Enquiry on CNG Cars

[Aldric]

I heard from my friend that CNG cars are subjected to tax every year, is that true? Thats new to me, never heard before of such things so far. Anyone?

 

i tot it is a rd tax rebate becos u are more environment friendly by using CNG

[limbat]

I jus rode in a CNG pickup in BKK - there is no power in the truck so FC is good bec it is so slow & Gas is cheaper in Thailand.............

[Demon]

I jus rode in a CNG pickup in BKK - there is no power in the truck so FC is good bec it is so slow & Gas is cheaper in Thailand.............

 

I know Thailand is popular with LPG cars, and not CNG. But my understanding could be superseded by time.

 

[oreo_rr]

if im not mistaken,

if the car originally comes with CNG, it is smaller

so consumes less space

i saw an adv on newspaper about this car called

NAZA RIA. its from malaysia...

[Guest tookara]

no road tax rebate only got ARF rebate

[Guest tookara]

wah so many different types of taxis

[kelvin_luffs]

hmmm.. so many different sch of thots for cng vehicles..

 

anyway, juz got myself 1.

[WildCard]

Just seen a Chevrolet roadshow recently.

They were promoting their factory-installed CNG cars.

Covered together with manufacturer's warranty.

 

The tank was pretty large, 13-litres as the salesguy told me.

Range is approximated to be around 300km++ for a full CNG tank.

So tats about $10.40 for 300km of travel.

Not bad. Much better than my bike.

OTR for an Estate MPV was $64K while Aveo with CNG was approx. $61k.

 

Sounds very tempting if looking for an econobox for commuting and not performance demands...

[mepkoh]

hmmm.. so many different sch of thots for cng vehicles..

 

anyway, juz got myself 1.

 

wow...how is the experience...good??

 

anyway CNG coming to Bedok end of the year should be good news to you..

[sheep]

I am not black hearted...

But i would be really interested to see how the tanks will take the impact of a full impact crash from the rear. Basically, my PI advised me against getting a CNG car.

 

1: CNG is not easily available, have to go far to pump.

2: Its heavy (abt the weight of an average adult 60kg)

3: Its a ticking time bomb when you get rear ended.

[kelvin_luffs]

wow...how is the experience...good??

 

anyway CNG coming to Bedok end of the year should be good news to you..

 

haven got the vehicle yet.. will get it only i tink in June.

[kelvin_luffs]

The below mentioned are juz my point of view with regards to CNG.

 

 

1: CNG is not easily available, have to go far to pump.

CNG is an up & coming alternative for petrol hence, increasing gas stations will slowly but steadily take place due to the fact that the gov of SG is becoming more environmental conscious. Yes it may to too far to pump unless u stay somewhere in Jurong (Jln Buroh) or Mandai or any upcoming CNG stations in Bedok & Serangoon North I stay in Pasir Ris as a matter of fact.

 

2: Its heavy (abt the weight of an average adult 60kg)

Its true that it is heavy but weigh the cost u'll be saving, some really wun mind carrying "another person" in their vehicle all the time."

 

3: Its a ticking time bomb when you get rear ended.

As quoted from CNG Singapore - Driving a car with CNG is very safe. The German Technical Inspection Agency "TÃœV" has certified that the usage of CNG is as safe as that of petrol. The fire hazard is much lower and in cases of accidents, CNG is contained much safer in cylinders than petrol in ordinary plastic tanks.

 

Something to add, again quoted from CNG Singapore - It is absolutely no problem to leave the car in the sun. This heat is never sufficient to heat up the cylinder to a critical point. The cylinders are tested and can sustain a pressure of up to 500 bar - a pressure dimension, which is usually never reached in our daily environment

 

Quoted from CNG S'pore - View Point 6

 

Can the gas tank explode during accidents, or when the car heats up?

 

Generally speaking, a CNG gas tank is much more secure than a conventional Petrol tank. Petrol tanks are usually made of plastic, which is much less secure than a robust gas cylinder of pure steel. And even though the Petrol tank is made of plastic, only very few cars burn after an accident.

 

Further, once the pressure of the line from the gas cylinder to the engine exceeds a certain pressure, the valve at the cylinder will automatically shut. This way, maximum security is guaranteed, and no gas is able to evaporate. Even police cars drive on CNG in certain countries.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

I hope these points can hopefully clear some or not most of your doubts and concerns pertaining to the safety of CNG tanks.

 

[WildCard]

I am not black hearted...

But i would be really interested to see how the tanks will take the impact of a full impact crash from the rear. Basically, my PI advised me against getting a CNG car.

 

1: CNG is not easily available, have to go far to pump.

2: Its heavy (abt the weight of an average adult 60kg)

3: Its a ticking time bomb when you get rear ended.

 

I've seen the tanks.

They are pretty sturdy stuffs.

 

Plus they are usually placed pretty deep into the boot, allowing a significant gap between it and the rear bumper (drivers still need to place some stuffs in the boot).

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_natural_gas

 

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is a substitute for gasoline (petrol), diesel, or propane fuel. It is considered to be an environmentally "clean" alternative to those fuels and it is much safer than other motor fuels in the event of a fuel spill: natural gas is lighter than air, so it disperses quickly when leaked or spilled. It is made by compressing natural gas (which is mainly composed of methane (CH4)), by about 75%. It is stored and distributed in hard containers, at a normal pressure of 200–220 bar (20–22 MPa), usually in cylindrical or spherical shapes to maintain equal pressure on the walls of the containers.

 

Contrary to what you see in the movies, to ignite flammable stuffs like CNG or even petrol is not that easy.

When you set petrol alight, its not the petrol itself that is on fire. Rather its fumes.

Same goes with CNG and similar gases.

You need to achieve a certain gas-to-air ratio (if I recall from my old SCDF lectures, its called flammability limit) to be able to ignite.

The limits (lower and upper) are pretty close to each other. Too little or too much and nothing ignites.

 

If a gas is dense and sinks to the bottom while dispersing easily, the flammibility won't be reached easily.

[kelvin_luffs]

Contrary to what you see in the movies, to ignite flammable stuffs like CNG or even petrol is not that easy.

When you set petrol alight, its not the petrol itself that is on fire. Rather its fumes.

Same goes with CNG and similar gases.

You need to achieve a certain gas-to-air ratio (if I recall from my old SCDF lectures, its called flammability limit) to be able to ignite.

The limits (lower and upper) are pretty close to each other. Too little or too much and nothing ignites.

 

If a gas is dense and sinks to the bottom while dispersing easily, the flammibility won't be reached easily.

 

hahaha u previously from scdf?

 

that's quite a technical description of how there would be ignition in gas / fire.

[merboy]

with a CNG sequential mixer, technically there is almost no power lost. Any decrease in performance has to be attributed to the weight gained with the additional of the CNG tank.

 

What capacity tank was installed ? The MX-5 boot is already ridiculously small.

 

i tot LTA dun approve of the mx5 to convert to CNG??? where do u install it???