The removal of fuel subsidy from premium motor spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol which has jacked up the price to over N500 per litre across the country has once again brought to the fore the need for alternative mobility that is less dependent on petrol.
Apart from being too expensive in Nigeria at the moment with many motorists grumbling over the high cost of fuelling their vehicles, petrol-powered automobiles are no longer environmentally friendly given the carbon emission into the air. Already, many countries are phasing out fossil fuel vehicles to be replaced with clean energy vehicles like electric vehicles or those powered by liquefied natural gas or compressed natural gas.
While Nigeria’s vehicle electrification drive is still at its infancy, the gas option has been described as a veritable alternative to the sudden rise in price of PMS which is giving many motorists a headache.
Already Nigeria has a rich gas reserve that is even yet to be tapped according to experts.
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According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Nigeria has a huge gas reserve estimated at 206 trillion cubic feet, the 9th largest in the world.
The federal government had also declared a decade of gas to leverage the huge gas reserve to drive usage of gas for not only domestic usage but to power automobiles.
In 2020, the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari launched a scheme to convert over 1m vehicles running on petroleum to gas as it moved to reduce reliance on petrol-powered vehicles.
The government had said it is more economical to power automobiles using autogas rather than petrol.
According to energy experts, gas is the next frontier for Nigeria given the high cost of fuel and even the uncertainty in the international oil market.
General Manager, Corporate Communication and Zonal Coordination of the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Dr Ginah O. Ginah, who spoke in Lagos at a media workshop recently said, “The federal government also has a policy on auto fuel, that is, to convert our motor vehicles to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) instead of petrol which we find difficult to produce.”
He stressed the importance of this, saying the CNG is cleaner and using it on vehicles would reduce the maintenance cost in addition to generating more employment opportunities and boosting economic activity along that value chain.
He added, “Before this time, we have had some filling stations that are dispensing CNG; I ran into one of them in Benin, I think it was NIPCO filling station, and this was some years back; they already had filling stations that were dispensing CNG. On the Benin axis alone, they had converted more than 5,000 vehicles. The only problem was to ramp up that particular achievement and replicate it in all the states in the country. They were able to replicate it in Ibafo in Ogun State.
“Gas is very clean for you and it would reduce your maintenance cost because if your car is using CNG, it doesn’t need any deposit of smoke and oil in your engine.”
Justice Derefaka, one-time Technical Adviser on Gas Business and Policy Implementation to former Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, explained the conversion process and said it would take at least seven hours at the various conversion centres across the country to finish the process.
“The conversion of your vehicle is not something that will take three weeks or seven days; it will take you around seven to eight hours because they (technicians) need to do a diagnosis of your vehicle to see if it is fit for conversion. After that, they will test for roadworthiness and then proceed.”
Components for conversion
To convert your petrol car to CNG, one would need a couple of components and an experienced metal fabricator that can drill and join pieces together in a premium way. The following are the components you need for a proper CNG conversion on your car according to auto technicians:
- A gas tank
- A regulator
- Parallel fuel rail
- CNG injectors
- An adapter
- A wiring harness
- Fuelling ECU.
Former Director of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr Mamudu Luqman, while saying the drive to encourage gas-powered vehicles is welcome, advised that existing petrol stations can install gas filling facilities.
“Government should also encourage production of the cylinders locally and provide installation training on a sustainable basis. The price must be competitive compared to petrol or diesel. Otherwise, it will only serve the purpose of cleaner air which in itself is desirable,” he said.
Already some auto firms operating in Nigeria are championing the course of switching to gas-powered vehicles.
Taking the lead is the indigenous auto manufacturer, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing, which recently unveiled natural gas-powered trucks, buses and cars into the Nigerian market.
The new set of vehicles unveiled at the IVM factory in Nnewi, Anambra State, recently will specifically run on Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
The CNG and LNG buses, Innoson said, reflect its commitment to promoting environmentally friendly transportation in Nigeria.
It stated, “They are designed to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality while providing a comfortable and safe ride for passengers.”
Kojo Motors, owners of the Yutong range of buses, has also introduced Yutong passenger buses powered by CNG.
The new CNG-powered bus unveiled at the Abuja Motor Fair last year was designed as a veritable alternative to petrol-powered cars.
Although vehicles can use natural gas as either a liquid or a gas, most vehicles use the gaseous form, compressed to about 218 kg/cm2.
According to the manufacturers of Yutong, the 10-metre CNG inter- and intra-city compressed natural gas commercial passenger bus is coming into the Nigerian market with numerous advantages.
And with petrol prices going to the roof, many people say gas can be an alternative to vehicle owners. But how cost-effective?
Yutong said CNG is about 50 per cent cheaper than petrol.
“Without air conditioning, when the speed is 24km/h, the 100km gas consumption is 41 cubic metres. At 32 kilometres per hour, the gas consumption per 100 kilometres is 31 cubic metres.
“With air conditioning on, gas consumption increases by 10%. This is experimental data; specific gas consumption will be affected by road conditions, congestion, driver’s driving habits and so on, we do not promise gas consumption,” the company said.
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