Natural gas vehicle Natural gas vehicle A natural gas vehicle (NGV) is an alternative fuel vehicle that uses compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG). Natural gas vehicles should not be confused with vehicles powered by LPG (mainly propane), which is a fuel with a fundamentally different composition. In a natural gas powered vehicle, energy is released by combustion of essentially Methane gas () fuel with Oxygen () from the air to carbon dioxide () and water vapor () in an internal combustion engine. Methane is the cleanest burning hydrocarbon and many contaminants present in natural gas are removed at source.
Natural gas to flow in economical quantities, shale gas wells depend on fractures to allow the gas to flow. Early shale gas wells depended on natural fractures through which gas flowed; almost all shale gas wells today require fractures artificially created by hydraulic fracturing. Since 2000, shale gas has become a major source of natural gas in the United States and Canada. Because of increased shale gas production, the United States is now the number one natural gas producer in the world. Following the success in the United States, shale gas exploration is beginning in countries such as Poland, China, and South