Page B8

THE REVIEW 9781-2nd St., Sidney B.C.

Energy, Mines and
Resources Canada

The meeting is: across town
and. you flag down an. ap-
proaching taxi. It looks perfectly
ordinary — a clean, late-model
car. But it hides a secret — and
‘only the driver can tell.

This taxi is using a fuel of the
future today.. A large metal tank
in the trunk contains natural gas,
the fuel that will take you to the
meeting. Since natural gas
distribution points are still
limited, the taxi is.a dual-fuel
(natural gas and gasoline) vehicle.
But the driver prefers to use
natural gas.

Natural gas is tasteless, col-
ourless and odourless. For safety
reasons, however, the gas is
odorized to make it detectable in
very small concentrations.
Natural gas is non-toxic and: can
harm humans only if it becomes
so concentrated that there i is no air
to breathe.

‘For Canadians, there are im-

pressive advantages to filling me

tank with natural gas:

® It is cheaper than gasoline. —

© Canada has large reserves.

* Engines burning natural gas
should last longer. Gasoline
contains gum, sulphur, water
and. additives .to. prevent
‘knock’ that are not burned
completely.
becomes thick with — these
residues and the sludge causes
wear on rings and bearings.
These samme. impurities. create
carbon deposits that foul

Engine oil.

_ Energy effi iciency
isa guaranteed
“~~ Cure for those

Energie, Mines et
Ressources Canada

Natural gas: Canada’s fuel of tomorrow

spark plugs. Natural gas
eliminates these and other
engine difficulties, including
hot spots, carburetor pro-
blems and sticky valves.

Natural gas reduced pollution

problems. Use of catalytic

converters with natural gas has
reduced noxious emissions by
as much as 90 per cent.

Finally, natural gas is as safe
as the gasoline now used in
cars. Natural gas is lighter

than air and quickly disperses
into the atmosphere when a
leak occurs. It will ignite ony
at about 650°C; gasoline will
ignite at around 250°C. Final-
ly, government standards for
natural gas fuel system com-
ponents and storage tanks are
stringent. In one test, a con-
tainer escaped unscathed from
a 100 km/hr rear-end collision
in which even the frame of the
car was crushed.

The Government of Canada

has a conversion grant program,

which ends March 31, 1987, that
provides $500 for each vehicle
equipped with a natural gas
system. Financial assistance may
be available from local natural gas
utilities or from provincial
governments. The rest of the cost
can be recovered over the life of
the car. For example, a driver who
spends $150 a month on gasoline
would recover a $2000 conversion

in less than two years. Taxis can

realize a total payback within
three months.
Natural gas

internationally.
developing

Italy has been
substitutes for

gasoline since World War II. The
Po Valley has a large supply of
natural gas, and 250,000 vehicles
in Italy were running on natural
gas by 1979. Interestingly, not one
Italian traffic fatality has every

vehicles are.
- becoming more and more popular

‘Wednesday, December 3, 1986

been ascribed to natural gas.

New Zealand has 90,000 cars
using natural gas — 9 per cent of
the automobiles-in the country.
Indonesia, Egypt, Japan,

Australia, The Netherlands and.

France are just a few of.the coun-
tries joining the switch to natural
gas.

In Canada, more than 8,000 .

vehicles have been converted to
this fuel of the future. Some ex-
amples are:

®* The B.C. Automobile
Association converted - its
emergency road. service
vehicles to natural gas and
report a yearly saving of
$117,568.

* Limousines Samson, which
provides a shuttle ‘service bet-
ween Montreal and Dorval

‘and Mirabel airports, con-
verted 20 vehicles to natural
gas following a five-month
‘trial period in 1983. The com-
‘pany has reported a saving of
about $6000. per vehicle each
year, as well as reduced
maintenance costs.

e Black Top Cabs Company in
Vancouver has 120 vehicles on

“natural gas and has even in-

Stalled its own fueling station.

' These and hundreds of other
similar reports augur well for the
use of natural gas as a transporta-
tion fuel of the future. Certainly,
it will supply. much of Canada’s
energy needs well into the next
century.

Next time you are.
© building or renovating a.
home, remember, even.with

co age tame

“chills you get with .
- your electricity or gas).
bill, for those shivers you.
~ feel when you hear about the cost
“of heating oil, and for those coughing
~ fits you seem to develop every |
time you see how much you pay”
for hot-water... —.
ear Energy efficiency; in fact,
a an Cures almost every cold-related
oe i yourand your house -
suffer from. -

lower energy prices, energy.»
\ efficiency is an excellent investment.
aN Energy efficiency will improve the -
~ comfort of your home, as well
as be financially rewarding.
So don’t suffer needlessly
_ from the effects of the
~ common cold. Proper:
_home-energy managé- 8 wrt
“ment and good.energy
habits will cure it at
7 every timel ep

. ~_ Energie. Mines et |
Rossources Canada
LHon. Marcel Masse,’ .
illidied 7

we Energy, Mines and |

‘a ‘Resources Canada
- Hon. Marcel Masse, ©
Minister ae

Wo as ER PE ae