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>At 10:14 PM 7/1/97 -0700, you wrote: >>VW Addict wrote: >>> There were also wood and natural gas powered VWs in the mid-late 40's. >>> just goes to show you what a VW is capable of. >>I'm curious what would be involved in converting a VW to natural gas or >>propane. I'm not interested in undertaking this myself, it just strikes >>me as the kind of kit that would appeal a lot to people trying to nurse >>old cars past emission standards. >>Cheers, >>Sean. >At 07:05 AM 7/2/97 -0600, Boyd Drew wrote: >sean, >not a bad idea, Im not sure exactly what it would entail, i think its the addition of a tank, regulator, and different carburetor, or carburetor kit. I know several years ago you could go to your local gas company (natural gas/propane) and they could give you loads of information on the conversion. I would assume that this would still be true. >Good Luck, and if you do it, let all of us know how ot works out ! >Regards, >Drew Cars running on wood or coal was quite common during WW-2 (as far as there were cars running in civilian hands). The wood/coal was gasified in a sort of stove, and the gas fed into the carburettor. Another option was to mount a sort of "zeppelin" on your roof filled with natural gas. After the war, these methods were quickly dispensed because they were all very cumbersome. In the 1970s LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas = propane + butane) became quite popular in various countries in Europe, notably Italy and the Netherlands. It is also available in countries such as Australia and Canada. While LPG became popular largely because it was cheap, goverments have since discovered LPG as a very environmentally friendly fuel. For example, the city of Athens (Greece) had all of its taxi cabs converted to run on LPG to bring down the levels of exhaust gasses. Modern LPG systems use direct injection and are controlled by the standard engine management system, proving a good, clean and smooth running engine. LPG is here to stay and will (have to) be used more in the future. Hanno Spoelstra <H.L.Spoelstra@WbMt.TUDelft.NL> Bloemendaal, The Netherlands (running his '71 Bug on LPG and I loving it) For more info see: http://www.wps.com/LPG/index.html And read e-mails like: >From: Veeduber@AOL.COM >Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 12:22:52 -0400 >Subject: Re: LPG powered air-cooled VWs > >Additional comments: > >Air-cooled VW's powered by LPG have been featured in the VW-specific >magazines. Information on such conversions is available from a number of >sources. The Industrial Engine Division of VOA offered LPG-powered engines. > >Despite a number of on-paper advantages, conversion to LPG has proven >impractical for the majority of VW owners in the western United States for >two reasons, non-availability of LPG, and the size of the tank needed to >achieve a practical driving range. > >LPG tanks are pressure vessels similar to the propane tanks seen in rural >areas. The lower energy content of LPG dictates the need to carry twenty or >more gallons of LPG to achieve the same range you would get from ten or >twelve gallons of gasoline. Fitting such a large pressure vessel in a sedan >makes the back seat unusable for passengers and raises the vehicle's weight >by a significant amount. Use of a smaller tank ties you to the vicintity of >the fuel source. > >Canada has addressed the problem of LPG availability in a more intelligent >fashion than has the US, with LPG available at nearly every service station. > But for the forseeable future the use of LPG-powered vehicles in the western >United States is only practical in those areas where LPG is readily >available, which as of summer 1996 means metropolitan areas only. > >- -Bob