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What is NGV?

Natural Gas for Vehicles, or NGV, as it is popularly known, is a fuel that is very different from the others. This is mainly because it is used in gaseous form, and not in liquid form as is the case with most other fuels.

For many, NGV is considered the “Fuel of the Future”, because it has more advantageous characteristics than other fuels, characteristics that we will discuss later.

NGV is composed of a mixture of gases, derived mainly from natural gases (which are usually extracted together with petroleum) and biomethane.

Read our article about oil by clicking here!

Its extraction takes place in deep wells in the Earth’s atmosphere, where these gases are transported through large pipelines to a station that carries out a series of processes to eliminate waste. Only then are they stored in cylinders suitable for transportation and resale. The cylinders, as well as the quality and marketing of the gas, must comply with the standards established, mainly by the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT) and INMETRO.

In Brazil, the demand for natural gas has increased significantly, as more and more people have taken into account the benefits that using natural gas can bring if chosen instead of other automotive fuels, such as gasoline and alcohol.

Does natural gas pollute the environment?

As we explained in our article about biodiesel, any fuel pollutes the environment. However, there are some fuels that pollute less than others, such as natural gas for vehicles. In fact, burning natural gas is one of the cleanest fuels, as it emits virtually no carbon monoxide (CO) particles. The gas contains a minimum methane content of 84%. Furthermore, it does not contain sulfur, which helps reduce acid rain in the atmosphere.

Pollution caused by the use of fossil fuels in large cities has become an increasingly serious problem. Even though natural gas is still polluting, its emissions are very low when compared to other fuels. In general, using natural gas reduces emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). These reductions are beneficial not only to the environment, but also to human health in large cities.

Can I put natural gas in my vehicle?

It’s not that simple! In fact, few cars come with a natural gas kit installed directly from the factory, mainly because of the installation cost. In addition, natural gas has recently become more popular, and the trend is for future models to be equipped to be fueled with natural gas.

The good news is that any newer vehicle can be modified so that its engine accepts natural gas for vehicles. To do this, the vehicle owner must take it to a specialized, qualified and INMETRO-accredited workshop. This last part is essential for installation, because in addition to a manual on how to use the gas correctly, the workshop will issue an approval certificate, which must be presented to the city’s traffic department. After presenting the certificate, the vehicle must undergo an inspection and be approved, only then will it be legalized for the use of natural gas.

This bureaucracy occurs mainly for the safety of the individual and other drivers, since an installation that does not follow the rules, or that is done incorrectly, can cause extremely dangerous and even fatal accidents.

In the scenario in which the gas is installed correctly, following all the rules, the chances of an accident due to problems with the gas kit are almost zero.

You can check accredited mechanics in your area on the INMETRO website.

Is natural gas worth it?

Although natural gas usually has a lower price on gas station signs, this does not mean that it will be better than another fuel in all scenarios, as is the case with alcohol when compared to gasoline.

Read our article on Alcohol vs. Gasoline by clicking here.

Cars with natural gas must always contain a little liquid fuel in the tank, to help with the initial combustion and development of the engine. Furthermore, its installation (for vehicles that do not come with the factory kit) can cost between 3 and 5 thousand reais in Brazil, with the price varying according to the model.

However, if we consider the performance of the gas, its use yields around 60% more than gasoline (the latest generation systems), which is a considerable increase. Of course, the real increase in performance varies from car to car, and also in the price at which CNG and other fuels are sold at the moment. Therefore, it is important that the driver carries out an advance study to know which fuel will be more worthwhile in his case.

Where can I find CNG?

As the popularity of Natural Gas for Vehicles is still growing, not all gas stations sell it. However, most of the stations in the BR (Petrobras) network have CNG for sale. If you are interested, we recommend that you contact gas stations in your area and keep an eye on the price signs. There you will usually find out whether the station sells natural gas or not.

Another important piece of information is that natural gas is very difficult to adulterate, unlike gasoline and alcohol. For this reason, if your vehicle has a natural gas kit, you can feel safer buying it at any gas station that has it.

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