There's been a lot of news in the motoring industry about Natural Gas as the next frontier in fuel. We at NGV Gas could not agree more, so we have decided to share 6 facts you may not have known about this fuel gem!
Fact 1–Natural Gas is everywhere, literally
The United States alone has enough Natural Gas to last over 92 years. Worldwide that translates to 6.923 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves. Russia holds the biggest reserves in the world. South African industry has been using Natural Gas since the 1950s. Interestingly fuel supplied by Sasol is produced from coal using Natural Gas. Companies not on the existing Sasol pipeline can make the same savings through a virtual pipeline offered by companies like Virtual Gas Network
Fact 2–Even during an Epidemic, Natural Gas is still more efficient than Diesel
Despite the Diesel price dropping, the collective cost of running a fleet on Natural Gas is far lower. It is all in the mix!
There are currently over 3 000 vehicles, private and public, running on Natural Gas in Gauteng alone.
Fact 3 – In South Africa conversion is the name of the game
Few fleet vehicles are factory fitted with Natural Gas kits. So there is a conversion cost, and if you are buying a Natural Gas vehicle, it will cost approximately 10-20% more. However, the savings, in the long run, will far outweigh the initial conversion costs. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) like Scania and Iveco are pioneering the selling of factory-fitted Natural Gas kits in new vehicles.
Fact 4 – If America’s UPS can do it, so can you!
Similar to UPS, other global fleet managers are claiming up to 40% savings in fuel costs by running their vans on natural gas instead of Diesel. Fleetfinancials.com listed converting a fleet to Natural Gas in the top 5 of ways to save your fleet business. Back home, fleet giants Metrobus, TRT, Johannesburg City Council, Fidelity Security and Intertoll, are vehicles off CNG.
Fact 5 – Natural Gas is a friend of the environment
Natural Gas's lower carbon content means it burns cleaner than Diesel. NGV’s release fewer greenhouse gases, including 20-30% less carbon dioxide, 70-90% less carbon monoxide, and 89% fewer volatile organic compounds. Running your fleet off CNG gains carbon credits and reduces the maintenance intervals. For example, the Scania 480HP truck only needs servicing every 45 000 km!
Fact 6 –NGV’s may be taking over the world!
In less than 25 years, Natural Gas vehicles could be more than a third of all new vehicles sold in the World. Locally, as NGV Gas opens more CNG fuel stations nationally, the popularity will drive an overall increase in demand. There are currently 3 850 CNG fuel stations in Europe alone, with Gauteng doubling the number of CNG fuel stations every year.