ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses options available for running conventional gasoline and diesel fueled vehicles on alternative fuels based on natural gas. The alternatives examined are compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gases, i.e. propane and butane, methanol which is an alcohol fuel derived principally from natural gas, and synthetic gasoline and diesel fuels derived from natural gas. A CNG fueled vehicle must carry a load of roughly 2.8 kg for every liter of gasoline equivalent, while a liter of gasoline weighs only about 0.75 kg. There is thus a substantial weight penalty involved in the use of CNG which, in the case of a passenger car with a 75 liter gasoline tank, would amount to about 150 kg. The principal use of Liquefied Natural Gas is as a method of transporting natural gas from areas where it is abundant and cheap, to industrialized countries.
