Are Natural Gas Vehicles Safe?

Natural gas is an environmentally clean, plentiful, low-cost, domestically-produced fuel for motor vehicles. But is it a safe fuel? Any automobile fuel can be dangerous if handled improperly. Fuels contain energy which must be released by burning. Gasoline is a potentially dangerous fuel, but, over time, we have learned to use it safely. The same is true of natural gas. Natural gas safely generates our electricity, heats our homes and cooks our meals. But, like gasoline, natural gas must be understood and respected to be used safely.

Natural gas is a naturally occurring fuel which requires very little processing before use. Chemically it normally consists of over 90% methane with smaller amounts of ethane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide and other trace gases. The high methane content gives natural gas its high octane rating (120-130) and clean-burning characteristics, allowing high engine efficiency and low emissions. As with all vehicle fuels, natural gas can be used safely if simple, common sense procedures are followed. In fact, natural gas has safety advantages compared to gasoline and diesel: it is non-toxic, and has no potential for ground or water contamination in the event of a fuel release. An odorant is added to provide a distinctive and intentionally disagreeable smell which is easy to recognize.

The odor is detectable at one-fifth of the gas’ lower flammability limit. Natural gas vehicles have an excellent safety record for two primary reasons: the properties of the fuel itself and the integrity of the natural gas vehicle and its fuel delivery system. Natural gas has a very limited range of flammability – it will not burn in concentrations below about five percent or above about 15% when mixed with air. Gasoline and diesel burn at much lower concentrations and ignite at lower temperatures. Although it takes very little energy to ignite a flammable mixture of air and natural gas, gasoline, or diesel, natural gas burns at a somewhat lower temperature.

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From the gas field to the vehicle’s engine, natural gas requires very little processing to make it suitable for use as a fuel. Gasoline and diesel must be processed from crude oil in large and complex oil refineries. After water vapor, sulfur and heavy hydrocarbons are removed, natural gas flows by pipeline (the safest way to transport energy) directly to the fueling station where it is compressed for use. Alternatively it may be liquefied at cryogenic temperatures on site or at a central facility and delivered by truck. Gasoline and diesel are delivered to fueling stations by tank trucks over the highway. At a compressed natural gas fueling station the gas is compressed before being provided to vehicles at 3000 to 3600 pounds per square inch (psi). Stations can deliver a “fast fill” to vehicles in minutes or, using a “slow fill” strategy, in a few hours to overnight.

Although the use of high storage pressures might appear dangerous, compression, storage and fueling of natural gas vehicles meet stringent industry and government safety standards. Natural gas powered vehicles are designed and built to be safe both in normal operation and in crashes. New natural gas vehicles are subjected to the same crash tests as other vehicles. Natural gas vehicle fuel systems must meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 303 and 304. Natural gas cylinders are much thicker and stronger than gasoline or diesel tanks. Industry standards require them to withstand 11,250 fill cycles, and endure far beyond normal environmental and service damage risks.

Although there are approximately 85,000 natural gas vehicles now operating in the United States, there has not been a fuel tank rupture in over two years. In Italy, with over 300,000 NGVs in operation, there was only one fuel tank rupture during the last three years.

In conclusion, technical data, appropriate safety regulations and years of experience show natural gas vehicles to be as safe as, or safer than, conventionally fueled vehicles.

Save your Diesel Dollars and Prolong The Life of Your Diesel Truck

With the growing costs of gasoline and diesel fuel around the world, people are going to great lengths to find means of prolonging the life of their limited fuel dollars.

One method that has been proven to be effective in stretching the fuel buck is the process of using additives that are known to make automobiles run more efficiently, which in turn, reduces the consumption of gas. At today’s prices believe me we all want better mileage from the diesel fuel we put into our vehicles.

From a consumer’s perspective better fuel mileage is more money in the bank. But the benefits of FuelBoost Diesel Additive go far beyond simply stretching the dollars that go into the fuel tank of your automobiles, or for that matter, fuel that comes from traditional pumps. Additives also works with alternative fuels that are used by those who not only wish to save money but also wish to contribute in efforts to minimize their personal impact on global warming.

As far as the possible equipment that allows for use of an additive the possibilities are wide indeed. Diesel engines are a prime candidate for an additive with the powered down formulas of todays diesel fuel blends.

When you think of all the diesel engines that are on the market these days you should realize that this means that diesel additives are an excellent choice for busses, cars, trucks, boats, tractors, and farm equipment that rely on diesel fuel.

The many reasons why using a reliable safe diesel additive are many and include things such as: eliminating the sludge and debris that may be gumming up the works causing loss of power and lower gas mileage, lowering emissions that lead to pollution and a larger personal footprint when it comes to global warming, fewer repairs over the lifetime of the vehicle that uses FuelBoost regularly as opposed to fuel with no additive.

