Many people have heard of CNG cars, mainly because of the Honda Civic NGV, but what exactly is a natural gas conversion kit? Natural gas conversion for cars has existed for several years and is nothing new. Basically, natural gas conversion for cars uses aluminum composite tanks and a CNG kit to inject Natural gas into the engine block while shutting off the passage of gasoline. The switching between gasoline and natural gas usually is initiated by the driver pushing a button or flipping a switch.
The amazing thing about adding a natural gas conversion kit to your car is that they are perfectly safe and help your car to last much longer. Natural gas burns much cleaner than oil, and because such, it is very common to see CNG cars with conversion kits go pass the 500K mile mark with ease. In order to install a CNG kit you will need to make sure that you have enough room in your car to install a CNG tank while having enough room to carry passengers and cargo. SUV’s and trucks are some of the best vehicles to install a CNG kit on as they have lots of room.
Many people wonder if you get better mileage on CNG or if it’s about the same. The answer is you get a little bit better mileage running the car on CNG, however, the CNG tanks cannot hold near what a gasoline tank can. Because of this it is great to have the option to switch to gas when your CNG tanks are running low.
Natural gas conversion for cars is very common and completely doable. The best thing to do is to find a certified CNG installer so that you can make sure the job is done right as they have to configure your car’s computer to work with Natural Gas intake. If you want to save the environment and save money, natural gas conversion kits are a great solutions.
Are CNG Kits safe? Many people wonder this as they consider converting their gas car into a bifuel CNG car that can run on either fuel. CNG kits are very popular these days with the rising price of gasoline, but are they safe? The answer is YES they are and in fact, a CNG tank is much safer than a regular conventional gasoline tank.
Why are they safer? A CNG tank is made of aluminum composite and is extremely strong. If you don’t believe us check out our safety page and watch the video as they explode Dynamite on a CNG tank and it does nothing. The tanks are super strong and can hold high pressures very safely. On top of that, the tanks have emergency release mechanisms to release gas when the integrity of the tank has been compromised. While the tanks and CNG kits are very safe, the only thing that could make them not safe is installation.
In Utah, a man installed a CNG kit himself. He forgot to vent out the release valve outside the car. One night when he was filling up, the mechanism on the tank was open and released the gas. The gas went into the cab of the car and replaced all the oxygen and almost suffocated his children that were in the back seat. Do yourself a favor, and unless you are a mechanic, don’t install this yourself. have it done by the professionals. What most people don’t understand is that you have to hook up a device to your car’s computer to optimize the CNG input and intake to optimize your engine performance. Most people don’t have a clue how to do this and don’t even possess the tools necessary to talk to their car’s computer. Just hire a professional to ensure safatey, and optimized performance when buying a CNG kit.
It’s that time of year again when the gas prices start hiking very quickly. Gas is already well above $3 dollars a gallon and will probably be very similar to the summer of 2008 when gas was well above $4 dollars a gallon. With Obama touting that green jobs will eventually hit America, there are things we can do as Americans right now. One of these things is getting a CNG conversion kits for cars put on our cars. The national average price of natural gas is sitting around $.70 cents per gallon. I know it sounds insane, but its true! If gas really does get up there this summer, you will be able to easily pay for a CNG kit just from the savings you gain from not using gasoline this up coming summer.
Many people wonder where they can get a CNG kit and how hard they are to install. Let me just first of all say that if you are a mechanic and love working on cars, this will not be a problem at all for you. If you don’t know anything about cars, PLEASE pay someone to do this. If you don’t install this correctly, can permanently damage your car and that’s a lot of wasted money out the window if that happens. CNG conversion kits start at about $2,500 dollars. You can usually pay someone for the kit and the install for about $3,500-$5,000 dollars. I know this sounds like a lot but you need to consider these facts:
- CNG cars last much longer. It is very common for engines on CNG cars to go well over 500,000 miles because of how much cleaner the engine runs
- Natural Gas is so CHEAP!!! You can even get a pump that goes into your garage so you can fill your car up from home and never have to go to a gas station again.
- With the kit install, your car is now a dual fuel vehicle. That means with the flip of a switch you can have the car run off of natural gas or regular gas at your discretion.
- You are making the nation less dependent on foreign oil and putting a demand on natural gas.
- CNG cars are much safer than gasoline engines and is safer in a car crash.
As you can see, the benefits are very high, and the years worth of savings from not using gasoline will easily pay for the conversion kit as well as the price of your car. If you have thought about a CNG conversion kit, now is a great time to put one in!
