Natural Gas Passenger Vehicles: Availability, Cost, and Performance

Yacobucci, Brent D.

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.

关键词: Natural gas prices;    Energy;    Natural gas vehicles;    Transportation;    Motor vehicles;   

RP-ID  :  RS22971
RP-ID  :  RS22971_2008Oct20

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

Higher gasoline prices and concerns over U.S. oil dependence have raised interest in natural gas vehicles (NGVs). Use of NGVs for personal transportation has focused on compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative to gasoline. Consumer interest has grown, both for new NGVs as well as for conversions of existing personal vehicles to run on CNG. This report finds that the market for natural gas vehicles will likely remain limited unless the differential between natural gas and gasoline prices remains high in order to offset the higher purchase price for an NGV. Conversions of existing vehicleswill also continue to be restricted unless the Clean Air Act (CAA) is amended or if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) makes changes to its enforcement of the CAA.