You should also notice much lower maintenance needs such as new fuel filters and the like because the fuel is running cleaner. Little things like this save much more money over time than you may realize over the fuel savings alone.

If you are like most Americans you have done your part to make sure that you are lowering the consumption of diesel you go through in an average drive. Things such as adjusting air pressure, turning off the air conditioner, and avoiding stop and start traffic whenever possible go a long way towards saving you money.

These things save pennies, which add up fast. FuelBoost however saves nickels and dimes, which add up much more quickly in the long run.

Take your dollars back and place them in your pockets rather than those of greedy oil companies by using fuel additives such as FuelBoost Diesel Additive to get the most value for your diesel dollars.
If you travel a great deal or use your vehicles, tractors, or farm equipment daily for work you might be absolutely amazed at how cost effective this additive makes the fuel buying process when compared to purchasing diesel fuel without the helpful benefits of a premium additive.

I hope that gives you some ideas where an additive would become proactive in your maintenance program. I have also given some links below where you may find some solid track record products.

Gale Banks - A Legend Among Gas And Diesel Truck Enthusiasts

Gale Banks is a gearhead, die-hard enthusiast, and a leader in the automotive community. With over 50 years of experience working on gasoline and diesel engines, he is a valuable resource for anyone looking to extract more power out of their car or truck engine. He is best known for his Banks Monster Exhaust systems and the Banks Bullet power programmer. These parts are made for a large variety of vehicles and are custom made to work seamlessly with the car or truck, requiring no modification for installation.

It was Jay Leno, the late night talk show host and world renowned car enthusiast, who had the original idea to put a 1,790 cubic inch V-12 engine from a Korean-war era M47 Patton tank into a car. It was a marriage of Frankenstein proportions, but it wasn't crazy enough for Mr. Leno. Many people would ask, isn't 810 horsepower enough for a street car? Jay Leno didn't seem to think so and felt that twin-turbo charging the engine would deliver the level of insanity he was seeking. For this reason, Jay contracted Gale Banks of Gale Banks Engineering for his personal advice and expertise in producing his one-off Tank Car. After much research, trail and error, and fabrication, Gale was able to create one of the most ludicrous machines ever made by man. To sum up the modifications made to the M47 Tank engine, Banks added to the mix an entirely new exhaust system, a revised intake manifold, twin turbochargers, and a built from the ground up fuel system to make this V-12 monster push out more than 1600 horses and over 3000 foot-pounds of torque! Due to the excessive wheel spin and to make the car more street-able, the car was tuned down to around 1200 horsepower. Needless to say, Jay Leno is overly pleased with the results of his absolutely mad concoction. He is also proud to comment that not only has Gale significantly improved the power output, but also the fuel economy!

Project Sidewinder is another one of Gale Banks side ventures into diesel performance. Project Sidewinder is the fastest diesel pickup truck in the world, pushing out quarter-mile times as low as 12.16 seconds at 115 miles per hour! To produce the 735 hp and 1300 lb-ft of torque, Banks had to make several modifications to the stock system. Some of the major additions include ram air ducting, an improved cooling system, new fuel rails and fuel pump, extensively modified cylinder heads, and a Holset Variable Geometry Turbocharger (VGT).

The VGT is a particularly important choice for getting quick quarter-mile times as it allows the turbocharger to maximize boost created for any given RPM range. It does this by changing the angle of incidence of the turbines to minimize turbo lag and backpressure. This in turn minimizes the time it takes to spool the turbo and maximizes boost across the RPM band. Variable Geometry Turbines are a relatively new advancement in turbocharger technology and are proving to give many the extra edge in performance they need to win races and take home the prize. In fact, VGT is one of the latest technologies that Porsche has incorporated into their 911 Turbo to help keep it in the forefront of the ultra competitive battle for the top supercar.

Diesel Vehicle Offerings Poised To Expand

Diesel powered vehicles have never been popular in the US, despite previous attempts to promote this technology by leading manufacturers. Indeed, many motorists recall GM’s failed bid to market diesel engines during the late 1970s to mid 1980s as a big reason to stay away from diesels. As you may recall, GM had to recall and replace the engines as they were plagued with crankshaft bearing problems. Many motorists cited other problems too including, blown head gaskets, warped heads, and bad fuel injectors. A well publicized class action suit against GM shut down the company’s diesel program and resulted in GM replacing thousands of diesel engines with gasoline engines. Despite the earlier problems, many automakers are now poised to offer diesel engines as engineering changes have made diesels much more reliable and environmentally friendly. Let’s take a look at the diesel engines powering current and future vehicles traversing America’s highways.

