Natural gas is a lighter-than-air gas found in deposits 3,000 to 15,000 feet below the surface of the earth. In compressed, liquefied, or absorbed forms (CNG, LNG, and ANG), it is used as an alternative to gasoline for fueling internal-combustion engines, for cooking, and for heating houses.
 
Natural gas is cheap, costing about $0.70-$1.00 per gallon in 1998. It burns cleanly, reducing carbon monoxide emissions by 65%-90% and almost eliminating particle emissions. It is widely available, the U.S. and Canada have significant deposits, and U.S. has gas distribution pipelines and home refueling stations. CNG vehicles have a very good safety record, partly because of strict design regulations.
 
Because natural gas stores power inefficiently, natural gas vehicles need heavy high-volume tanks, and even so have a limited range (120-180 miles per tank, with 300-mile ranges projected for the future). Although utility companies have gas pipelines in place, there are few stations designed for refueling passenger cars. Refueling natural gas vehicles, furthermore, is a slow process.
 
Etienne Lenoir of France built an automobile in 1862 that was powered by illuminating gas from coal. Since 1992, CNG vehicles have been sold in California. In 1994, there were about 50 thousand vehicles powered by natural gas in the U.S., 34 thousand in Canada, 75 thousand in Australia, 150 thousand in New Zealand, 250 thousand in the former USSR, 350 thousand in Italy, and over 900 thousand worldwide. Many car companies, including Ford, Chrysler, GM, and Honda, sell CNG-powered vehicles in the U.S.		  
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