Q. What is a natural gas vehicle?
A. A natural gas vehicle (NGV) is a car, truck, van or bus which uses compressed natural gas to fuel its engine. Because it is not a liquid fuel, natural gas is compressed at 3,000 or 3,600 pounds per square inch so that it can be stored in steel, aluminum, fiberglass or carbon-fiber cylinders.

Q. How do NGVs work?
A.NGVs work like conventional liquid gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles in that they burn a gaseous mixture of fuel and air in an engine; however, natural gas has the distinct advantage of already being a gas, which helps the engine run cleaner.

Q. How are NGVs refueled?
A. At fueling locations, natural gas is compressed and dispensed into vehicles in much the same way as gasoline. Fleet fueling stations can be conveniently located on-site, using either the "quick-fill" or "time-fill" method of fueling. Quick-fill refueling takes about three to seven minutes. Time-fill refueling is usually done overnight, in about five to eight hours. A refueling station may be installed wherever natural gas is available. NGVs are convenient for fleets since the vehicles usually return to the same location each night for refueling.

Q. Is compressed natural gas safe?
A. Yes. The cylinders that hold the compressed natural gas are significantly stronger than gasoline tanks. They have withstood impact and bonfire testing and meet or exceed U. S. Department of Transportation safety standards. Even in the unlikely event of a leak, CNG will not form combustible pools on the ground, as other fuels do. Because it is lighter than air, it will rise and dissipate if released. Furthermore, natural gas is not toxic to touch.

Q. How do NGVs comply with clean air regulations?
A. NGVs are simply the cleanest of any vehicles in commercial production today. In fact, NGVs produce only 5% to 10% of the emissions allowable even by today's most stringent standards. Clearly, NGVs present the cleanest choice for today and tomorrow.

Q. What are the properties of NGV?
A. Natural gas has been used as a vehicular fuel for more than 80 years. NGV was first introduced in Italy where more than 300,000 cars are now driven by natural gas.Many other countries, spanning from Americas to Asia and Australia, have adopted NGV as one of the fuels for cars. Today, more than one million cars around the globe are powered by NGV.

Comparative Safety Features of Fuels

Q. What are the types of NGV engines?
A. 1. Dedicated NGV or the dedicated natural gas vehicle which operates using only natural gas.
A vehicle that operates only on natural gas and is therefore optimized to take full advantage of the high octane inherent in natural gas, thus using the fuel more efficiently. A dedicated vehicle only operates on one fuel.

2. Dedicated NGV or the dedicated natural gas vehicle which operates using two separate fuel systems.

• Bi-fuel , a vehicle with two separate fuel systems designed to run on either an alternative fuel or a conventional fuel using only one fuel at a time. Typically, gasoline/natural gas bi-fuel vehicles are gasoline vehicles converted to bi-fuel operation by adding natural gas fuel storage, pressure regulation and control systems.
• Diesel Dual Fuel,- a vehicle designed to operate on some combination of both an alternative fuel and conventional fuel at the same time. Dual-fuel vehicles have two separate fuel systems, though a duel-duel vehicle can operate on one fuel or the other.

Q. What is the worldwide usage of NGV?
A. Natural gas has been used as a vehicular fuel for more than 80 years. NGV was first introduced in Italy where more than 300,000 cars are now driven by natural gas. Many other countries, spanning from Americas to Asia and Australia, have adopted NGV as one of the fuels for cars. Today, more than one million cars around the globe are powered by NGV.

Q. What are the types of Cylinders used?
A. Type 1: This is an all metal - cylinder made of steel. There is no covering, other than paint, on the outside of the cylinder. This is the most common type of cylinder.

Type 2: This is a metal cylinder (steel or aluminum) with a partial wrapping that goes around the cylinder. The wrapping is usually made of glass, aramid or carbon, contained in an epoxy or polyester resin.

Type 3: This type of cylinder is fully wrapped with the same kind of material used for the partial wrapping of a Type 2 cylinder. This type of cylinder has a metal liner usually aluminum.

Type 4: This type of cylinder is fully wrapped with the same kind of material used for the partial wrapping of a Type 2 cylinder. This type of cylinder has a plastic liner.