Nigeria is set to roll out 11,500 Compressed Natural Gas powered buses
If successful, the initiative will aid environmental sustainability, but can the government pull it off?
The Federal Government has announced its plans to deploy 11,500 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered buses this week as a means to ease the public’s transport challenges heightened by the subsidy removal. This announcement was made by the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) on Friday the 27th of October while delivering two CNG buses at Aso Villa.
The details:
- At the delivery visit, Michael Oluwagbemi, PCNGI’s project director said that the launch of the 11,500 CNG-fueled vehicles will be the collective effort of the public and the private sector, cooperative, state, and union-operated mass transit operators within the same period.
- The Federal Government also disclosed its plans to introduce one million CNG vehicles into the country by 2027.
- This was announced by Toyin Subaru, the Special Assistant to the President on Special Duties and Domestic Affairs at a gathering of stakeholders that took place on Sunday at the Bank of Industry headquarters in Abuja.
- The Federal Government guaranteed that the integration of CNG-powered mass transit buses would drastically reduce the price of CNG to NGN 230 per kg, making it a cost-effective and environmentally friendly option for the public.
- Subaru stressed that the introduction of these buses will enable Nigerians to save as high as two-thirds of their regular transport fares.
- Additionally, Oluwagbemi mentioned that the federal government has already ordered 55,000 conversion kits as an initial relief measure to facilitate the conversion process.
Key quote
The steering committee, PCNGI, said:
“In the next few weeks, starting from Lagos, the PCNGI will establish the rollout of more conversion centers to enable 55,000 conversions in the next 6 months under the palliative program.”
Quick explainer
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles run on compressed natural gas, which is primarily composed of methane and is a fossil fuel. CNG is considered a cleaner-burning fuel compared to gasoline or diesel. It produces fewer carbon emissions and particulate matter, which can lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions. It can be more fuel-efficient than gasoline or diesel in terms of energy content per unit volume. However, it may have a lower energy density, resulting in shorter driving ranges.
How the conversion process works
Converting a normal gasoline-run car into a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) car is a complex process that involves significant modifications to the vehicle’s fuel system and engine. Only certified conversion centers and trained professionals can carry out the process.
The process starts with a vehicle safety and compatibility assessment and then a CNG Kit installation, where the CNG is stored in high-pressure tanks, typically in the trunk or under the vehicle. These tanks are made to withstand high pressure and are designed to be safe. After the installation, special high-pressure fuel lines are installed to connect the CNG storage tanks to the engine and a regulator and reducer are installed to reduce the pressure of the CNG before it enters the engine.
In December 2020, the FG launched the National Gas Expansion Program aimed at making CNG the first choice of cheaper and cleaner energy for Nigerians and reducing the country’s high reliance on petrol. However, the adoption rate of this technology has been low due to a large lack of awareness among citizens.
The removal of the fuel subsidy has created the opportunity for the government to promote the CNG initiative to the public who in search of a more affordable alternative to fuel their vehicles.
“Most [cars are] not CNG enabled yet and what we are doing is to help them convert their cars so you can use petrol and CNG at the same time … We are going to develop an app that will enable you to locate where a CNG station is located. We should be able to buy gas for our cars at N230 per KG as against the cost of petrol which is N680 per liter. This should help every Nigerian save about two-thirds of their transport cost,” Subaru said.
The cost of setting up
In an interview with Channels TV, Sunday Ohikere, a citizen who converted his petrol-powered car into a CNG-fueled vehicle said that one of the few disadvantages of the CNG system is the
large space the cylinder takes in the vehicle’s trunk and the high cost of conversion which is estimated to be about NGN 300,000.
Speaking on the cost of conversion, Oluwagbemi, said that the cost varies with the vehicle type and model, but he assured that the government is working on reducing the cost per vehicle.
” The President has ensured that as part of PCNGI, the committee will [subsidize] the cost for the Nigerian populace,” he added.
Zoom out:
- Over the years, several ambitious government initiatives have over-promised and are yet to fully deliver. Some due to unforeseen circumstances, others due to market, economic, and human factors.
- One such initiative is the Lagos state ride scheme, also known as Lagride, which is meant to push out old rickety taxis from the road. But almost a year after it took off, the platform hasn’t garnered as much adoption as it was predicted to.
- Also, there have been several complaints of Lagride operators retrieving vehicles from drivers without prior notice forcing them to automatically forfeit their downpayment and daily payments, despite the agreement to lease-to-own the vehicle after 4 years.
