Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) 

As of 2008, there were approximately 9.6 million Natural Gas Vehicles in the world, according to the International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles.    Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, and Iran each have over 1 million, followed by India, Italy, China, and Colombia.  The United States follows with approximately 110000. 

In the United States, most of the NGVs on the roads belong to governmental and large corporate fleets such as buses, delivery trucks, taxi cabs, law enforcement, and utility trucks.  Many of these fleets have access to municipal or company-owned fueling facilities.  Smaller fleets and private citizens can often arrange to fuel their vehicles at these yards.  

The limited accessibility of cng fueling and the industrial nature of the stations have discouraged many people from investing in NGVs for themselves and their companies.  Because of this, the willingness of car manufacturers to make CNG-fueled vehicles available within the United States has also been very limited.  As of June, 2009, only Honda has a NGV available to American buyers. 

This is all changing. 

Wildly fluctuating and rising gas prices, concerns about the environment, and economic woes have prompted most Americans to reevaluate their transportation outlooks. Americans are ready to invest in changing the country’s transportation fuel habits and to lessen our dependence upon foreign suppliers.  To encourage this, the U.S. Government alternative energy initiatives have gained a great deal of momentum and have begun offering grants for alternative energy vehicle infrastructure development.  As a result, we live in an exciting era each of us has the opportunity to participate in forging the energy landscape of America’s future.