Recently, I had the luxury of selling off one of the two vehicles my family owned. When that happened, there were no CNG talks and no one was preaching the gospel of converting vehicles, especially ‘gas guzzlers’ like my V6 daily driver to CNG.
The reason for the sale was simple and to the point: we needed money to finance an ongoing project and there wasn’t anywhere we could easily get such an amount without borrowing.
A decision was made: one of the vehicles needed to go.
For context, the other vehicle had about 230k miles on the clock – but was immaculate. There were no issues whatsoever with it and though it was a 2002 model, I had always insisted it was more reliable than the Lexus (which is something I hardly say).
Then, there was the ES330 shown below – a 2006 example, also clean and with about 160k miles on the clock at the time of the decision.
It was quite a decision: to keep the smaller i4 and more frugal engine that had been pampered all through its life or keep the power but ‘not very efficient’ larger V6 that was a little thirsty and hadn’t been as pampered and as reliable as the i4.
Strangely (at least for some), the decision wasn’t a hard one: we simply decided to keep ‘power’ and let ‘economy’ go. The i4 was sold and the V6, to this day, has been kept in the family.
So, why make the ‘unreasonable’ decision to keep a ‘guzzler’ and a slightly less reliable vehicle and sell off a more reliable option?
The reason is devilishly simple and amazingly innocent: POWER.
Article Outline
Power Is the Name of the Game
No one in his normal senses simply walks to a car lot and picks up a V6 because of the cylinder configuration.
V6s (and their close cousins), V8s, have always been bought and kept for the power they command, effortlessly: simply push the pedal, instant tranny kick down, a roar, and then, magic!
Then, there’s also the torque factor, which try as turbos and chargers attempt, the feel isn’t the same – for those who need to haul heavy stuff around.
So, power was and remains the name of the game. The V6 was important and ultimately, was kept because it was superior – and offered realities only it could offer. The i4 wasn’t competition in this regard.
But, is the power and versatility of the V6 (against the i4) the only reason(s) why the vehicle was kept?
No, but the above remains the primary reason why the very concept of CNG sounds ridiculous; why convert a V6 to CNG and sacrifice the only attribute that makes it worth keeping; its power?
It turns out that my resistance to CNG was only just beginning.
Dearth of Manpower
I’ve already shared why I chose to become an auto DIY mechanic. Along the way, I also answered ‘the call’ and became a full-time car blogger, but, I digress.
The thinking behind sneering at the CNG craze at the moment is closely tied to the above.
My logic is simple and easy to understand: if I could not find a reliable mechanic to handle my gasoline-powered engine and had to become one myself, what was my chance with CNG, a relatively new technology that everyone was still trying to get the hang of?
The ‘Local’ Factor
Politicians, the world over are the same: they speak with both sides of their mouths and generally do things that only serve their interests, short or long-term.
However, when it comes to my primary country of residence, the folks we’re unfortunate to have at the helm of affairs are a strange and unique specie.
As far back as 2009, the country’s citizens paid the highest price at the pumps, when compared to other OPEC countries.
Not much has changed through the decades. If anything, things have become much worse, especially with the recent hike in pump prices that has shot everything else through the roof.
Now, it doesn’t take genius to figure out that converting to CNG from gasoline is and will remain only a measure that provides temporary relief as prices of CNG will shoot through the roof in classical style, sooner than later.
Why not simply stay with what you know and understand better?
A Poor Supply Chain
Electric cars are simple, but remain a marvel of human ingenuity. A few years back, many scoffed at the idea of having a vehicle with a chargeable battery running the roads.
Fast-forward to this day, electric cars are a reality – except that charging them viably is an issue, one that remains the major con you need to consider if you’re weighing electric vehicles either in Europe or America.
Elsewhere where CNG is the ‘new electric’ cars, the challenge of powering these alternative energy vehicle types is still very potent.
For instance, in some states, not only are there no CNG retrofitting centers/technicians but there are also no CNG refilling stations, rendering the folks who live in such locations completely at the mercy of neighboring states (still battling to serve its indigenous populations).
Sometimes, the decisions make themselves…in this case, the decision NOT to switch over to CNG remains pretty much fixed and clearly decided.
A Tale of Substandard Kits
Since the campaign for CNG took over locally, there have been tales upon tales of explosions everywhere.
The government, in its classical fashion, blames the blasts on substandard kits.
The irony, however, is that there’s SON, a statutory body charged with the responsibility of ensuring that tales like the above aren’t even told, in the first place.
It’s quite a sorry state of affairs that leaves every rational fellow mortally afraid – even in the face of the numerous reassurances that no one really takes seriously.
Why risk life or limb on the words of folks who don’t use the technology they passionately defend?
Summary? The country is pushing for CNG adoption but the timing is wrong. Completely.
So, What’s the Plan?
It’s now clear that I won’t be converting my daily driver to CNG. I also won’t be counseling anyone I care about to consider the move.
So, what’s the way out?
The strategy is simple: buy what you can comfortably fuel without needing to think of any conversion.
For some, that may be a V12-powered engine. For others, it will be the Honda Super Cub 50.
For me? A 1.0-liter engine as a daily driver while I get to buy and keep all the V6s and V8s I come across and fall in love with.
Who said one can’t eat his cake and have it?