compressed natural gas for vehicles, page-4

This is what was proposed but little done:
This vehicle would consume 1.6 litres of CNG per 100kms
CNG would be priced at world prices which would undercut oil by a mile.


The oil industry has a stranglehold on the government.

Natural gas-fuelled range extender

The UltraCommuter will be equipped with a range extender to provide for long trips of up to 500km. Several fuel options have been considered for the vehicle, with premium unleaded petrol, ethanol, compressed natural gas (CNG), and compressed hydrogen (via a fuel cell) being the primary candidates. CNG was ultimately selected as the best fuel for the UltraCommuter since it offers numerous benefits as a stepping stone in the transition to a sustainable energy economy:

• In Australia, known natural gas reserves constitute more than three times the known equivalent oil reserves.

• Natural gas is the only fuel that requires almost no processing for automotive use.

• Natural gas has the lowest carbon intensity of all fossil-based fuels.

• Natural gas is a high quality fuel that burns cleanly and offers 10-15% engine efficiency improvement over petrol due to its high octane number.

• CNG is competitive on a “well-to-wheel” basis, displaying good performance in full-cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

• CNG has received substantial federal government backing through the $7.6 million Compressed Natural Gas Infrastructure Program designed to establish a national network of CNG refuelling stations in Australia.

• Natural gas can play a crucial role as both feedstock and fuel in the transition to a sustainable hydrogen economy, as described by Amory Lovins (1999) in “A Strategy for the Hydrogen Transition”.