Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) announced it will fund a field demonstration of adsorbed natural gas bi-fuel vehicles powered by natural-gas-compressing technology developed by Adsorbed Natural Gas Products, Inc. and Ingevity. Adsorbed natural gas technology uses Ingevity’s Nuchar activated carbon to reduce the storage pressure of natural gas without sacrificing the volume of natural gas stored through a process called adsorption.

Adsorbed natural gas vehicles can be fueled at public-access compressed natural gas stations, and from home or work through a refueling compressor. They operate at significantly lower fueling pressure than standard compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, refilling at 900 psi instead of 3,600 psi. This reduces energy consumption by more than 50% and decreases fueling time by more than 60%. As natural gas costs $1.00-$1.50 less per gasoline-gallon equivalent than gasoline, adsorbed natural gas offers a lower-cost fueling alternative.

“Having SoCalGas as a project partner will provide invaluable insight and support as we work to demonstrate the value of adsorbed natural gas to the natural gas community and light-duty vehicle fleets, and commercialize this exciting new technology,” said Ed Woodcock, executive vice president and president of Performance Materials at Ingevity.

SoCalGas is providing funding for the project with research and development funds authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission and will also test and validate the adsorbed natural gas vehicles during a six-month demonstration period. Results from SoCalGas' demonstration will support a commercial rollout of adsorbed natural gas vehicles to fleet operators in Southern California.