Will You Drive a Car That Runs on CNG?

It appears to be the future fuel, but here in Germany, where there are a lot of cars running on gas, the birth has not been easy.

1) Consumption (volume) is higher than for petrol/diesel cars, up to 40%.

2) It burns a lot hotter, so lead footed Germans have been damaging their engines, this should not be a problem for most other (speed restricted) markets.

3) Most of the cars have had to have dual systems, the engines start on gas/petrol for the first mile or so (depending upon outside temperature), then they switch to gas.

4) Like 2) above, most cars are restricted to gas/petrol only when towing due to engine temperature rise with gas. This should eventually be fixed in properly designed for gas engines of course.

5) Several conversion firms have gone bankrupt due to engines/Catalytic converters getting damaged by the heat....in the guarantee time.....

6) Some middle European countries are "forging" parts for gas installations and selling them on the open market...

7) The best point is that it costs less than half of Super Lead free here and will stay so till at least 2014, probably 2020.

The tanks in use are tested very extensively for possible damage when in an accident.

They come through with flying colours.

Anyone who drives a car with a petrol/gas (US petrol!) car is living just as dangerously to my mind, and many accept the consequences....which is why I drive Diesel engined cars since the mid '80s......as I don't!!

Look at the flash points of petrol and Diesel.....(I could not find it for CNC, sorry! but the Autoignition point is almost 3 times higher than petrol)

Fuel Flash point temperature
Ethanol 12.8 °C (55 °F)
Gasoline (petrol) <−40 °C (−40 °F)
Diesel >62 °C (143 °F)
Jet fuel >60 °C (140 °F)
Kerosene (paraffin oil) >38–72 °C (100–162 °F)
Vegetable oil (canola) 327 °C (620 °F)[1]
Biodiesel >130 °C (266 °F)

You may find this site with videos of CNG tanks being tested quite interesting:-

http://www.cngutah.com/faq.html#safety

(The flash point mentioned is actually the Autoignition temperature, not the flash point. Do not mix the two up)

Try that with a car petrol tank and see what happens!!!!