Quote:
Originally Posted by shovel
Where are you finding tanks for that price? 
I have a CNG Tempo and was looking to double the range, it has a 3.5gge 3600psi tank and I wanted to install a 2nd one, they're like $2k on their own not including the rest of the system under the hood..
I'm taking it to a CNG mechanic as soon as my tax refund shows up.  |
In Mexico complete conversions including labor are under $800, they use the same components available here in the us from the same distributors.
The trouble here in the US is the regulation level that we seem to deem necessary.
Also CNG can be stored at lower pressures using burnt corn husks (among other things) or can be stored as a solid as that weird urine car guy that posts here once and a while suggests.
CNG has a huge potential that is basically ignored because here it is a very small market.
The most important development has been one that hasn't occured, an effective energy efficient way of making Butanol from natural gas/ methane. This would be something that would set us free from foreign oil immediately with existing cars. If the will power to allow it to be sold would be present.
Besides stinking funny Butanol is
1. clean burning
2. Compatible AS IS in over 90% of the cars on the road because it only has 10% less energy than gasoline. Real tests have shown that it will usually run very old cars acceptably as-is but with certain limitations
3. Mixed with a small amount of high energy content fuel like napathalene or a more flammable mid/heavy end from gasoline it could be 100% compatible with all cars
Sadly save a few sites mainly interested in ethanol conversion (as opposed to methanol) there is very little move to accomplish natural gas to gasoline conversion
We have massive amounts of natural gas far in excess of oil reserves of all the middle east. (we still burn it off without collecting)
NOT using the natural gas off the coast of FLorida causes massive amounts of methane release into the atmosphere as it boils off the ocean floor.
Seems to me WE COULD do much more than we are and leave behind the special interests but we need a movement to do it.
The will still doesn't exist.
And despite the greenwashing the will is still very weak on most fronts.