Channel News Asia 13 Jan 08;
SINGAPORE: Soaring petrol prices have prompted drivers to look for cheaper fuel alternatives.
One alternative is to go for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) cars. A company selling CNG cars sold 80 of them at a road show on Sunday. It usually sells about 100 cars a week.
To cater to more CNG cars – which are cleaner, greener and cheaper than normal cars – three more CNG stations are due to open by the end of the year.
Bi-fuel petrol-CNG cars are a major draw for motorists. It costs more than S$3,000 to retrofit the car before it can use CNG, but S$10 of CNG can allow one to travel up to 220 kilometres.
New cars fitted with CNG technology benefit from the Green Tax Rebate, which is 40 percent off the car's open market value (OMV).
Valerie Tan, managing director of Pinnacle International, said: "For example, you have bought a car with an OMV of S$30,000, so you have a straight rebate from the government – 40 percent off S$30,000, which is S$12,000 off."
But many motorists still want to know how the CNG fuel would affect the cars' performance.
Melvin Toh, potential petrol-CNG car owner, said: "Before I tested, I thought, 'Would there be any difference in acceleration? Would the ride be smooth? Would there be any loading?'. But after I test drove the car, honestly, I couldn't feel any difference."
"I tested two cars. I found the drive quite smooth, even when you change from petrol to CNG and back again. The car didn't have any jerky movement," said Patrick Wong, another potential petrol-CNG car owner.
But owning a petrol-CNG car in Singapore is not all smooth driving. Besides the fact that the gas tank takes up a large amount of space in the boot of the car, those who own bi-fuel cars and live in the eastern parts of Singapore find it harder to refuel.
At present, there is only one refuelling station on Jurong Island.
Three more stations are due to open this year – one in Mandai by mid-February, another in Jalan Buroh in Jurong by end-February and the third in Serangoon North Avenue 5 by year's end.
There are currently no plans to build a refuelling station in the east because most of the gas pipelines are situated in the west of Singapore.
CNG is listed as a hazardous material, so strict controls are in place and transportation is only allowed on certain roads.
- CNA/so
