lower weight, higher energy storage and lower costs—as well as faster refueling/recharging.” And while CNG vehicles would generate emissions from their tailpipes, the Argonne team believes that their overall emissions footprint would be smaller than that of an electric vehicle drawing power from the fossil-fuel-based electric grid.
But to Duoba the appeal of CNG is more about reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil sources than on saving the planet. “Various technologies have been successful at reducing the environmental impact (criteria pollution) over the decades,” Duoba wrote. “To the extent that consumption of foreign petroleum has not been reduced to acceptable levels, this could be viewed as the principal motivation.”
But CNG faces the same major hurdle to becoming widely accepted as any other challenger to gasoline as king of the road: a lack of refueling stations. Whatever does finally unseat gasoline will no doubt have to have a system for refueling that rivals the convenience we’ve come to expect from our corner gas stations.
7 Comments on "Natural Gas for Automotive Fuel"
BillT on Sun, 1st Jul 2012 2:17 pm
“… a lack of refueling stations …”
That says it all. The 100,000+ existing gasoline stations took 100 years to come into existence. Why does anyone think that they will all add a dangerous, more difficult, and probably less profitable, fuel like NG? They will have to insure for a new unfamiliar hazard, especially if the customer has any part in handling the exchange. That means hiring someoine to do it or to do more than one at a time…on busy days. When stations have self serve to save labor costs, do you really think they are going to change?
And, odds are, by the time many have switched, the gas bubble will be gone and it will cost as much as gasoline or Diesel. They have NG powered taxis here in the Philippines, but they also have several attendants to make the switch.
Americans think that personal cars are a right. Sorry, they are a fast disappearing luxury.
DMyers on Sun, 1st Jul 2012 6:02 pm
Bill, you may be overemphasizing the practical problems here. Have some faith in humanity. I’m sure the average guy or gal will learn to gas up with a high pressure nozzle. Shove it in, turn the ring, and pull the lever. No big deal. It’ll make a cool sound, too, and that always creates a certain consumer appeal.
I’m sure somebody will find a way to make the gas station conversion a very simple process. They should be able to disengage the entire units from underneath and helicopter them out to an appropriate disposal site. Then the modular NG fueling apparatus can be trucked in, preassembled, and be operating in days. They’ll be able to just snap it together, a lot like building with legos.
It’s true that Americans think personal cars are a right. But there’s a good reason for that. It’s because we’re so special, so very, very special.
DC on Sun, 1st Jul 2012 6:55 pm
What a terrible article. NG, cleaner and greener?
Q/At least for some time, compared to plug-in vehicle batteries, CNG storage offers lower weight, higher energy storage and lower costs—as well as faster refueling/recharging.” And while CNG vehicles would generate emissions from their tailpipes, the Argonne team believes that their overall emissions footprint would be smaller than that of an electric vehicle drawing power from the fossil-fuel-based electric grid.
Gee good thing amerika has put there best minds on this most pressing of all issues, keeping Wall-mart and suburbia alive, if only by slightly different means. Which, please note, means electric propulsion is bad, because its not a toxic, flammable, liquid that you are compelled to buy at least once a week(per vehicle) in order to transport $10.00 worth of groceries 20 miles to your underwater suburban rathole. Nope, stick to proven, toxic, finite, depleteing resource, extracted with the most dangerous and negligent methods imaginable. And all controlled by the exact same people that brought the current mess, GM, Ford,Exxon etc…
Kenz300 on Sun, 1st Jul 2012 7:56 pm
The monopoly that oil has had on transportation fuels is beginning to break down. We see more electric cars and trucks, hybrids, flex-fuel vehicles, CNG and LNG fueled trucks and cars. Long haul truckers are switching to LNG. FedEx, WalMart, Staples and Waste Management are updating their fleets with a mix of electric, CNG and LNG vehicles. GM, Ford and Chrysler are all selling CNG fueled trucks.
DC on Sun, 1st Jul 2012 8:06 pm
….Ken….what part of…GM, Ford, and chrysler along with there Controllers in the Oil-cartel are the ones that caused all the current mess in the 1st place dont you get? Guess who OWNS…the NG industry…the OIL industry! Get it?? Greenpeace, the Sierra club and Barney the Dinosaur, and Mary Poppins dont own the NG industry, the Oil-cartel does. And the Oil cartel owns the auto-industy. There not interested in your well-being, or even providing you with options. All they want, is control. And NG is just another system of control, no different than the current one? See?!!
BillT on Mon, 2nd Jul 2012 12:32 am
DC, electric will never be more than a few million vehicles. Why? Price; no trade in value; new, very expensive batteries every few years; no used ones will ever be on the market; charging is not going to be possible in high use areas using the current infrastructure; no long distance capability; slow recharge; battery swapping has no guarantees that the one you get is not defective, etc. By the swap, I mean, do you want to give your brand new battery to a chain that swaps batteries for a ‘fill up’? You may get a heavily used one in return that lets you sit 20 miles from no-where. No, electric may work in cities where you do not drain the battery everyday, but it will not work for the long distance commuter. But then, at 1 million produced per year, they may not even find buyers…
BillT on Mon, 2nd Jul 2012 6:59 am
Gee DM, I hope you are being facetious about the quick swap. ^_^ I have project managed a number of the new convenience store / gas stations recently and I can tell you that the ‘swap’ will cost maybe $50 to $100 THOUSAND dollars each and take several weeks. Since most older stations just went through a mandated tank change several years ago, I doubt many will want to do that again in a contracting market.