Compressed Natural Gas, or CNG as it is called, has been around for a long time. CNG cars were used by government fleets in the 70′s and 80′s, and has just recently been hitting mainstream America. T. Boone Pickins and other prominent figures in our society have been advocating and pushing the need for more CNG stations around the U.S.A. to help spurn CNG conversions. For those of you who don’t know what a Compressed Natural Gas conversion is, please read on to learn the benefits and features of a CNG conversion for you car or truck
Natural gas is nothing new as all of us have it hooked up into our homes to run the water heater, furnace, and other appliances in our home. This gas is just simply compressed and stored in tanks when used in a conversion kit for your car or truck. The CNG does not mix with your gasoline, but rather replaces it when you flip a switch in the cab of your car. When flipping the switch, the kit will turn off the regular gasoline and turn on the natural gas without skipping a beat. You can even be driving when you flip the switch and your car will not cut out or die as the transition is seamless.
So why convert your car to run on CNG as well as gasoline? The biggest reason is the cost savings you get with CNG. Natural gas on average is only $.70 cents per gallon. This is significantly cheaper than traditional gasoline and can really help you save money. The next reason to install a CNG kit is because of how much better natural gas is on your engine than gasoline. Gasoline gums up the cylinders and builds engine sludge. Natural gas burns cleanly and does not have any build up or byproduct when used. It is very common for a CNG car to run for 500,000 to 800,000 miles before needing a new engine. This is significantly more running miles than a gasoline engine.
The last pro is that you can still run your vehicle off of gasoline if you want to with a CNG kit installed. This means if you run out of CNG, and there are no stations around, that you can fill up normally with gasoline and still be able to drive your car. CNG kits can be installed in any vehicle, and are affordable priced. Typically, people will save enough within 3 years when running a CNG system to pay for the kit upgrade. These savings stretch far beyond this as your car will run cleaner and need less repairs.
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.
