It’s funny how America is the #1 importer of oil. We import 60% more oil than we produce! But check this out….we are second to Russia in Natural Gas Production. So why do we use oil to power our cars instead of Natural Gas? Beats me! I mean we are #6 on the list in terms of Natural Gas Reserves, so we have plenty.
The CNG (compressed natural gas) Honda Civic has been the only Natural Gas powered car on the roads today in the U.S. And there has not been any gigantic explosions or things of that nature associated with the CNG Civic. So how come they have gone so long without any challengers? Again, beats me!
Well what Honda does, Toyota does and vice versa. So we will soon be seeing a Natural Gas Powered Toyota Camry. The CNG Camry is based off the current hybrid model, but instead of gasoline, the CNG Hybrid will use natural gas. 2 tanks will be located in the spare tire well and will hold the equivalent of 8 gallons of gas. This is enough to power the CNG Camry upwards of 250 miles! The fuel economy ratings are at 33 MPG which puts this CNG Camry one MPG off of the regular Hybrid version.
Considering that natural gas costs far less than regular gas, why are we still importing all this oil and padding the pockets of foreign governments? I may not be a rocket scientist but the fact that natural gas is cheaper than regular petrol…..this would seem like a viable car to produce!
Source: Autoweek