Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperTrooper
CNG is the classic chicken-and-the-egg syndrome. Or better yet a Catch-22. People won't buy CNG cars without an infrastructure in place. CNG suppliers won't invest in the distribution infrastructure without more CNG cars to sell to. Congress would have to decide to fund the infrastructure, then it might happen.
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Yes it is like the chicken and the egg but for different reasons, not infastructure but simple awareness that it is an option.
All CNG folks I have met have dual fuel and the infastructure is in most peoples homes already (at least in town and city) There are a lot of people interested even with the %%%% price for an in home unit but because there is so little exposure there isn't the demand there would be should a nationwide campaign toute it. In fact if you want a legit system with all the costs it is downright frustrating to go through the red tape to get it on, your local housing commission or neighborhood board can determine if you can have one in your house or on your property. This kind of BS is what really turns people off. That and the companies that sell systems commonly are downright disinterested in installation their systems, never could figure out how they are in business without wanting to sell anything.
The main issue though for a huge response beyond hobbiests again is price and without the knowlege there won't be the demand to make the price of equip come down. Nice chicken and the egg. But again even at current demand the price would not have to be anywhere near where it is now; should some relatively minor changes be made for certification. It doesn't need to cost the amount it does to get certified, much like effective crash tests could be done for much less money to allow for smaller car companies to come in the picture.
Such is the world we live in, only mainstream is OK all others will be taxed and regulated out of existance.