Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) will fund a field demonstration of adsorbed natural gas (ANG) bi-fuel vehicles powered by natural gas compressing technology developed by Adsorbed Natural Gas Products, Inc. and Ingevity. ANG technology uses Ingevity’s unique Nuchar® activated carbon to reduce the storage pressure of natural gas without sacrificing the volume of natural gas stored through a process called adsorption. Using this type of fuel provides a cleaner and lower cost option for large, light-duty vehicles, such as SUVs, half-ton pickup trucks, and service vans, than diesel, gasoline, or traditional CNG.
SoCalGas is providing funding for the project with research and development funds authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission and will also test and validate the ANGvehicles during a six-month demonstration period. Results from SoCalGas’ demonstration will support a commercial rollout of these vehicles to fleet operators in Southern California.
“The transportation sector accounts for more than 80% of smog forming emissions and about 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in California,” said Yuri Freedman, senior director of business development at SoCalGas. “Natural gas can play an important role in reducing emissions, and ANG can revolutionize the way natural gas is used as a transportation fuel. We are excited to see how the vehicles perform during the demonstration.”
“It is the unique ‘capture and release’ properties of our Nuchar activated carbon that makes this incredible new transportation option possible,” said Ed Woodcock, executive vice president and president of Performance Materials at Ingevity. “Having SoCalGas as a project partner will provide invaluable insight and support as we work to demonstrate the value of ANG to the natural gas community and light-duty vehicle fleets, and commercialize this exciting new technology.”
ANG vehicles can be fueled at public-access CNG stations, as well as conveniently from home or work through a refueling compressor. They operate at significantly lower fueling pressure than standard CNG vehicles, refilling at 900 psi instead of 3600 psi. This reduces energy consumption by over 50% and decreases fueling time by over 60%. Additionally, these vehicles can travel long distances on ANG before seamlessly switching to gasoline.
Source: SoCalGas
