Technology in Action: Natural Gas

Dodge Charger

DaimlerChrysler continues its development of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles with the Dodge Charger, a racy muscle car that burns clean and threatens to deliver a 300-mile range with its 4.7-liter V-8 engine.

As the cleanest burning fossil fuel, natural gas offers a strong alternative to petroleum-based fuel and its carbon dioxide emissions. It also is more abundant and cuts reliance on overseas fuel sources. Ninety percent of natural gas used in the United States is produced domestically, for example.

CNG storage tanks traditionally have been large and expensive, limiting their use to full-size vans. In the Dodge Charger, storage tanks created by the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University fit neatly in the car's trunk, a breakthrough that may lead to CNG use in passenger cars and smaller sports cars.

Unlike earlier cylindrical CNG storage tanks, the Charger's pressure cells are flat and sit protected in what looks like a foam egg crate. (link to graphic of cylinder crate) The cost of CNG storage tanks is one of the barriers to be cleared. A conventional gas tank costs anywhere from $50 to $100; CNG tanks cost $2,500. Still, a CNG tank cost $5,000 five years ago.