Dedicated natural gas automobiles are a type of vehicle which only runs on natural gas. According to energy.gov, automobiles of this type generally have preferable performance and produce fewer emissions than vehicles designed to use another type of fuel in addition to natural gas. It also indicates that these vehicles generate less emissions than gasoline or diesel automobiles, they tend to require less maintenance, and most natural gas consumed in the United States is produced in North America.

Dedicated natural gas vehicles are more common than many people would expect. It is possible to purchase them both new and used in a variety of types, including cars, trucks, and large vehicles of various kinds. The Department of Energy indicates that more than 150,000 natural gas powered automobiles are in use in the United States, including one-fifth of newly manufactured transit buses. According to fueleconomy.gov, the following passenger vehicles have been manufactured in dedicated N.G.-powered versions: 1998/2000-05/2007 Honda Civic, 2005 Chevrolet Silverado, 2005 GMC Sierra, 2000-04 Ford F150, 2000-2001 Toyota Camry, and 1997/1999-04 Ford Crown Victoria. It is also possible to convert other automobiles to run on this type of fuel.

Although dedicated natural gas vehicles are somewhat more difficult to locate and purchase than gasoline or diesel models, a fairly good variety of cars and trucks of this type have been manufactured in the past ten years. Using this type of vehicle may provide savings on maintenance or fuel costs, helps protect the environment, and enhances national self-reliance.

Cars powered with CNG, or Compressed Natural Gas, offer a number of benefits in comparison to gasoline and diesel vehicles. CNG powered automobiles don’t generate as much pollution, use less expensive energy, and consume fuel from domestic sources. Some cars which run on compressed natural gas also have greater fuel efficiency.

CNG is very beneficial for the environment in comparison to other fuels; according to fueleconomy.gov, it is among the cleanest fuels for automobiles, produces sixty to ninety percent less “smog-producing pollutants”, and generates thirty to forty percent fewer “greenhouse gas emissions.” It also indicates that eighty-seven percent of compressed natural gas used domestically comes from the United States; in addition to increasing national self-reliance, this reduces pollution generated by transporting fuel longer distances.

It is also less expensive to purchase compressed natural gas, according to the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel Report (March 2007); it lists CNG as having a lower national average price than gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, ethanol, and propane. The same report states that “CNG is about 36 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.” NREL.gov’s Alternative Fuel Station Locator shows that most states have at least a couple CNG stations, but they are most concentrated on the east and west coasts. According to wikipedia.org, the natural gas powered version of the Honda Civic sedan has better mileage than gasoline cars of the same model, although trunk space is reduced because of the larger gas tank.

In general, despite reduced fuel tank capacity and lesser availability of different models, CNG powered cars have many significant benefits both economically and environmentally.

With growing interest in the benefits of using compressed natural gas (CNG) to power automobiles, some vehicle owners have considered CNG conversion. Both gasoline and diesel vehicles can be converted to run on compressed natural gas, which is less expensive and mostly produced domestically.

The Natural Renewable Energy Laboratory issued a detailed report on the federal government’s own experiences with vehicle conversion after about nine-hundred federal trucks, vans, and other autos were converted. It found that changes in emissions varied depending upon the type of vehicle, with compressed natural gas conversion generally bringing about reduction in some emission types but increases in others.

The report stated that a vehicle which was originally designed to run on CNG (not converted) was tested and compared, giving substantially better environmental results. The report concluded that converted vehicles helped reduce usage of imported fuel, despite their questionable environmental status. A report on cleanairnet.org also indicated that emissions are not generally reduced by vehicles which have undergone conversion.

According to energy.gov, it tends to be less costly to fuel a compressed natural gas powered vehicle. However, the cost of conversion is somewhat expensive. The same website indicates that converting an automobile to run on CNG costs about $2,000-4,000 dollars. Still, this is much less expensive than purchasing new CNG vehicles to replace them.

Overall, although there is some question about the environmental benefits of vehicles converted to run on compressed natural gas, they increase national self-sufficiency by reducing the need for imported oil, as well as decreasing operating costs.