Our revised Mission Statment - 1/30/11

 "Our mission is to create a website providing consumers information on the economic and environmental impacts of buying a compressed natural gas (CNG) or electric car. To do this, we will compile data from research conducted using credible published resources such as: scholarly journals, white papers, trade papers, magazine articles, and Internet repositories. Specifically, we will compare the environmental impacts of processing, supplying, and utilizing the two fuel sources for automotive purposes by way of "well to wheel" analysis; investigate any potential logistical complexities, and also ease of use for the consumer by exploring existing infrastructure, and any challenges that may exist for the consumer in refueling, and recharging their alternative vehicle. With in-depth comparisons of the two fuels we will develop a consumer driven proposal of which fuel source would be best supported if 10% of all vehicles utilized were either run with CNG, or electricity."

Why replace your car that runs on petroleum based gas when you can convert it to CNG!

A CNG conversion kit is a set of components and tools that are installed in a vehicle so it can operate using both gasoline and CNG. CNG conversion kits usually come with parts such as regulator, high pressure tubing and fittings, pressure gauge, filling nozzle, hoses, hose clamps, closed loop fitting system, emulator, timing advance processor, fuel change over switch as well as the necessary wiring, straps and screws.

Do Water and Electric Cars Mix? A Look at the Safety Standards

How safe are the high-voltage electrical systems that power electric cars?  What happens should they become immersed in water, which is a very real possibility during hurricane and flood season?

As GM and Nissan launch their EV’s, this is a real safety concern for potential consumers. Although the Volt has a small internal combustion engine that keeps the battery charged longer, both it and the Leaf incorporate high-voltage power that is engineered very differently than the familiar 12-volt battery that power the lights, stereo and other auxiliary systems in gas-fueled vehicles.

A jolt from a 12-volt can give you a bad buzz. An electric shock from a damaged high-voltage EV can kill, or can ignite stray gasoline. A regular car battery produces shocks because it is not a closed system and is grounded in the vehicle structure itself. In an EV, the electrical system is isolated and self-contained in its own circuit.

Natural Gas Taxis

A Chicago, IL taxi company has recently added 12 Ford Transit connect taxi cabs to it's fleet that will work using compressed natural gas. While this is good news for the the environment, it doesn't really compare to what is going on in the rest of the world. However, you can learn more about their addition to the Chicago taxi fleet here: http://chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2011/01/chicago-adding-natural-gas-taxis.html

However, it appears that USA is behind the curve when it comes to taxi conversions to CNG.

Electric Drive Battery Packs

        Hybrid cars and Electric cars are good investments to be involved with. They give you great gas mileage, save you money from the gas pump, they cut pollution down.  With all of these examples people think that it is a great idea to make the purchase of these cars. However, there is some thinking that must evolve around this area. The electric cars are fairly new and lack areas around town to plug them in. What would happen if you get to work and lack a place to plug your car in?

Can millions of lithium ion batteries be recycled?

When an Electric Car Dies, What Happens to the Battery?

Obama’s administration wants one-million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on the road by 2015 and car manufacturers are racing to meet this governmental and environmental challenge.   While pushing for alternative-fueled vehicles is long overdue, the other part of this challenge is what ultimately happens to the one-million lithium ion batteries?  While electric vehicles can effectively reduce our collective carbon footprint on the world, this reduction loses its meaning if batteries end up in a landfill somewhere.

Vehicle to Grid

As the demand for cleaner automotive alternatives grows, so too do opportunities for unique applications for new technologies.  Often we find that a technology created for an intended purpose has ancillary uses that can provide an unforeseen service.

Limitation of electric cars

As we know, electric cars have a lot of advantages. It saves the energy, it is environment friendly, and it is convenient. Nissan Leaf, which introduced in Japan and the U.S. in December 2010, attracted a lot of people. Leaf is the first mass-produced electric car for sale from a major manufacturer. The United State Environmental Protection Agency determined the range to be 118 kilometers, with an energy consumption of 765 KJ/km and rated the Leaf’s combined fuel economy at 99 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent.

Our Mission Statement

"Our mission is to create a website providing consumers information on the economic and environmental benefits of buying a CNG or electric car. To do this, we will compile data from research conducted using credible published resources such as: scholarly journals, white papers, trade papers, magazine articles, and internet repositories."

Compressed Natural Gas Car

This video is about one man who no longer spends a lot of money at the pumps. Instead, he has bought a Honda Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) car, and had a pump installed in his garage, so he can fuel up at home. A tank of gas now costs him roughly $7.00, and will last for 250 miles.

CNG vehicles as well as Electric vehicles are gaining popularity all over the world.  Consumers want to be more eco-friendly, as well as pay less to fill up their tanks.

Fast Facts about CNG Vehicles

   Supply: 
98% of the natural gas used in the U.S. comes from North America (85% for the U.S., including 33% from new advances in shale rock formation extraction efforts). With current technology, experts predict that should have enough natural gas to last at least 100 years. This locally available natural resource can greatly reduce our reliance on foreign oil.
   Emissions:
The Honda Civic GX, a car that runs on CNG, has been recognized by the U.S. EPA as being the "cleanest commercially available, internal combustion vehicle on earth". Natural gas contains less carbon than any other fossil fuel, in fact CNG cars release 70-90% less carbon than the typical car driven today. Natural gas consists of mostly methane which is lighter than air and burns almost completely.

Nissan Leaf EV - How easy it is to charge

For some things words cannot express how simple and easy to use an item or service is. For these occasions it would be best to show someone in a demonstration how something works. Above you will find a video of the Nissan Leaf EV, and how simple it is to charge this electric vehicle. The blue light indicators on the dashboard blink, and then turn to a solid blue color to indicate when the charge cycle is complete. The video goes on to demonstrate the very useful "quick charge" station. For those of us on the go, the quick charge station is a very useful utility.  Clean energy vehicles are our future and when we go out of our way to design them to be easy to use, they become adopted by consumers quickly.

- Sean Liddell

CNG vs Electric cars

            It is good pointed out which one is a better use as an energy source? To answer this question a deeper understanding is needed of where the energy comes from, and how expensive harvesting of it is. Comparison of those two sources is not equally balanced, because they both have advantages and disadvantages over each other. CNG stands for Compressed Natural Gas which is a natural resource and it is very cheap to harvest and easy to deliver. Its energy of combustion is lower compared to regular gas or diesel fuels (disadvantage).