Natural Gas
Natural gas is mainly methane and is extracted
from oil and gas fields around the world. Used mainly
for cooking and heating, there is already a sophisticated network
of supply pipelines in place across the UK. When used
in vehicles, natural gas can be stored under pressure or as a
liquid, hence the terms - compressed natural gas (CNG) and
liquefied natural gas (LNG). Due to the weight and cost
of on-board gas tanks, conversions of existing vehicles have been
limited to mainly trucks, buses and larger vehicles.
Natural gas vehicles either have a dedicated
gas engine or they are dual-fuel, which means they can burn both
diesel and natural gas simultaneously in the engine. Power
shift grants are also available from the Energy Savings Trust to
pay for the extra costs of purchasing certain natural gas vehicles,
listed on the register; or converting an existing vehicle to run on
natural gas.
Natural Gas powered vehicles qualify for 100%
discount from the congestion charge, and are not subject to vehicle
excise duty. Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes may also quality
for Reduced Pollution Certificate and a subsequent reduction of up
to£500 in annual road tax. The Vehicle Inspectorate can
be contacted for more details. In addition, for large
commercial vehicles, converting diesel engines to run on natural
gas Transport Energy offers grants to offset a percentage of
conversion costs through the Clean Up programme. For fleets wishing
to install a depot-based CNG or LNG refuelling station, PowerShift
grants may be available towards the cost.
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