Brazil, Rio de Janeiro

The greenhouse gas benefits of NGVs do indeed extend beyond carbon dioxide reduction and remain even with methane and nitrous oxides taken into account, says a new study backed by IANGV and the Canadian Natural Gas Vehicle Alliance. While the CO2 benefits have been well proven, question marks remained over the impacts of emissions of methane (CH4), which remains in the atmosphere for 21 years, and NOx  (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas with a 310 year life.

The study was conducted and presented here at NGV 2008 by consultant Alex Lawson, formerly of Teleflex-GFI, and concludes that the impact of these from natural gas vehicles is negligible, accounting for less than 3% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

The study also concluded that on a carbon emissions basis, driving a natural gas vehicle was equivalent to a 30% efficiency improvement over driving a gasoline vehicle.

The study was conducted using a range of converted bi-fuel gasoline/natural gas vehicles and is due for public release in July 2008. (Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.)