Natural Gas Technologies

Any type of vehicle can use natural gas as a fuel. Vehicles can be either "dedicated" or "bi-fuel", depending on whether they operate solely on natural gas or have gasoline as the backup fuel. Some heavy-duty applications operate on both diesel and natural gas simultaneously (dual-fuel)

Natural gas can be stored onboard a vehicle as compressed natural gas (CNG) at 3,000 or 3,600 psi or as a cryogenic liquid (LNG) at 20-150 psi which is what the system will typically experience, but it's capable of 230 psi.

NGVs have surpassed all other types of vehicles in delivering superior emissions performance. Moreover, NGVs have been certified to have the most stringent environmental emission standards.

Honda's Civic GX, with emissions at just one-tenth the stringent ultra low emission vehicle (ULEV) standard—can actually emit air cleaner than the ambient air in some cities. The "near-zero" emissions become "nearly immeasurable".

It should be noted that Honda was able to achieve all this without sacrificing horsepower or performance. Today, the Civic GX remains the only vehicle certified in California as an "AT-PZEV" receiving Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) credits toward California’s ZEV Mandate. It's also the first and only vehicle certified in the all-new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier II, "Bin-2" definition. Due to the benefits of natural gas, Honda gets to call it "Cleanest on Earth". The natural gas Civic is one of a hand full of vehicles that is allowed in the carpool lane with a single occupant.

The Hydrogen-Natural Gas Connection

Since natural gas (CH4), is primarily made up of hydrogen molecules, it is a logical transitional fuel to get to future hydrogen technologies.

Vehicles fueled with hydrogen/natural gas blends (HCNG) are an option for fleets desiring to gain experience with hydrogen-based transportation fuels of the future. HCNG vehicles offer the potential for immediate emissions benefits, such as a reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, particulate matter (PM) and carbon dioxide (CO2). At the same time, they can pave the way for a transition to fuel cell vehicles by building early demand for hydrogen infrastructure.