Is this the fuel of the future? Governments have “forgotten” it, but it is really environmentally friendly and cheaper than electric cars – FonTech

Compressed natural gas CNG is one of many alternative propulsion, but it is not currently given the attention it deserves. As stated by the European Association of vehicles for natural gas and biogas, CNG is supposed to be the ecological drive of the future, which is also the most financially advantageous. The magazine was the first to draw attention to the topic in its report Autoviny.sk.

CNG is an ecological and, in addition, renewable source, which is also used as a fuel for cars. Although it is ecological and sustainable, its popularity is very low.

CNG vehicles can drive for € 5.50 per 100 km, which represents savings of up to 60% compared to petrol, 40% compared to diesel and 10% compared to LPG, states CNG Slovakia.

Another important factor is that natural gas has a much higher energy density than gasoline or diesel. Currently, from an economic point of view, electricity proves to be the most advantageous drive, but this only applies under certain conditions.

Natural gas cheaper than electricity

With domestic charging, this drive is the most advantageous at current electricity prices. The electric car, which we charge for the price of 20 to 30 cents per kWh, will travel 100 km for about € 4.80, states NGVA Europe.

However, these prices apply to domestic charging, as soon as the owner of the electric car embarks on a longer route and is forced to charge at public stations, the price for 100 km will be equal to how much 100 km the owner of a petrol or diesel car will travel, ie from € 7.50 up to € 9.

Thus, CNG has innumerable advantages over all alternative propulsion. Compared to hydrogen, natural gas is much cheaper. Compared to LPG, it is more environmentally friendly, as LPG is a fossil gas and is not renewable.

Compared to electricity, CNG has better prospects for the future, as electricity prices are rising and it is questionable whether driving an electric car will be more financially advantageous even a few years later. In addition, CNG can use the current network of filling stations, while we have to build new charging points for electric cars. Finally, as NGVA adds, natural gas is set to be the real environmental drive of the future, which will help Europe meet the “Fit for 55” target.

We’ve been interested lately, how modern alternative drives will compare in comparison with the existing conventional engines, how much will the cost of fuel and what will be the resulting consumption on selected circuits.

The seemingly more advantageous drive has several ailments

However, vehicles equipped with this compressed natural gas drive have several disadvantages that owners of other conventional drives do not face. One of the most visible is the smaller volume of the suitcase, some of which cuts the CNG tank.

The tank itself is also smaller than with petrol or diesel propulsion, so more frequent refueling is required, which in turn has another disadvantage – a smaller infrastructure of natural gas filling stations.

In addition, in some underground garages, CNG cars may be banned from parking, but this may be an exception. The strict ban on parking in an underground car park applies in particular to LPG vehicles (liquefied natural gas is heavier than air and stays ground when burning, while CNG rises when burned, lighter than air).