Natural Gas Vehicle Developments--a Gas Industry And Original Equipment Manufacturer Cooperative Effort

For many years, natural gas has been used as an engine fuel in stationary prime movers driving natural gas compressors, liquid pumps, and simi lar equipment. However, the physical and economic barriers restricting the broad acceptance of natural gas as an alternative fuel in the transportation market have proven to be formidable. In spite of this, new opportunities for natural gas are being developed stimulated by energy security concerns, trade im- balances created by petroleum imports, the abundance of natural gas in North America and the existing transmission and distribution system that can deliver it to almost any-where in the country, and, most importantly, tighter restrictions on vehicle emissions. Although substantial research and development will be required for natural gas to successfully meet the demands of the alternative-fuel vehicle marketplace, the clean burning character- istics of natural gas and the extensive experience gained in stationary gas engine development will help make natural gas vehicles a parti- cularly attractive alternative. The gas industry, through the Gas Re- search Institute (GRI), Is developing and implementing an R&D program to address this opportunity. GRI's efforts will focus on technology improvements for NGVs that will exploit the environmental and per formance benefits of natural gas as a vehicular fuel and will make gas the most cost effective option with-in the alternative fuels market.