Why a Natural Gas Tanker Is Looking for Your Car

One thing the world has now in abundant supply is natural gas -- liquefied natural gas in particular. To increase demand, producers want to put the fuel into cars, trucks and ships that currently use gasoline, diesel or fuel oil, which are dirtier and cost more. If natural gas catches on, look for it first in fleets of small trucks, cars and buses from China to Italy, as well as in giant ocean-going vessels. Natural-gas proponents say their technology could be a bridge to a future dominated by electric vehicles, though mass adoption of natural gas-powered cars faces steep hurdles.

Probably, depending on where you live. There are more than 24 million natural-gas vehicles in use worldwide, including about 160,000 in the U.S. Any vehicle, from a passenger car to a truck to a train, can use the fuel, if it’s built that way, or converted. While many manufacturers "offer factory-built natural-gas trucks, step-vans, transit buses and school buses, there are fewer options for consumers who need light-duty cars, vans and pickup trucks -- but the market is starting to turn," according to CNG Now, an industry advocacy group. There are natural-gas versions of the Honda Civic and the Ford F-250 pickup, for instance.