After Gutenberg

In 2005 Green Car Congress noted that Mercedes was expanding production of NGVs (Natural Gas Vehicles) to Thailand. And, at the time, noted that “PTT, the Thai gas company, would accelerate building NGV service stations.”

To accommodate the expected increased demand for the alternative fuel, PTT had announced plans to increase the number of service stations providing natural gas to 740 nationwide in 2010. In 2005 there were 500,000 NGVs in Thailand consuming 365 million cubic feet of gas per day. To encourage more NGV use, the Thailand national government committed to a reduction in an existing excise tax on NGV.

A Yamaha RS100T motorcycle converted to burn natural gas. Such 3 wheelers, a.k.a, Autorickshaws, are a typical form of public transport throughout India and Southeast Asia. They generally travel approximately 200 km (120 miles) a day. In the above example, the sidecar holds tanks that utilize Energtek’s ANG technology. Low-Pressure tanks are designed for operating pressure of 35-65 bars. ANG provides safer operation because of a dramatic reduction of the storage tank operating pressure.

As previously noted, “Natural gas has inherent clean burning properties that enable NGVs to produce lower pollutant emissions than petrol-powered vehicles. It is a lead-free fuel that produces virtually no sulfur oxides or particulates and up to 30% less CO2. Because it is clean burning, natural gas reduces the required maintenance on vehicles.” Via lightbulbs.org, we now learn from Denise Bode that Thailand is leading the way with conversion or purchase of more than 40,000 natural-gas-burning cars and trucks in the past six months.

Local energy officials say they expect the number of natural-gas cars — which in many cases are able to run on gasoline as well as natural gas — to nearly triple by 2012 to 330,000. Natural-gas-powered cars are among the hottest sellers in Bangkok, where long queues of drivers line up to buy the fuel every day.

A 50-year-old psychology professor, paid 60,000 Thai baht ($1,795) last year to modify her Nissan sedan so that it could use natural gas. The lower price for natural gas at the pump there has meant “big savings” in her monthly fuel bill, she says. She paid just 102 baht, or $3.05, to fill her tank one recent afternoon — enough fuel to travel 93 miles.

And the switch isn’t just happening in Thailand. Natural-gas cars are accelerating into the mainstream across the developing world. Pakistan, Brazil and Argentina each have more than 1.5 million of them on the streets, while India’s fleet is approaching one million. China is also promoting the cars in some cities.

Crude oil rose for a third day on signs that OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) will reduce production to halt a 50 percent drop in prices since July. OPEC may decide to pare production by 1 million to 2 million barrels a day in stages at an Oct. 24 meeting to stabilize prices, said Chakib Khelil, the group’s president.

Deutsche Bank AG cut its 2009 crude-oil price estimate by 35 percent to $60 a barrel, citing the possibility of a “major world recession.” Gasoline prices, however, remain steady and indicators are that the American economy is on its way back up.