Is it a myth or do CNG V70 Volvo really exist?!

[CNGBiFuel]

I'm new to this parish and now I've done some digging, I'm getting the distinct impression factory-fit may not be so good. Or more correctly, when they're good they're great, when they're not they're expensive!

But I want a CNG car, so not it appears i might be better converting an easy to get LPG model to CNG. But that could be pricey! tha woudl entail almost a complete refit, I think. Oooh er..

[foggyjames]

I do apologise - I was under the (incorrect!) impression that all the Volvo Bi-Fuel cars were CNG.

The specs make interesting reading, if you trust Parkers...
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/review...te-2000/22092/
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/review...te-2000/22093/

cheers

James

[CNGBiFuel]

No, far from it all the Bifuel cars I've seen are LPG, at any one time I seem to be able to find a dozen...

But CNG? Ah...

I'll give Arun (AAG) a call in the morning.

[The Thong]

Originally Posted by Bernard333

I got a V70 D5 in 2003 , I initially tried to order a CNG V70 in 2002 availing of the powershift grant which was so difficult to get that eventually I gave up which with hindsight was the right decision for me as mains gas is not available in most parts of Ireland and I dont even know of one filling station with CNG although there are a few places where LPG cars can fill up. The incompetance of the government in severely rationing the powershift grants a decade ago is part of the reason there are so few CNG/LPG cars around now , they promised so much at the time and then failed to deliver as usual .

How long does your home station take to fill an empty tank , in 2002 I was told it took 7 to 8 hours for each fill which is possibly another reason there are not many cars running on it but I know some local councils have equipment that works much quicker .

I have just returned from Ireland. I struggled to find an LPG outlet and when I did (luckily they had an adaptor) it was 14 cents cheaper than normal petrol. This is the only problem with LPG and CNG (only just heard of those), the fuel network is a bit scratchy in places. Saying that though, I'm well sold on them.

TT

[Bernard333]

Originally Posted by CNGBiFuel

I heard about the so called tax advantages at the time for CNG. So if I have this right, buying the car (then) was not the issue, but getting the tax break was?


Local councils ahve bulk storage, so I can't see why it would take too much longer than LPG to fill

It was a straight £1500 grant being paid by out by the government through the Power Shift quango plus the tax advantages which made it attractive to me . I wanted a 140bhp V70 auto CNG model then compromised and tried to get the LPG version . In my case it was not an approved vehicle firstly by my company who were going to lease it for me and also by Avis who were going to supply it on lease . Persuading my company to put it on the 'approved ' car list and same with Avis delayed proceedings by about 6 months but then dealing with Powershift killed it completely , bureaucracy at its best , the French civil service should give them a medal for giving the appearance of being a functional department when they are actually fast asleep . Volvo also did not help , they were advertising the car for a year before they would actually take orders for it and then initially I was told it would have to be a manual , doesnt surprise me that you dont see many factory fitted models around , I would think most people at the time would have done what I did and changed to diesel .

[CNGBiFuel]

I got it all wrong, why didn't I get a job as a governmetn bureaucart. Sadly, I have to work, and my VAT return last month made my blood boil. I pay for that crowd.

I've heard that local councils bought CNG Vs for their poliitcal top brass.

Ho hum, I simply can't imagine which side of the political coin that was then?

I'm going to struggel with this, and a Swedish import (they appear to have lots) doesn't seem practical.

[Bernard333]

Originally Posted by The Thong

I have just returned from Ireland. I struggled to find an LPG outlet and when I did (luckily they had an adaptor) it was 14 cents cheaper than normal petrol. This is the only problem with LPG and CNG (only just heard of those), the fuel network is a bit scratchy in places. Saying that though, I'm well sold on them.

TT

Your right there is not much incentive in Republic of Ireland to use LPG , the price of diesel is £1.27/L today so no point in having LPG at the moment but I am thinking thats probably going to change in the future as cheap oil reserves dwindle .

[capt jack]

Don't forget that LPG is a bi-product of petrol refining, and the only reason it's cheap in the UK is the fact that it's not subject to the same fuel duty tax.

If the tax differential is ever removed (and at the moment the Govt are committed to eroding it a by not more than a penny a year or so) then LPG will no longer be a cheaper alternative, and the conversion industry will all but vanish overnight.

Jack

[CNGBiFuel]

Yes whereas CNG, aka natural gas, well.... now tehn we have soem of that. Oh yessiree, see that hot-water coming out of your tap, that cooker, well, it runs on the stuff.

It's methane. North Sea gas and all that. Supplies of NG too are dwindling, but unlike LPG, we're not Arab dependent for it.

The only issue is, as the Norf' (sic) sea supply runs out, we'll need the Ruskies instead, and a big pipe.

Cow-poo makes it too, but that maight not be so viable.

Europe uses CNG for cars a lot, we'll need to as well.

If we stay away from gas, we must all go back to coal - afterall we are still sitting on centuries of the damned stuff.
As an aside: I used to use coal to heat my last home, via a 45KW coal fired boiler to lots of rads, instead of LPG or oil, (See Dowling Stoves - the Sumo via a Dunsley Nuetraliser, if you're interested). Was cheapset of all. So, mark my words, you will see coal-fired heating in the next 20 years go mass-market., it has too. I ask you, apart from nuclear, where else will we be getting cheap power?

No when it all runs out, the Fred Dibnah of the 21st centruy will have a steam powered Volvo.

Chuff, chuff...

[volvobaggen]

cngbifuel - North Sea lpg-gas resources running out? From the impression I get in the media, petroleum gas resources are very large, and I think the gas resources will last even longer than a 200-series volvo.