Mercedes Diesels – With five diesel models offered, Mercedes is leading the way. Its 3.2L 24-valve inline-6 diesel engine powers the E320, resulting in fuel savings of up to 30% and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Dodge Trucks – Cummins has been producing turbo diesels for Dodge Ram trucks for years. The current 610 model offers best in class horsepower, excellent torque, and terrific towing capacity.

Jeep Liberty – Using Mercedes technology, the Jeep Liberty common-rail diesel powering some models helps to boost torque by 45% and bump up fuel mileage by about one third. The Liberty diesel has been a strong seller for the Jeep brand.

Volkswagen – Mentioning “diesel” and omitting “Volkswagen” would be a travesty. Indeed, the German automaker is one of the largest producers of diesel engines in the world. For the U.S. market, a 1.9L four cylinder powers the cars while a humongous ten cylinder diesel can be found in the Touareg, the automaker’s luxury SUV.

Honda – New to the game, Honda is promising that diesel versions of several of its cars will be made available by 2009. Along with its hybrid emphasis, Honda is pushing diesels to bolster its already well earned “green” image.

BMW, Range Rover, Ford, GM, and Chrysler all offer diesels although with the first two they are only sold in Europe. Ford taps Navistar for its big diesels while GM uses Duramax, a joint venture between it and Isuzu.

Smaller diesels have yet to grab hold, but that may all change. Talk of smaller, lighter diesels built for American cars have been circulating for years with joint ventures involving Isuzu, Honda, VW, and Mercedes mentioned as possibilities.

Demand for diesels is increasing as fuel prices continue to surge. Auto registration records are indicating that diesel purchases have doubled in the past five years alone. With cleaner technology in place and all of the kinks worked out, consumers can be expected to demand diesels in greater numbers. This is good news for those who are concerned about America’s over dependence on foreign oil.

Gas & Diesel Prices Are On a Constant Rise - What Can We Do About It?

You can hear it from among any corner of circle nowadays, the rising cost of fuel is one of the most discussed topics anywhere. Not only are fuel prices getting higher but basically anything that is consumable is going up with it. It is impacting almost anything that has to be transported by truck (and what doesn't?) from a bag of flour to a box of baby diapers. Grocery has gone up 10 to 35 percent within the past year. Rising gas prices are hurting us all.

The prices keep climbing & diesel seems to be even more expensive than gasoline these days. Diesel was always cheaper to refine than gasoline but now the so called experts are claiming that it is more expensive to refine. Diesel also allows for better mileage than gasoline. Go figure.

Inflation is definitely rising & the price of diesel is the main reason for it. It is creating a domino effect throughout the world; Trucking companies have to pay more so they naturally have to charge more to stay in business. Manufacturers & shipping companies have to pick up the bill & then end up charging the retail chains more. The retailers end up having to jack up our all of their prices & guess who picks up the tab in the end? Well you, me & maybe even Dupree has to. Consumers are always at the low end of the totem pole.

Can we do anything about all of these price hikes you may be wandering?

No, not really.

You can't do anything about the rising costs but you can do the following 2 things:

1. Cut back on your consumption.

Or

2. Increase your income.

Let's face it folks. All we can do is complain about it. We can complain to our friends, family & even the government. That is like preaching to the choir. I recommend saving your energy fighting this issue because there is really no point. You will have to either downsize your spending & economize or somehow increase your income. Here are some examples in economizing:

1. Trade in your nice big gas guzzling but beautiful SUV for a Hyundai.

2. Buy less grocery or other consumable items.

3. Car pool.

4. Rent out your basement.

This is basically cutting back on all the costs of keeping your current lifestyle & settling for less than what you deserve.

I know this doesn't sound very nice but hey everyone is doing it, why shouldn't you?

I would much rather follow Robert Kiyosaki's advice in his recent book "Why We Want You To Be Rich" that he co wrote with Donald Trump. The main message in this book was if you can't beat them then join them. If you can not do anything about inflation & have to choose between being rich or poor, then choose to be rich.

There are always different methods to increase your income. You can always put in some more overtime at work or even get an additional part-time job. While these methods can help increase your active income, I don't think that was their intention for you when they released that book. Here are some methods for increasing your income:

1. Passive or Residual Income. This is where you can make income from real estate rental property or limited partnership etc. This type of income doesn't require extra man hours (labouring) on your part but will provide you with an additional income stream. This is leverage.

2. Portfolio Income. This is additional income that you earn from investing, trading, stocks & bonds etc.

It will take money to make money. Yes you will have to spend a little more to make more or accept having to work longer hours at work for less family or leisure time.

