Natural Gas is Big in Europe. What About the United States?

The Europeans. They always do things a little differently (sometimes a lot differently) than we do here in North America. They eat a little less red meat, we eat a little more ... they drink a little more wine, we drink a little more beer ... they drive many more alt fuel vehicles, we drive predominately gasoline powered cars. And for our purposes here at Hybrid Cars and Alt Fuels, it's those vehicles and fuels that we care about.

And so it is, according to a report from Automotive News Europe, that the Italian government has created a bit of a run on propane and compressed natural gas (CNG) powered cars and trucks (orders are up to the tune of 30 percent). Through its initiative to replace old cars with clean fuel-efficient gas (not gasoline) models--that emit far fewer CO² emissions--buyers of LPG vehicles are eligible for incentives from 1,500 to 2000 euros ($1990 to $2655) while CNG buyers get between 1,500 and 3500 euros ($1990 and $4645). An unfortunate side effect: The sale of clean diesels in Italy, once quite popular as an option to gasoline cars has suffered at the hands of the this popular incentive package, falling by better than 15 percent so far.

Europeans have little trouble finding factory-built gassers from local dealerships, but try buying one of those in the U.S. The only purpose-built natural gas car available in America is the Honda Civic GX CNG. Otherwise, the only choice is to go the CNG conversion or propane conversion route.

We think things will eventually change in the United States though. With the EPA feeling more and more pressure to classify and regulate CO² as a global warming inducing pollutant, the Federal government may well decide to sweeten the deal and encourage propane and CNG vehicle production here in the States.

CNG powered Opel Zafira © Opel Europe