Tech | November 14, 2009 | Comment on this video (5)

Surfrider's Camry Hybrid Doesn't Use Gasoline

MPGomatic
How do you make a Toyota Camry Hybrid even more green? Rip out the conventional gasoline tank and replace it with ultra clean burning compressed natural gas (CNG). The Surfrider Foundation's CNG Camry Hybrid shows a clear path to the future, where we rely solely on domestically produced fuel. CA-based Metal Crafters did the CNG conversion work, while Street Image handled the cosmetics.
  1. groups:
    Tech,   Green,   VC2 Top Contenders US,   Videos
  2. tags:
    Toyota,  Hybrid,  Natural Gas,  Hybrid Cars,  4 more
  3.     
    |
    Embed video:
    |

5 comments // Surfrider's Camry Hybrid Doesn't Use Gasoline // Video

  • royulery
    • 0
      royulery  

    • the methane coming from the gas line in your house is too low pressure, (3 pounds i think). you will need a compressor, no big deal. be nice if the car came with one.

    • 2 years ago
  • MPGomatic
  • MPGomatic
  • Westnewport
  • Wetdog
    • 0
      Wetdog  
    • Westnewport:

      Diesels can run on petroleum diesel, biodiesel, any mixture of the two and also on natural gas. Natural gas is a perfect match with diesel in bi-fuel engines.(bi-fuel, able the run on two different fuel types--in this case liquid and gaseous) Most systems have a switch on the dash to switch from liquid to gas or back.

      If you have a natural gas hook up in your home, you could refuel from a home compressor unit.

      Natural gas is a perfect match with liquid diesel fuel. With a comparative octane rating of ~120 it matches liquid diesel in being able to be used with the high compression ratios in diesel engines. With internal combustion engines, compression ratio determines engine thermal efficiency. The higher the compression ratio, the higher the thermal efficiency. This means that you get more work out for the amount of BTUs used. Diesel engines are about 25 to 30% more thermal efficient than gasoline engines.

      Diesel/natural gas engines have been used in Russia and Scandinavia for over 50 years. Liquid diesel tends to gel and not vaporize well when cold, making them hard to start. Natural gas bypasses that problem, since it is a gas. Just start up and run the engine till it is warm on natural gas, then flip to liquid if needed.
      Natural gas is also much cheaper than petroleum(per BTU value).

    • 2 years ago
more from Tech:
from the community

top videos