Natural Gas Vehicles – The Right Solution

With the recent news out of Wyoming where a town’s electric buses caught on fire and they can’t get parts for them, it makes sense to review which fuels should be used for all vehicles in the US – whether private or public.

Nat Gas-powered vehicles offer a lot of advantages directly in fuel costs, but also benefits for the US as well, in avoiding economic slavery to nations who have a lock on Electric battery materials.

It’s a fact that a lot of electricity produced for the EVs is actually created via natural gas power plants. Given natural gas is in such abundance and is used in so many sectors, greater use of it in industry and transportation is wise.

Currently, there are only 175,000 NGVs on U.S. roads today and more only 23 million worldwide. Only 1,600 CNG and 140 LNG fueling stations are in operation across the U.S.

The use of natural gas instead of oil-based gasoline to drive the country’s cars and trucks “is definitely starting to take off” — Mark Hanson, an analyst at investment research firm Morningstar.

Conversion of diesel-powered buses is in progress in some states. In Jacksonville Florida, a federal grant has helped the Jacksonville Transportation Authority to convert to cleaner compressed natural gas buses. Before headway can be made in utilizing this fantastic, cheap fuel, more political attention needs to put on it, and movement made to develop natural gas-powered vehicle demand.

Check out the demand price profile of natural gas and the nat gas stocks you might buy, including Southwestern Energy.

Cleaner, Powerful, Quieter, and Longer Life Span

Vehicles that use liquified natural gas offer high mileage, lower carbon emissions, and as much power as conventional fuels. This information is from the Energy.gov website. Find more benefits of this amazing, abundant fuel below.

Given the focus on climate change, natural gas offers lower CO2 emissions and less nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter. Given that diesel fuel is a major polluting emission, a switch to natural gas is a bright alternative to utilize an abundant fuel source and one that’s comparatively cheap.

The price of oil and gasoline is a political football, whereas natural gas is produced in the US in abundance and it can be used for industry, transportation, housing, and agriculture.

Factory-fitted compressed natural gas-fitted vehicles include the Honda Civic NG, Ford Transit Connect, and Chevrolet Impala.

There are very few liquified natural gas vehicles on the roads, now however LNG is a much better solution for trucking, buses, and vehicle fleets because of its power and distance advantages.

9 Good Reasons to Support Nat Gas-Powered Vehicles

lower fuel costs: lower cost fuel, especially as gasoline prices rise fast
excellent vehicle range: vehicles can run longer without wasted time with electrical recharging
same power produced: nat gas vehicles have the same power and acceleration profiles is gas/diesel/biofuels
reduced electric power grid overload: too much demand on the electrical grid invites breakdowns with power grid thus leaving fleets without power and company’s unable to produce revenue.
quieter engines: natural gas vehicles run quieter which reduces urban noise pollution.
material self-sufficiency: electric vehicles require components and materials not made in the US, thus leaving Americans at the mercy of those countries that have them.
less vehicle costs: CNG vehicles require fewer oil changes and engine tune-ups. Natural gas causes less wear and tear on the engine and exhaust systems of vehicles with less corrosion of metals so exhaust pipes and mufflers last longer.
abundant supply: natural gas is in big supply in the US, and a lot is being exported to other countries, which helps the US compete with Russia, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, and Iran.
less air pollution: better fuel alternative to polluting diesel and gasoline with similar horsepower produced

Reducing Dependence on Outside Suppliers

In this politically turbulent era, reliance on external, uncontrollable sources of supply leaves all US states, cities and businesses vulnerable to greed, political extortion, and supply chain problems. Increasing natural gas production facilities within each state along with interstate pipelines secure a reliable source of fuel. This gives investors confidence in a city or a business utilizing natural gas.

There is a huge demand for natural gas in Europe and they would prefer to source their natural gas from the US and Canada which are honest, reliable countries.

Electric Vehicles Still Powered via Nat Gas Power Plants

It’s a problem that states are paying excessive amounts for electric vehicles which have lower ranges and thus cost more to run. And electricity prices will rise. Instead, these gas-producing states (34 and counting) would be earning revenue and taxes from gas produced in their state, and it’s a reliable source they control. And the supply of natural gas is massive and still untapped, far beyond the available supply of crude oil which is heavy, requires costly and polluting processing, and is difficult and dangerous to deliver.

The horsepower, acceleration, and cruise speed of NGVs are comparable with those of equivalent, conventionally fueled vehicles. Also, compared with conventional diesel and gasoline vehicles, NGVs offer other air quality benefits beyond greenhouse gas emissions — Energy.gov

Increased natural gas production not only improves revenues for many states, but also provides more heating energy for their citizen’s homes. And the US government stands to gain tax revenue as well.

Gasoline and diesel-powered buses can be retrofitted with natural gas-powered systems. However, natural gas retail distribution is very limited in the US and this would have to be built out. It likely will be built out if the Republicans win the next Presidential election. That infrastructure development creates a large number of jobs, and in states that typically don’t get a piece of the US economic spending.

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