The rising costs of fuel is definitely taking its toll on most consumers these days but not for everyone. Many will find new possibilities for themselves. One person will see this situation as a problem while another will be forced to become creative & see an idea or solution. The emphasis is placed highly on creativity.

Remember that in every dark cloud there is a silver lining.

This situation will have an impact on you whether you choose to believe it or not. The real question is what are you going to do about it?

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The Future of the Diesel Fueling Industry

In the past twenty years, diesel engines have the connotations of pollution, heavy machinery, and uncomfortably loud noises. This image that many people have is beginning to take a turn for the change as several automakers are reinventing the diesel engine with remarkable results. Nearly 25 years ago, General Motors unveiled diesel powered Chevrolet Caprices and a few Oldsmobile models. These cars soon became the center of attention as the diesel engines were shaky, unreliable, and a total nightmare for the consumer. General Motors backed itself into a corner and paid a hefty amount to outfit the vehicles sold with new gasoline engines. Ever since the 'diesel disaster' as some automotive enthusiasts have come to call it, diesel engines have taken a back seat to many consumers' minds. General Motors failure in the 80s combined with increasing efforts to clean up the air and minimize pollution while maximizing engine efficiency pushed the diesel engine back years, but at the same time allowed it to be reinvented and instituted in an entire new way.

European car makers were among the largest importers of diesel engine cars and remain so today. Mercedes and Volkswagen were the largest of the importers and the success they have been experiencing has not gone unseen. There was a large dip in the number of these cars over a decade ago, but the diesel is reemerging as an efficient, cost-effective, and super reliable means of powering any car and not just a truck. Diesel engines have been implemented in sports cars, luxury vehicles, and even small cars such as Honda Civics and Chevrolet's Geo.

Chrysler has been trying diesel engines within its Jeep division and has seen great results, along with Ford who has been dabbling into pushing diesels into the smaller caliber vehicles such as the Taurus and Focus. What makes the new diesel engine system so attractive is the combination of a much improved fuel mileage, higher torque output, and an extremely reliable engine. Also, with the cost of diesel fuel often being cheaper than regular unleaded, it would cost less to fill up. As mentioned earlier, diesel engines are much more reliable than most gasoline engines. However a well taken care of diesel engine will often run for hundreds of thousands of miles longer than a gasoline engine.

Within five or ten years, the number of vehicles using diesel engines will likely jump a great deal and dominate a good portion of the automotive market. Asian automakers including Isuzu, Toyota, and Nissan are upping their investments in the North American auto industry, and the overseas car industry has been experimenting and implementing diesel engines longer than the United States. As the number of these imported cars increase, so will the likelihood of these automobiles running on diesel fuel.

A Look At Gas Trucks Versus Diesel Trucks

If you plan to use your truck like a car, desiring quick, quiet acceleration and rarely ever haul a heavy load and don't plan to it for a long time,you may want a gasoline engine. Gas engines run smoother, fuel is easier to find, and gas engines
start easier in cold weather.

If you plan to use your truck for towing, value good fuel economy and plan to put plenty of miles on it, you may want a diesel. The price to buy a diesel truck is really high, although they can offer you a lot in return.

Below, you'll find the leading vehicle manufacturers
and what they offer you.

Dodge

The 2500 and 3500 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty trucks are the newest 3/4 and 1 ton trucks on the road. Back in 2002, the Ram didn't have enough power with the 245 HP 9.5L. Dodge promised more powerful engines for the 2500/3500 platform and they delivered on that promise.

The new base engine is the 5.7L gasoline V-8 that's not only the most powerful engine of the group at 345 HP but also revives the well known and historical Hemi name.

Ford

Ford helped push the 3/4 ton and 1 ton truck market to where it is today when it introduced it's international engineered power stroke diesel back in 1994. Before 1994, these diesels were poorly built and no match for the big gasoline engines.

From 1994 to 2002, over 70% of super duty Fords were sold with the optional 7.3L V-8 diesel engine. This engine helped to put Ford among the leaders in diesel trucks, as they had more than they needed to dominate the market.

Chevrolet/GMC

The GM 2500/3500 twins Silverado HD and Sierra HD both come standard with GM's 6.0L gas engine V-8. This engine is ideal for 3/4 ton trucks where towing isn't a concern. The upgrades start with the 8.1L gas V-8 that's based on Chevrolet's venerable big block engine.

Over the years, diesel trucks have proven to be effecient with mileage, great for towing, and easy on maintenance. Unlike gas engines, diesel engines do not have spark plugs, which means you won't need to get them tuned up near as much as gasoline engines.

For those who like to haul heavy loads on a frequent basis, diesel is the way to go. You can get quite a few miles per gallon, and diesel trucks are built to go 250,000 miles or more before the engine needs to be rebuit,making them a purchase that is more than worth your money.