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Natural Gas

Natural gas, a fossil fuel composed of mostly methane, is one of the cleanest burning alternative fuels. It can be used in the form of compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fuel cars and trucks.

Dedicated natural gas vehicles are designed to run on natural gas only, while bi-fuel vehicles can also run on gasoline or diesel. Bi-fuel vehicles allow users to take advantage of the wide-spread availability of gasoline or diesel but use a cleaner, more economical alternative when natural gas is available. Since natural gas is stored in high-pressure fuel tanks, bi-fuel vehicles require two separate fueling systems, which take up passenger/cargo space.

Natural gas vehicles are not available on a large scale in the U.S. However, conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles can be retrofitted for CNG.

In the U.S., about 800 stations sell CNG. View AFDC's Alternative Fueling Station Locator to see if CNG is available in your area.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Natural Gas
Advantages Disadvantages
  • All natural gas used in the U.S. is domestically produced1
  • Up to 10% less greenhouse gas emissions2
  • Roughly half as much particulate emissions that can cause harmful health effects2
  • Less expensive than gasoline
  • Limited vehicle availability
  • Less readily available than gasoline and diesel
  • Fewer miles on a tank of fuel

Additional Information

Fuel Economy Information for Bi-fuel and Natural Gas (CNG) Vehicles - Find a Car

Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center

View Data Sources…
  1. EIA. 2021. Natural Gas Monthly. June 2023. Table 1.
  2. Argonne National Laboratory. 2017. GREET Model (ver. 1.3.0.13395). Note: Estimates are based on well-to-wheels life-cycle comparison of bi-fuel compressed natural gas spark-ignition car to a conventional spark-ignition car operating on gasoline containing 10% ethanol. Greenhouse gas (GHG) estimate is based on 100-year warming potential GHG emissions.

This website is administered by Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. DOE and the U.S. EPA.