Amongst the many discussion of the CNG conversion car as discussed in my article Environmentally Friendly Cars - CNG Cars Alternative To The Conventional? the average CNG car conversion kit cost about USD800 to USD1,000. But this sunk cost could be recouped within 6 to 9 months of fuel savings.

Below is a brief outline of the key components of the CNG Car Conversion Kit:

The Cylinder
The cylinder is used to store CNG at a working pressure of 200 bar. The casings of the cylinders are made of good grade steel capable of rough handling of travelling. It is fitted with a shut-off valve and a safety burst disc.

The Vapor Bag, High Pressure Pipe, Refueling Valve and the Petrol-Solenoid Valve
The Vapor Bag is fitted onto the cylinder, and is used to enclose the cylinder valve and the pipes connecting it and is vented out of the car. The High Pressure Pipe is the component which connects the refueling valve to the CNG Cylinder and Pressure Regulator. The Refueling Valve is used to refuel the CNG cylinder. The Petrol-Solenoid Valve is used to cut off petrol supply to the engine when it is run on CNG.

The Pressure Regulator
The Pressure Regulator is a very critical gadget in the CNG car conversion kit. It has a Solenoid Valve to shut-off gas supply to the engine. The CNG stored at a high pressure in the cylinder is reduced to just below atmospheric pressure by this unit. This negative pressure is also a safety feature that will not allow gas to pass through when the engine is not running.

The Gas-Air Mixer and the Selector Switch
The Gas-Air Mixer is a unique component, specially designed to suit each engine model and precisely meters gas fed into the engine. The Selector Switch is fitted at the dashboard, enabling the driver to manually choose either the CNG mode or the petrol mode of operation. The electronics built into this unit also ensures safety by switching off the gas solenoid whenever the engine is switched off. It also serves as a fuel indicator for the quantity of CNG available in the cylinder.

Always Use a Certified & Authorized Workshop For CNG Car Conversion

If you are seriously considering converting your gasoline guzzlers into a CNG car, always ensure that you do the conversion at a certified and authorized workshop and never do it yourself in your own garage. The above shows the conversion could be very complex and your USD1,000 could be well worth the money for expert conversion.

Always keep in mind your own safety and that of other road users. Get more information on the 8 Key Dos and Don’ts of CNG Car Conversion here.

For more reads on CNG cars check out CNG Cars here and Hybrid Cars Here.