NGV use expected to rise worldwide

With 650 million road vehicles registered worldwide now, and with this number expected to double within 10-20 years, natural gas vehicles (NGVs) will have to be used increasingly, if only to help guarantee fuel supplies for all these vehicles. This was the view presented by Loek Mobers, president of the International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles (Iangv), at the Gastech '96 conference in Vienna early this month.

Dec. 16, 1996

3 min read

This was the view presented by Loek Mobers, president of the International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles (Iangv), at the Gastech '96 conference in Vienna early this month.

Mobers told delegates there are more than 1 million NGVs in use, in 43 countries around the world today. He said two issues should help this number increase: an anticipated shortfall in global liquid fuel supplies and environmental concerns.

"Transport causes more than 50% of acid rain," said Mobers, "and also 60-70% of smog. Every big city in the world today is covered by a cloud of smog. But a natural gas vehicle, whether using liquefied or compressed gas, is a clean vehicle. Gas vehicles are the solution for the environmental problem and are also a strategic solution for global fuel supply."

Argentina experience

Mobers said Argentina is leading the world in NGV use. Now Argentina has 400,000 cars running on natural gas, with 504 fueling stations located in and around big cities, whereas 5 years ago the country had none. "In Argentina, like all other NGV user countries," said Mobers, "most NGVs are conversions from conventional cars. This has helped the market to gain experience and improve reliability, but now we want factory-built NGVs."

The most important happening in the NGV sector the last 3-4 years was the involvement of original equipment manufacturers, particularly automakers. Chrysler, Ford, BMW, and Volvo have NGVs ready for market, while Mercedes-Benz will have an NGV van ready next year.

"Many Japanese auto companies have NGV cars ready for the market," said Mobers. "We only have to give them NGV demand.

"The Japanese have taught us once already how to make modern cars. Now they are ready to teach us something again."

Among barriers still facing NGV development, Mobers listed: lack of government commitment, inconsistent taxes compared with gasoline and diesel, a skeptical oil industry, lack of fueling infrastructure, and lack of financial benefits for NGV owners.

"We need to persuade governments to do more to get more NGVs on the road," said Mobers. "From oil and gas companies, we would also like to see more initiative. An NGV could consume as much gas as one to three households in a moderate climate, so it is a big potential market for oil and gas companies."

George Kalet, project manager for LNG transportation at MVE Inc., told the conference that LNG is finding a niche in the U.S. heavy-duty truck and locomotive fuel sectors.

Kalet said one drawback of LNG for transportation is its lightness: at roughly half the weight of diesel, 1.7 times the amount of LNG must be carried to get the same energy. And because LNG is pressurized-and must therefore be carried in cylinders rather than rectangular tanks like diesel-LNG requires twice as much space as diesel.

This has not proven to be a problem in heavy-duty vehicles, said Kalet: "In the U.S., LNG-fueled locomotives are being used for hauling coal to power plants. And LNG-fueled road tankers are delivering gasoline to service stations.

"In the U.S., some people see LNG competing with diesel fuel, while compressed natural gas is a competitor for gasoline. Hence LNG and CNG are complementary fuels, rather than in competition."