Why hasn't natural gas caught on as a more viable option to Oil?

Question

I know many community vehicles in the US have their buses running on natural gas and I know there are many logistic and supply issues that go along with this since all of our infrastructure is based on moving gasoline and oil.

But still, Natural gas would be the best alternative, it is abundant here, and science has shown that emissions from natural gas vehicles is actually cleaner than the air you breathe.

When my father worked in Ankara, Turkey, they had a big problem with smog, so they modified all their cabs to take natural gas and the smog cleared up pretty quick.

I see a lot of car companies focusing on hybrids but that still doesnt solve the issue, it just delays it.

Answer 1

Armeia's standard is Natural gas, not petroleum base.  It's because natural gas is more reliable to obtain, and Russia subsidize natural gas at that part of the globe.  I think other than infrastructure problem, is that we do not have enough natural gas.  We are starting to import it from other parts of the country.  THere is a contrversial port being made  outside of Los Angeles to handle liquified natural gas.   We don't want it there because if it blows up, it would be like having a nuke blow un in LA.   The people building it claims that the new port would be far enough that the blast radius would not touch the city.  I do know someone who uses natural gas on his personal car.  He drives to work on ly with that car, because of the limited acces to natural gas.

Answer 2

Natural gas has some problems u haven't mentioned. First u can not compress methane it is like pumping water it don't like to be compressed so your tank needs to be very large. The exhaust is not all that clean as it has CO2 and at the temperature it will produce a lot of NO2 or photo chemical smog.

Answer 3

Another issue with natural gas is that like oil, it's a finite resource.  There actually is one car that runs on natural gas - the Honda Civic GX.  Yahoo Autos gives it a green rating almost as good as the Prius and Civic Hybrid, and better than the Camry Hybrid, and some organization named it the green car of the year.

http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center-fuel...

It costs about the same as a hybrid too.  Honda will install a refueling system to your home's natural gas pipeline, and you have to pay an extra ~$50/month to lease that system.

http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=8...

http://automobiles.honda.com/models/civi...

The natural gas only costs like $1.10/gallon equivalent according to one user, and it gets ~35 mpg.

Answer 4

Well, just like any good alternative, there isn't a good infrastructure for it. No one will buy the cars if there is no fuel. No one will sell the fuel if there are no cars.

Answer 5

Oil and Natural Gas are all well and good for the short term. They'll soon dry up (so to speak!) As for bio fuel, unless vast continents are prepared to grow the necessary products to supply the high demand for fuel and power, we'll have very little else growing so how are we going to get around the problem?

Well, it's alright for politicians to lay the blame on the consumer, but how much blame is being laid at industry? at politicians?

For a certainty, our dependance on oil and hydro-carbon fuel is going to end (and pretty quickly by  some ecologists/scientists estimation). What happens then? Industry & the political might of the world need to grow up and realise that severe funding needs to be put into types of research that will yield potential for energy output which is unlimited and clean. Problem is, can you see the oil rich arabs buying into an alternative fuel which isn't oil, that will take away the profits of countries whose sole export happens to be the very same substance that is running out and polluting the planet? Expect some hefty price hikes in carbon fuels in the next decade or so as those with them demand higher returns for their dwindling stocks.

Whatever we buy is subject to those who make the item - be it hybrid, electric or 'wing-and-a-prayer'! It will take a global consensus and global committment. Whose going to pioneer the 'New Industrial Revolution' where we make the planet a greener place to be. Only Europe seems to be actively concerned with a greener industrial status. China is a new powerhouse of cheap labour & products - but for how long. The chinese will inevitably demand better conditions and standards of living (and rightly so). But where will industry get its mega profits from then, since costs will spiral over there?

Answer 6

I suppose it is the change in infrastructure that is needed is the delaying factor. Many companies are based upon the success of oil power vehicles, and new designs require more money then i suppose they want to spend. Some cars be power on natural gas but i think you have to put peterol in them at some stage due to lubrication issues.

Natural gas is already used as a source of electricity in quite a few places around the world, but i know there is sometime debate as to who owns th gas (i think there was a recently a discussion between australia and East Timor over such a source).

Answer 7

they worrie about explosions more and if we get rid of oil then like 50 different countries lose alot!!!!!!!!!!!! in there economy

Answer 8

Because we have much less natural gas than we do oil.

Answer 9

I think that we as the American people need the initiative to do this.  This is a natural resource.

Answer 10

There are several reasons.

The first is that natural gas like oil is a fossil fuel. There is an estimated 100 year supply of natural gas.

The second reason is that the United States wishes to become energy independent. The United States does not have many natural gas rich places so we would not become energy independent.

The third is that the United States can't switch the ways the ways their cars get energy to quickly. If we did it might trigger another great depression. Where would all the people working for oil companies go?

However there are some natural gas cars coming out in 2008. One of them is the Honda Civic that runs on natural gas.