China Will Mass Produce Natural Gas Vehicles

08/16/96

Reuters has reported that China plans commercially produce natural gas vehicles as a way to reduce pollution in congested cities. China's Ministry of Machine-Building Industry has begun developing cars fueled by compressed natural gas, an option less harmful to the environment than gasoline. Cars fitted to run on natural gas emit fewer hydrocarbons and less carbon monoxide than gas powered cars.

Although some Chinese provinces have been producing natural gas cars for years, this will be the first time they have been promoted nationally. Last year 20 cars started running on natural gas in the northeastern city of Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province. Last June a conference to prepare the preliminary stages of the natural gas powered vehicle development program convened in Harbin.

The cars fuelled by natural gas will have about 10 percent less power than gasoline-powered cars, but that should not present a problem to urban drivers.

Pollution is a major problem in China's badly congested cities. Hong Kong's Beijing-backed Tai Kung Pao newspaper has quoted officials as saying that the use of natural gas vehicles could reduce air pollution by half. China has forecast that its registered car population will double to 20 million by the year 2000 from around 10 million in 1996. China produced 1.5 million motor vehicles in 1995 and is expected to manufacture 2.7 million in 2000.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel