Compressed Natural Gas Insight!!!! Tribrids!!

dfiore · 03-09-2008, 08:49 AM

Let's get our Insights off gas completely. There is a CNG company here in NC that does this but they need at least 20-40 Interested parties to make the kit.

Help me get enough people on this list and they will be able to get this thing going! Here's the link:

http://www.transecoenergy.com/pages/CNG_list.htm

Thanks, fellow Insighters!!!!

**Roger Crier** · 03-09-2008, 10:51 AM

As far as I know you cannot convert the Insight. I heard that only cars that have carrburettors, single point or indirect petrol injection can be converted. The Insight has direct injection for the petrol.....IE the injectors are in the combustion chambers and if LPG is injected into the intake manifiolds with the petrol cut off the petrol injectors will overheat as they can only take the local temperatures if they are cooled by the incoming petrol.

I could be wrong though....I have been before

Now that Gas has finaly entered the USA fuel arena, you will have to start calling petrol petrol!

Rog

ibjeff · 03-09-2008, 12:06 PM

We own a 1997 Honda Accord EX that has been converted to run onf both CNG and gas. It now has over 145000 miles and was converted in AZ back in 97 when the car was new..It has the FMS system that is automatic seemless switchover. The cng tank fits in the forward trunk area. WE get the HOV privileges and AZ blueplates for this car.

dfiore · 03-09-2008, 12:07 PM

Not sure either, but please put your name on their list. If they don't get anough namesthey won't even try. Heck if they did and ruined my car, they'd be liable. NIIICE has 293k miles! I could use a new one...but seriously, It'd be great if they could figure it out so please submit on their interest list. I also added my 2005 F-250.

bfivelover · 03-09-2008, 12:30 PM

I signed up. It appears that you get a huge tax credit for converting to a dedicated system.

ibjeff · 03-09-2008, 01:05 PM

This is not new stuff!!! Alternative Fuel Systems in Mesa has been doing this for a decade or more!!! They convert to dual fuel, trifuel(cng,propane,gas) and dedicated systems. At one point AZ footed to whole cost for an owner to convert, but that turned into a financial state budget disaster. cngmotors.com has a trifuel show vehicle, that he brings to all the green events. The main problem I see with the Insight is the cng tank. Just a 3 gallon tank is HUGE and HEAVY. I can email a pic in the Accord of the 3 gallon tank if you pm me with you address. I am not interested in messing with my Insight.

ibjeff · 03-09-2008, 01:07 PM

On our 2007 Civic GX (dedicated cng) the factory tank is 7 gge(gallons) and takes up almost the entire trunk, leaving barely enough room for a few groceries and for get about anything else. And again these tanks are HEAVY!!!!!!!

james · 03-09-2008, 01:10 PM

"Now that Gas has finaly entered the USA fuel arena..."

Finally? It's been around since the mid-70s that I know of. Used to work for a ranch/logging operation back then, and most of their non-diesel vehicles were converted to natural gas.

**gpsman1** · 03-10-2008, 12:24 AM

I think we also need new terms for gas, as there are over 130 flavors of "petrol".

Not to mention E5.75 ( CA) E10, E20, E30, E85.
FWIW almost ANY CAR can run on E85, 85% bioethanol. It need not say "flex fuel" on the side.

I run E85 in my regular Ford Escape Hybrid, and it runs BETTER ( more power, lower RPM on hills ) on E85.
In the corn belt, I bought a tank of E85 for $1.999 / gallon just last week.

The CNG is an interesting idea. I like that you can now ( yes really ) fill up at home if you buy a somewhat expensive CNG compressor. The compressor only uses 0.8kWh per day to fill your car's tank.

I'm getting an Insight in 9 days!!!!!
-John

ibjeff · 03-10-2008, 12:36 AM

I pay 96cents per gge (gallon equiv) for my cng when I refuel my 2007 Honda GX and my 1997 Accord cng conversion at home, the electric to run my FMQ-2-36 comes to about 10cents a gallon. So I pay about $1.10 per gallon cng from home. If you use the CNG public stations here in the Phoenix area is cost $2.50 a gallon. The home fueling stations cost about $2800 for a PHIL that pumps .40 gge/hour or you can buy a FMQ-2-36 for about $9500 that pumps 1 gge/hour and has the option to refuel 2 cars at once at .45 gge/hour. The refueling appliances can be seen at Fuelmaker.com.