Volkswagen installs larger CNG tank in the Touran TSI EcoFuel, extends range to 444 miles
The VW Touran TSI EcoFuel MPV is getting an additional compressed natural gas (CNG) tank that significantly improves the car's range. A new tank placed under the trunk increases the total CNG capacity from 18 to 24 kg. Since the Touran TSI Ecofuel uses 4.6 kg of CNG to run 100 km, the compact MPV can now be driven for 570 km (354 miles) before needing a refill. The car has an additional 11-liter gasoline reservoir, which is enough for additional 150 km (90 miles). Based on current German fuel prices, it costs €4.5 to drive the car 100 km using CNG, compared to €9 if it ran on gasoline or €7 on diesel. CO2 emissions for a vehicle this hefty remain low, at 126 g/km. The one inconvenience? Just the 5-seat Touran is available with the extra tank.
[Source: Auto News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3PeaceSweet 5:11PM (10/09/2009)
CNG Scirocco twin drive?
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Hollywood John 5:46PM (10/09/2009)
No CNG for me.
CNG is a fuel ... I can't make it.... They have to build new CNG gas stations...
Give me plug in hybrid ... keep refining these batteries and in 5 to 10 years we will be able to get a FULL electric car.
Oh year with solar panel on my roof .. I will be able to make that fuel so I won't have to depend on someone else...
Oh yeah and build some Nukes so we can get of the coal power.. that's like a 100 yrs old tech ...it think we can move on ... to something better...
3PeaceSweet 7:33PM (10/09/2009)
I am a big supporter of fully electric cars, but you save more fuel spreading the battery capacity across as many vehicles as possible, eg 10 plug in hybrids with 10 mile all electric range would save more fuel than a single 100 mile range electric vehicle.
Solar and nuclear actually make very good buddies, solar is naturally load following and will sit on top of a nuclear baseload very nicely.
A CNG plug in hybrid running on biomethane would be a pretty ideal vehicle, but you would need room for the batteries and the gas tanks. Hopefully that is where adsorbed natural gas storage would allow you to store gas within other spaces in the vehicle. But really once you have cut your fuel consumption by ~75% with a PHEV-20 it doesn't matter what the engine runs on as you need so little of it.
Brent 1:29AM (10/15/2009)
It might just be me... but isn't this gas combustable?....
Thats a lot of combustible gas, it couldn't pretty well fry a family of 5 in the right accdient there.
Look at the tank placement, back end and under all seats, large fender bender set off the furtherest back tank, then go the other two, and all thats left is some charged bodies and a still new engine to move to a new car.
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Baumm III 8:54AM (10/10/2009)
About 'The one inconvenience? Just the 5-seat Touran is available with the extra tank."
Or this is wrong, or the picture is inadequate, as we can see 7 seats on that picture
CNG is great if you can fill your tank at home, because except Germany and Italy, there is just no CNG station in Europe. A kind of 'carbon' plug-in!
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Larzen 2:18PM (10/10/2009)
...and Europe's CNG supply is at the mercy of Mother Russia. I wouldn't commit
too much to CNG if I were there, unless my country could produce significant
amounts of biomethane at competitive cost. On the other hand, CNG is plentiful
in North America and we have only a CNG import for sale, and very few CNG
fill-up stations.
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