Natural Gas Vehicle Survey

About

Recent advances in production technology have dramatically increased our reserves of domestic natural gas, stabilized prices, and increased the cost savings relative to gasoline and diesel. This provides further assurance that using American, abundant, affordable natural gas as a vehicle fuel is good for our economy, our environment and our country – for generations to come. Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) are powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG). Both are cleaner, safer and less expensive than traditional fuels. New developments in engine and vehicle technology, more stringent air quality regulations, and government incentives make this choice increasingly attractive.  

Our nation has the most extensive natural gas distribution system of any country in the world, making it feasible to install CNG fueling equipment at existing gas stations supplied from existing natural gas lines. There are more than 1,300 NGV fueling stations available now and the number is growing fast. In addition, convenient  home refueling with CNG home refueling appliances is already available with more appliances expected on the market soon.

Natural Gas Vehicle Types

Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) are developed based on the same internal combustion engines as gasoline and diesel vehicles and the performance and fuel economy are comparable with those of equivalent conventional vehicles. There are three types of NGV engine applications:

1. Dedicated – Vehicle  application using only natural gas
2. Bi-fuel – Light- or medium-duty application which uses natural gas or gasoline interchangeably
3. Dual fuel – Heavy-duty application using a blend of natural gas and  diesel simultaneously

Natural gas can also be stored on the vehicle in two different forms:

1. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) – Natural gas is compressed to 3,600 psig but remains in a gaseous state.  The fuel density is less than gasoline or diesel but the vehicle fuel storage cylinder(s) are sized to have enough on board fuel to achieve the necessary driving range.  There are a multiple vehicle types using CNG in the light-, medium-, and heavy-duty classifications.    
2. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) – Natural gas is refrigerated to – 260 degrees F and is stored on the vehicle in a liquid state. This is generally only used in heavy-duty applications that need a greater range because the fuel occupies less space in liquid form. Most LNG vehicles operate like CNG vehicles because although the fuel is stored in liquid form it is then vaporized before being introduced to the engine.

Consumer Vehicles

Higher gasoline prices and goals of decreasing U.S. oil dependence have spurred interest in natural gas vehicles (NGVs) for personal use and compressed natural gas as an alternative to conventional fuels. In the light-duty category, there are a growing number of CNG vehicles offered by auto manufacturers. In addition, many late model vehicles have EPA-approved after-market conversion systems available.

Purchasing a pre-owned fleet vehicle is another option, especially in states where natural gas has been used for fleet transportation for several decades. States with the highest natural gas fuel consumption rates are California, New York, Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.

Many states have federal vehicle tax credits as incentives for drivers to purchase or convert a qualifying existing vehicle to a CNG vehicle.

Tennessee Public CNG Station Locations

Find a public, private or planned CNG station in Tennessee.