Can we really switch to natural gas vehicles?
Yesterday, green media junkies like me watched T. Boone Pickens roll out his grand plan to get America off of foreign oil and on to wind and natural gas. While I'll admit, he delivered a pretty convincing sales pitch -- guess that's why he's a billionaire -- I left wondering if making the switch to natural gas as a driving fuel would be as easy as it looked when Pickens started sliding pieces of that pie chart around. As I searched through the vastness of the interweb looking for answers, I came across a lot of great information about the benefits and downsides to making the switch. Here's a quick rundown:
- Greenhouse Emissions -- Natural gas produces 20% fewer carbon emissions than gasoline -- similar to corn-based ethanol, only without the intense cultivation process. In addition, natural gas vehicles emit 70% less methane, and 87% less nitrogen oxides than gas burners.
- Fuel Range -- Natural Gas Vehicles have a shorter range than conventional gas vehicles, due to natural gas' lower energy content. The Honda Civic NGV has a range of 170 miles.
- Infrastructure -- There are 1,100 natural gas refueling stations in the US, half of which are open to the public. Compare that to 200,000 gas stations. If NGVs became more common, more gas stations would likely install natural gas pumps.
- Price at the Pump -- Natural gas is measured in GGEs (gasoline gallon equivalents), 124,800 BTUs, and costs about a third of what gasoline is going for.
It's Energy Independence Day! 
Green Your 4th of July Celebration
The Importance of Pollination - It's Not Just Bee Sex
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-14-2008 @ 2:19PM
Lowell Michalove said...
America Wastes over 70% of the Energy it Consumes !
The Energy Waste is Everywhere !
(1) We consistently over heat and over cool our homes, businesses,
offices, schools, churches, etc...
(2) 100's of millions of lights are on unnecessary every day and every night.
(3) Landfills are busier than ever. Over packaging with plastics is
the norm. Recycling is optional and thereby inadequate.
(4) Most Americans do not minimize their driving. Therefore,
congestion on roads is horrendous.
(5) Road construction is the ultimate contradiction!
Until the price of gas is $7 to $8 per gallon, Americans will not
significantly reduce their waste and over demand for energy.
The economic impact of taxing energy is the way to eliminate energy
waste and over demand. Only with a tangible dollar reward /
consequence will America care and act to conserve. Crude oil must be
taxed at $200 per barrel (55 gal) and 'offset' by making Federal
Income Tax begin at $70k. High energy costs are also the incentive by
which sustainable energy supplies will be developed. In the mean time,
the USA continues its incredible energy waste and gives away its
economic and political wealth to the Islamic Middle East via OPEC.
Know that the Islamic dominated OPEC cartel is glad to allow supply
and demand market forces to drive energy prices to $8/gallon. Our
hedonist energy waste empowers the Islamics who desires our demise.
China, India, and other 'developing countries' have only begun to
compete for the world's remaining fossil fuels. Unless global demand
for fossil energy is dramatically reduced, world war is inevitable
(future geopolitical unrest will be directly related to global
competition for energy and natural resources).
Ford and General Motors are headed for bankruptcy, which will leave
100,000,000 Americans unemployed, ruin our economy, and lead to
anarchy. America can no longer continue to 'do business as usual'.
Ford and GM must quickly transition to the lucrative business of
building solar and wind 'energy producers' for the world's 6.7 BILLION
people reason$. The world cannot continue to support all the
automakers. We are running out of petroleum !
Mass transit must reward those who reduce their driving and thereby
become FREE, SAFE, CLEAN, and CONVENIENT.
The incentive necessary to create renewable and sustainable energy
supply can ONLY occur when we implement the economics of TAXING ENERGY
in lieu of income taxes.
Reply