Anyone Have a CNG Camry?

[VentanaX6]

If you dont already know, there were a few Camry with the ability to run bi-fuel, that is on reg. gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG). From what I've read, Toyota stopped making these in 1998 and they were only sold to fleet depts, usually govt. agencies that used them for business use.

They are very hard to find and cost more than a reg. Camry. The best part is you get to drive solo in the carpool lane!

Anyone have one? Where can one of these be had in N. Calif?

[csaxon]

They still make them. They stopped selling it in US for the 2002 model year. Last model sold here was Oct 2001.

[Eye8Pussies]

or you can always convert your car....I had a buddy of mine whose dad worked for a natural gas company and he had his car converted...and I don't think it was a for a ridiculous amount either

[dna59]

Damn I learnt somethign 2day. Didn't know there was such a camry.

[marc780]

I work for a fleet that uses about 20 of these CNG Camrys that you are talking about. They are year 2000 models by the way. These are not dual fuel vehicles, they are CNG only. And i've not seen a dual fuel Camry; but it wouldnt surprise me if they made a few at some point.

These same camrys are the ones that sold me on owning one for myself (the gasoline burning kind). As the other fellow says you CAN drive one of these in the car pool lane, but you need a special sticker/permit from the state and these are issued in limited quantities, and hard to come by now!

There are several advantages of CNG engines: it is very easy on the engine oil, as it does not get so dirty so fast. And these engines tend to last longer than the gasoline model, simply because there is no fuel dilution of the oil - CNG is always a gas and never a liquid and so theres little chance of it making its way into the oil. unlike gasoline.

However, there are some significant disadvantages to CNG: The engine and fuel system has more exotic, expensive and hard to find parts like special filters and pumps. And its not easy to find a shop that is qualified to fix all this. Also the miles- per-gallon is abysmal, much much less than a gasoline model, at least 30% less i'd say. (There arent as many BTU's in CNG as there are in gasoline.) A full tank only takes you about 130 miles. And of course, when was the last time you passed a gas station that sold CNG? For alot of people the answer'd be never. So where are you going to get fuel on a long trip?

Alternative energy like CNG, is the real answer to our present political, economic and military mess in the Middle East. but it remains to be seen whether CNG is developed further, or the automakers/oil companies decide to go with some other fuel such as hydrogen (which is at least a decade away from being ready), or perhaps even gas-from-coal fuel (sometimes called gasoal), or perhaps even methanol.

[aussie_gen1]

Originally Posted by marc780

Alternative energy like CNG, is the real answer to our present political, economic and military mess in the Middle East. but it remains to be seen whether CNG is developed further, or the automakers/oil companies decide to go with some other fuel such as hydrogen (which is at least a decade away from being ready), or perhaps even gas-from-coal fuel (sometimes called gasoal), or perhaps even methanol.

i'm betting on electricity

[timebuilder]

The issue with electricity is battery capacity. What we will probably have is hydrogen (when it can be stablized for transport and kept safe until just before induction) and elecrtric hybrids until the battery issue is solved.

[aussie_gen1]

I agree with you on the hybrids. But it don't think it makes economic sense to invest in hydrogen refilling technology until there are a substantial number of hydrogen vehicles on the road, and noone is going to buy a hydrogen car if they can't refuel it. And I figure batteries have a wide range of uses and potential uses, so they must be huge effort going into making them better. And indeed, battery only cars are getting better range and power rapidly, it seems, but it's certainly not cheap yet. Economies of scale will make things cheaper quickly, tho, like PC computing power, for instance.
There are several things holding electric cars back, tho. The vested interests of oil companies, and the fact that electric only cars need a lot less maintainance. They need no fuel, lubrication, cooling or transmission. This makes it hard for the car companies to make money off the cars owners over time for parts, lubracant, coolant, and servicing.

[marc780]

i'm betting on electricity

You're possibly right, the answer now to the drawbacks of straight electricity are addressed in the hybrids. But battery technology is not where it should be now, if only due to their cost. Not long ago I i had to tow one of our fleet Ford electric trucks to the dealer. These trucks were basically Ford Ranger sized but ran on electricity only. It needed new batteries. The service girl quoted the price of the new batteries - $18,000. And this truck was 4 years old and had less than 30,000 miles on it.

[aussie_gen1]

Originally Posted by marc780

You're possibly right, the answer now to the drawbacks of straight electricity are addressed in the hybrids. But battery technology is not where it should be now, if only due to their cost. Not long ago I i had to tow one of our fleet Ford electric trucks to the dealer. These trucks were basically Ford Ranger sized but ran on electricity only. It needed new batteries. The service girl quoted the price of the new batteries - $18,000. And this truck was 4 years old and had less than 30,000 miles on it.

Ouch, what are hybrid batteries gonna cost after four years? I guess car companies don't sell a lot of replacement batteies...

[MemphisR]

dam i just checked the price on a 2004 honda civic hybrid battery it checks in at just under 3,000 if that went after just 30,000 miles and they didnt warranty it, i'd be pissed as hell, but then again what can you really do tho. . . .

[marc780]

dam i just checked the price on a 2004 honda civic hybrid battery it checks in at just under 3,000 if that went after just 30,000 miles and they didnt warranty it, i'd be pissed as hell, but then again what can you really do tho. . . .

Right now, the answer is "wait". We also have some of the afore mentioned hydrogen cars, (made by the now-defunct Daimler-chrysler corporation) and the special facility to fuel it. The performance is similar to a corolla with one spark plug out, a little slow but driveable and not a toy. the starting procedure is annoying, you turn the key and wait about 30 seconds for the power level to come up and then it makes a strange humming sound before you drive off. The milage is even worse than CNG, much worse, maybe 80 miles per tank ful of hydrogen. Like i said, not ready for prime time, and wont be for years.

[moore101]

Originally Posted by marc780

However, there are some significant disadvantages to CNG: The engine and fuel system has more exotic, expensive and hard to find parts like special filters and pumps. And its not easy to find a shop that is qualified to fix all this. Also the miles- per-gallon is abysmal, much much less than a gasoline model, at least 30% less i'd say. (There arent as many BTU's in CNG as there are in gasoline.) A full tank only takes you about 130 miles. And of course, when was the last time you passed a gas station that sold CNG? For alot of people the answer'd be never. So where are you going to get fuel on a long trip?

Your fleet drivers must be very hard on their CNG Camry's. They have 13 GGE tanks and can go about 310 highway miles on a fill fillup. Mine has had no problems driving from LA to Phoenix. I normally get 28 to 30 MPG on the highway.