Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) will fund a field demonstration of adsorbed natural gas (ANG) bi-fuel light-duty vehicles powered by natural gas compressing technology developed by Adsorbed Natural Gas Products Inc. and Ingevity.
The ANG technology uses Ingevity’s Nuchar activated carbon to reduce the storage pressure of natural gas without sacrificing its volume.
“The transportation sector accounts for more than 80 percent of smog-forming emissions and about 40 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions in California,” says Yuri Freedman, senior director of business development at SoCalGas. “Natural gas can play an important role in reducing emissions, and adsorbed natural gas 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,” adds 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 adsorbed natural gas to the natural gas community and light-duty vehicle fleets and commercialize this exciting new technology.”
ANG vehicles can be fueled at public-access compressed natural gas (CNG) stations, as well as from home or work through a refueling compressor. They operate at significantly lower fueling pressure than do standard CNG vehicles, refilling at 900 psi instead of 3,600 psi. According to the project partners, this reduces energy consumption by over 50% and decreases fueling time by over 60%.
SoCalGas is providing funding for the project, with research and development funds authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission. It will also test and validate the ANG vehicles during a six-month demonstration period.
Results from SoCalGas’ demonstration will support a commercial rollout of ANG vehicles to fleet operators in Southern California.
