One of the snags about owning an electric car is the time it takes to top up its batteries – it can take up to 8 hours to re-charge fully from a domestic electricity supply and with range compromised by cold weather the problem is particularly bad at this time of year. In contrast to car makers like Nissan and Renault, who are forging ahead with all-electric models like the Leaf and Zoe, VW believes an alternative to battery-powered vehicles might be car powered by the natural gas many of us already use in our kitchens.
The VW Eco Up model is indistinguishable in terms of appearance from its petrol-powered version, but its three-cylinder engine is powered by compressed natural gas (CNG).
The twin tanks that store the gas are hidden away beneath the boot and rear seats and are as quick to fill as a conventional car. The car also carries a reserve supply of petrol, enough to get the car 120 miles should it run out of gas.
According to VW, CNG emissions are around 25% lower than those produced by conventional fuel. CNG produced from landfill biogas has been found to have greenhouse gas emissions 88% lower than conventional petrol.
There are no plans to offer the Eco Up in Britain because there is no CNG supply network as there is in Germany. VW Eco Up is not VW UK is investigating the feasibility home compressors that would allow drivers to recharge the car from their mains gas system.
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paul maxey
This is yet another example of VW propaganda – they talk the green talk with one hand but with the other they pay out huge sums via lobby/pressure groups to oppose key environmental laws we need if we’re going to stop our planet from warming (visit http://www.greenpeace etc to check it out!). Come on ETA you owe it to your principals to really not be taken in like this or at least offer some counter info or comment?
Peter Simmons
Odd headline since ovens aren’t the only use for CNG. And the article is odd too, quote: ‘There are no plans to offer the Eco Up in Britain because there is no CNG supply network as there is in Germany.’ How does CNG differ from LPG? We have a large number of LPG filling stations now, and propane is propane is propane, whether a by-product of oil extraction or produced by landfill.
So VW have produced a gas-fueled car. Good.
Ian J
LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) is a mixture of Butune and Propane, and is a usually produced when refining oil in to liquid fuels (petrol and diesel). Whereas Natural Gas is a mixture of methane, propane and butane (usually 80:10:10 respectively). Natural gas is extracted directly from gas fields (or from landfill). It is “natural” because it is unrefined. Globally there are significantly greater reserves of natural gas compared to oil. Like LPG, a CNG car is a cleaner burn than petrol or diesel. Without a fair amount of modification an LPG vehicle cannot run of CNG and vise versa.
John
Try filling your LPG car with CNG! CNG is basically composed of methane whereas LPG is a mixture of propane, butane and other chemicals. Another important difference from a physical point of view is that CNG does not liquefy under high pressure – it remains a gas, unless it is cooled down to at least – 164°C. LPG on the other hand becomes liquid when it is compressed or when it is cooled down (therefore the name “Liquefied Petroleum Gas”). CNG directly comes from a gas field. The only process, which sometimes needs to be done, is filtering the gas. But usually, the gas can be used as a fuel right away after the compression process. LPG, however, is an artificial product. It is a mixture of the above-mentioned gases. Hence, these gases need to be blended, before they can be used as fuel. CNG has a greater part of hydrogen and is therefore lighter than air (this attribute in fact makes CNG very safe: once there is a leak in the system, the gas will simply be released to the atmosphere). LPG on the other hand, is twice as heavy as air. This gas is usually a by-product which accumulates from the oil drilling as well as the refinement of oil.