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Home > Markets > Alternative Fuels > World Tour of Alternative Fuel
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The World Tour of an Alternative Fuel
Last October, the EcoFuel World Tour set off on an around-the-world driving expedition with a clear mission in mind—namely, to demonstrate the benefits of natural gas as a globally available fuel alternative to gasoline and diesel. Seven months later, the team pulled into Leipzig, Germany, its journey a success. The EcoFuel World Tour set a world record by driving a standard natural-gas Volkswagen Caddy EcoFuel nearly 50000 kilometers around the planet—and across five continents—powered only by natural gas. Among its stops, the Volkswagen-sponsored tour visited the Solon, Ohio, headquarters of Swagelok Company, a tour cosponsor. Swagelok had supplied fuel system components for the car.
Piloted by tour organizer Rainer Zietlow, the Caddy at the center of the odyssey contained a two-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine that had been optimized for natural gas operation. The engine delivered 80 kW (107 HP), running exclusively on compressed natural gas (CNG). Thirty-two natural gas stations supplied the car’s fuel on the journey.
One goal of the tour was to point up the economical advantages of natural gas. The tour compared its CNG vehicle with a standard mid-range gasoline-engine car, calculating a 55 percent savings in fuel usage costs. The figure was based on fuel price and consumption:
| Natural Gas |
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Price per kg
Consumption/100 km
Cost per 100 km
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0.79 € ($1.02 USD)
7 kg (15.4 pounds)
5.53 € ($7.17 USD)
|
| Regular Gasoline |
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Price per liter
Consumption/100 km
Cost per 100 km
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1.23 € ($1.59 USD)
10 liters (2.6 gallons)
12.30 € ($15.95 USD)
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| Savings |
6.77 € /100 km ($8.78/62 miles)
or 55 percent |
Another goal was to show the environmental benefits of using natural gas. The CNG car performed well in this category as well. The Caddy EcoFuel’s emissions contain clearly lower volumes of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and soot particles than gasoline or diesel-driven vehicles.
“Countries all around the world are now including alternative fuels in their national energy plans,” says Peter Ehlers, Swagelok alternative fuels market manager and vice president for the International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles. He points out that alternative fuels—including natural gas, propane, and hydrogen—have been identified as critical fuels that complement conventional fuels such as gasoline and diesel, allowing for a more balanced national energy portfolio.
“Alternative fuels such as natural gas,” says Ehlers, “have been identified as suitable for urban transportation applications such as buses and trucks in order to reduce air pollution levels and provide cleaner air in densely populated urban areas. Since natural gas is typically a domestically supplied fuel, consumers are able to realize a significant fuel cost savings, making it attractive for personal car use as well.”
Read more about the EcoFuel World Tour.
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