Natural Gas Vehicles

There are many advantages to using compressed natural gas (CNG) for powering vehicles:

Air quality standards are steadily challenged by the high levels of pollution generated from gasoline and diesel powered vehicles, especially cars, trucks and buses.  Using natural gas to fuel vehicles (CNG) offers a smart solution to cutting down on those high levels of pollution.  CNG vehicles reduce emissions of carbon monoxide by over 90 percent and carbon dioxide by over 25 percent.  Natural gas for vehicular use would also decrease our dependence on foreign oil, since nearly 87 percent of all natural gas consumed in our country is produced domestically.

Natural gas as a vehicle fuel is economical.

 
When it comes to price, natural gas cost much less than traditional vehicle fuels – as much as 15 to 40 percent less.  And the savings don’t stop there; natural gas burns cleaner than gasoline, producing fewer deposits in the oil and decreasing the frequency of your oil changes.  A cleaner burning engine can extend the life of your vehicle.

Compressed natural gas provides significant environmental benefits.

 
When compared with traditional vehicle fuels, CNG reduces emissions of reactive hydrocarbons by 85 percent (reactive hydrocarbons play a major role in the formation of ground-level ozone, the principal ingredient of smog).

Compressed Natural Gas is a safe vehicle fuel.

  
Natural gas has one of the safest records of any transportation fuel.

Natural Gas Vehicles are readily available.

 
Natural gas vehicles can be purchased directly from Honda.  CNG Conversion systems are also available for a variety of vehicles including the Ford F-150/F-250, Ford Crown Victoria, Ford E-Series Vans, Chevrolet Silverado Pick-Up Truck, Chevrolet Savana Van and many others.  Cost for conversion systems range from $8,000 to $18,000 for each vehicle.

Natural gas vehicles contribute to America’s energy security.

U.S. imports of foreign oil account for 59 percent of the oil consumed. This number is expected to grow to 72 percent by 2010. Roughly 67 percent of the oil we use goes for transportation. Natural gas that is consumed in the U.S. comes mostly from domestic supplies. Nearly 87 percent of all natural gas consumed in the United States is domestically produced.


For more information on natural gas vehicles, contact Laclede’s Utilization Engineering department at (314) 342-0723 or (314) 342-0673, or visit Natural Gas Vehicles for America.