Compressed gas savings

Times Contributor  

 

The Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station north of Strathmore offers a 33 cent per litre savings, to those who want to foot the bill for their vehicle conversion.

“The standard used for dispensing the gas is in kilograms. Mileage and performance is equivalent to gasoline. The driver experience and the vehicle experience are similar,” said David Hill, Encana Vice President, Natural Gas Economy. Encana has 43 company vehicles using a bi-fuel conversion and they recently had their first private CNG customer at the Strathmore site.

The cost of CNG is 99 cents per kilogram, it equates to about 66 cents per litre. According to www.wiki.answers.com  the average Canadian drives about 17,500 km per year. The average pickup consumes .12 litres per km. Therefore, a gas purchase of 2100 litres per year would see about $693 in savings.

“If you have a credit card and natural gas vehicle you can use it .We would love to meet them out there and train them how to use it. It is not hard, but it is a different fueling process. It seems intimidating, but actually, it is not. Some people might be scared, but don’t be. We will show you how to connect it up and push the button and soon they will say ‘That was easy’”, said Hill. 

The number for help at the Strathmore CNG pump is 1-855-645-2188.

The CNG gas is similar to the gas that comes into our homes. It is an alternative fuel like propane, but propane comes in liquid form, at a moderate pressure, and ambient temperature. CNG is compressed gas, high pressure, and fuels into a codes and standards cylinder. The tank looks like a scuba tank. It is made out of carbon steel and mounts permanently to the vehicle’s chassis for safety reasons.

 “We show them the codes and standards, show them the tank, show how it bolted onto the frame and show all the safety features around the tank. The safety record of natural gas as a fuel is exemplary. It is actually harder to combust than diesel or gasoline,” said Hill.

They have odourized the gas, so it has a smell if it there is a leak. It is the same treatment as gas used at home. Hill said in his knowledge, in the US and Canada, there have been near zero incidents related to a natural gas release. Any that have occurred were through non-certified conditions. While conversion kits exist on the internet, he stressed that people make sure they use a certified mechanic and certified installation service. Encana uses Hi-Tech out of Edmonton.  Nick Nystrom from Hi-Tech said it is about $12,500 to convert a vehicle and is completed in two to three days. www.hitecfuelsystems.com  There are two types of consumer installations, a dedicated system that only uses natural gas, or the bi-fuel, which keeps the regular gasoline system and adds the natural gas injector system. He said the Honda Civic uses a dedicated system and Dodge sells ¾ 1500 pick-up in a bi-fuel model. The bi-fuel system allows the owner to utilize conventional fuel in areas where no CNG station is available; at least until the infrastructure catches up. Hill said it is a chicken and the egg process: putting in the station, using company vehicles, getting the word out to communities so they use it, so they can build more stations.

Hill said CNG is a green alternative fuel.

“We normally see a well to wheel analysis, anywhere from a 20 to 30 per cent reduction in CO2 to traditional gasoline,” said Hill.

“We are seeing the auto industry starting to recognize the industry is moving again,” said Hill. People can check out the availability of stations at www.gowithnaturalgas.com. Follow the links under STATIONS. A new CNG station will be going up in Drumheller in January.

There is a CN pilot project using Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which is similar to diesel. Trucks from BC supply fuel two locomotives running between Edmonton and Fort McMurray. They are looking at results of the fuel use in high horsepower applications. Any business that uses diesel can call Encana for details how to set up a similar trial. The company will be setting up a liquefaction plant in Northwest Alberta by the end of next year.

For more information see Canadian Natural Gas Vehicle Association, ATCO, or search www.gowithnaturalgas.ca/why-natural-gas/, www.canadiannaturalgas.ca/, www.encana.com/natural-gas/