GM Turns the Wheel to Natural Gas

The United States automobile manufacturers are taking small, but sure steps towards cleaner fuels which is natural gas,suggesting that the gasoline engine's reign might come close to its end as related by INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters). General Motors Co. will be the first auto manufacturer who announced its plans for developing a natural gas powered engine, changing its direction to alternative fuels, and joining smaller league manufacturers that are working to use natural gas in car engines.

In Indianapolis, Marlon Kirby has built a brand new supercar that brings with it a lot of innovations. One of them, and probably the most important, is that the car runs on liquid natural gas. The eco-friendly “beast” was called Maxximus LNG2000, it took 21,000 man hours of work and was finished with the cost of $1 million, it’s expected to top 200 miles per hour.

The United States has an amazing supply of natural gas that can last as long as 100 years, thanks to a technique called “hydraulic fracturing” which releases huge amounts of natural gas trapped in shale rock. At the moment there are 120,000 natural gas vehicles on the road and only 900 filling stations. Looking at the figures it’s obvious that natural gas remains a tiny fraction of total market. Drivers that use natural gas a primary fuel will save up to $2 per gallon when gasoline prices hit $4 per gallon.

"With all the activity in shale gas, the natural gas price is decoupled from diesel. Natural gas is a lot more attractive given the situation in the market," said Ian Scott, president of Westport Innovations Light-Duty Division.