http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png http://jalopnik.com/tag/natural gas http://jalopnik.com/tag/natural gas

A couple in Brazil smuggling eleven pounds of crack cocaine in their car's natural gas tank had their vehicle explode during a fueling stop. Crack rocks covered the filling station's walls. Both suffered minor injuries and arrests. (H/t Chad!) [WinnepegExpress] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5644285&view=rss&microfeed=true

"Peak Oil" is breathlessly bandied about as reason to kill or vilify fun, high-powered cars or adopt mass transit. Argue the environmental benefits all day, but there's possibly 60 years of natural gas reserves if the oil runs dry. [Telegraph] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5379761&view=rss&microfeed=true

AFVTech is a company which sells conversion kits for compressed natural gas, mother nature's most ignored fuel source. We suspect their '33 Ford hot rod boasting a CNG-burning 600 HP 7.0-liter LS7 won't be ignored. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5372265&view=rss&microfeed=true

Toyota has released images of the Toyota CNG Camry Hybrid Concept, or the T. Boone Pickens cruiser as we like to call it. Already known for their gas-electric hybrids, this concept combines the Hybrid Synergy Drive system with a natural gas-fueled engine. Toyota claims the Hybrid should travel more than 250 miles per fill-up, which could theoretically occur at any of the approximately 1,000 CNG refueling stations in the US. As this is currently just a concept, they've added an aggressive body kit with a covered grille which certainly distinguishes it from the regular Camry Hybrid. Natural gas has been part of the alternative fuel discussion because of its domestic production capacity and relatively stable price. Details about the CNG Hybrid Camry from Toyota below. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5092628&view=rss&microfeed=true

A city bus explosion at a Bangkok natural gas filling station last week appears to highlight the dangers of responding to higher gas prices with slapdash propulsion conversions. According to records, the formerly diesel-powered bus was converted using a shipment of used parts from China and had not registered with the government for the conversion, thus avoiding an inspection. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=400331&view=rss&microfeed=true

With everybody flipping out about environmentalism in these post-Inconvenient Truth days, companies far and wide are looking to reinvent the wheel, or more specifically, the engine. That's just what BRA GmbH and its partners, PGO Automobiles and Gasmobil will be looking to do at the upcoming Geneva Auto Salon when they introduce their Cévennes Turbo-CNG roadster. Why a German company with an underwear acronym moniker is naming their car after a French mountain range is anybodies guess, but we like the Porsche 356 ripoff body, and the 6.5s dash to 62 mph. Powered with a CNG sucking 4-cylinder, 1.6-liter turbocharged engine is attached to a 6-speed manual and the 150 hp lightweight makes max power at 5,600 rpm, with max torque of 155 lb-ft at 2,300 rpm. Those are pretty driveable numbers for a supposedly green car. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=354752&view=rss&microfeed=true

Liquid fuel created from natural gas (also known as Gas To Liquid or GTL) burns mighty clean, particularly when compared to icky old sulfur-laden diesel fuel. And after years of planning (and Exxon backing out of the project at the last minute), the government of Qatar and its partner, Shell Oil, broke ground on their huge new plant today, with the Prince of Wales hisself wielding the trowel on the cornerstone. The plan is for 140,000 barrels of GTL to be produced daily, with 1,000-ft-lb diesels exhaling naught but clover-scented goodness to be installed in all cars soon after. – Murilee Martin More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=239379&view=rss&microfeed=true

One of the major problems facing natural gas vehicles is the storage of the gas, which requires high pressure gas in tanks (up to 3,600 lbs psi). This new system involves taking baked corn cobs (which we've all got lying around the house) and turning them into carbon cakes. These mini briquettes are able to hold significant amounts of natural gas (180 times their volume) without the need for a bulky tank and at a seventh of the pressure. This breakthrough was jointly developed by the University of Missouri-Columbia and the Midwest Research Institute, two organizations obviously dedicated to the ongoing national fascination with corn and cars.– Matt Hardigree More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=238206&view=rss&microfeed=true

We spend a fair amount of time huffing gasoline, but we've always been a tad afraid to actually drink it, as it's got a reputation for being rather toxic. Luckily for us, Shell and ExxonMobil are starting to put a big push behind GTL, a fuel derived from natural gas that could replace diesel in major metropolitan areas. Cleaner-burning than diesel, the fuel works in contemporary diesel engines, and thus could be a boon for municipal transit vehicles, as well as heavy trucks and diesel cars in metro areas with high pollution. Plus, possibly most importantly, according to a Shell exec, "You can drink it. You won't feel great, but you won't die." In fact, a kosher version of the substance is actually used to line drink boxes. L'chaim! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=139230&view=rss&microfeed=true

GM's Opel announced it would bring a new version of Zafira minivan powered by natural gas to the Frankfurt show this year. The Zafira 1.6 CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) expands on the previous version's success (it's the best-selling natural gas vehicle in Germany, at 20,000 units produced). An underfloor arrangement of four gas tanks surround the rear axle, providing for greater interior spaciousness than its predecessor. The gassy Zafira will launch in spring 2006, but Opel will start taking orders in mid-September, when prices are announced. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=123236&view=rss&microfeed=true