Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as fuel for your car

Before you all get too enamored with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as fuel for your car, there are a few facts you should know.

Converting to CNG costs around $2,000.00. It adds over a hundred pounds and cuts trunk space in half.

Our infrastructure is not ready for this type of fuel. It takes 20 hours to fully charge a tank that will give you a maximum if 250 miles. Ops, that won’t make it to Las Vegas or San Francisco. Ok so you might find a location some where along the way to charge up (you might have to go out of the way a bit). Ok so you find a place that takes you only ten miles out of your way. You will have to have to spend the night while you fill up. An overnight fill up will get you an additional 100 miles. Since Las Vegas is over 400 miles you will need to make another stop to partially fill the tank. This makes your trip to Las Vegas three days and two nights. Ops that is the same time that the hotel’s special rate covers. So unless you plan to sleep in your car while you are recharging your tank, you are now spending more money at flea bag motels then your Las Vegas stay.

CNG powered vehicles makes sense only for large fleet owners (like the MTA) with local runs.

It looks like that the only ones who would benefit from a mass conversion to CNG powered vehicles is Boone T. Pickens, his company, associates, and partners. Why do you think he is spending over $50 million promoting? It isn’t that he has your best interests in mind.