We are addressing renewable gases in another article, but here we will discuss natural (fossil) gas.

Natural gas as a fuel

Natural gas as a transport fuel offers important benefits to consumers, the environment and the economy. 

It provides a quick and cost-effective way to meet key EU objectives, including decarbonising road transport and improving air quality in cities.

Natural gas is an immediately available alternative to oil, with lower GHG emissions than any other hydrocarbon fuel and emitting virtually none of the pollutants (particulate matter and nitrogen oxides or NOx) that increasingly contaminate the air in areas with dense traffic. 

What about noise, costs and safety? 

Vehicles fuelled by natural gas are quieter compared to Diesel and offer a lower total cost of ownership compared to conventional fuels. The technology used in natural gas vehicles is mature and safe.

Gas as a vehicle fuel is available as compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). It can be used for cars, vans, buses and trucks, with many different models on the market today from established manufactures. 

Great for transport, but what about maritime option?

Those, too, exist in the form of LNG. This is becoming the fuel of choice for the shipping industry due to its low sulphur emissions.

Natural gas also offers important synergies with biomethane from waste and biomass or synthetic gas produced using wind and solar energy. When using renewable gas, an almost carbon-neutral mobility is achieved without any impact on the infrastructure and vehicle technology.

The benefit of CNG is not just the low price. We’re interested in the impact that fuels have on the environment, ever striving to lower our emissions.

Natural gas contains less carbon than traditional hydrocarbon fuels and, therefore, emits much less CO2 as a vehicle fuel. 

Because NGVs (Natural Gas Vehicles) start with cleaner fuel and have a very clean combustion process (meaning when running the vehicle), it is easier to guarantee good emissions performance during the whole lifetime of the vehicle.

Note: there is a difference between examining the impact of the whole process (full lifespan of the vehicle) and just what the vehicle emits when running.

For passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, natural gas emission are 7% lower than diesel and 23% lower than gasoline; for trucks and buses, the reductions are 6% and 16%, respectively. 

Additionally, NGVs are much cleaner in terms of local pollutants such as particulates, sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides.

It’s important to say that the full potential of gas engines has not yet been deployed. Optimised gas engines, using direct injection and higher compression ratios, will become as energy efficient as diesel engines, meaning greater CO2 emission reduction can be achieved. 

While NGVs emit approximately 23% less CO2 than gasoline, which is substantial, savings compared with diesel, at around 7%, are more modest. This is, of course, without even involving renewable gas in the mix.