by More than a third of cars in Ukraine have been converted to gas. This information is no longer surprising, as perpetually rising gasoline prices leave no other choice. Gas fuel prices are also on the rise, but the average annual difference between gasoline and gas is almost always twofold. For cars with large engine volumes, regular driving will result in significant savings.
In capital city car services, it is said that the majority of cars brought in for installation are from America. By the way, there is a mistaken belief that American market cars require 92 octane gasoline. This is nothing more than a myth, as America determines octane ratings using a slightly different method. Today, let’s understand how gas for cars from the USA differs from conversions of models familiar to us.
When installing CNG, it doesn’t matter which country the car is imported from. What matters is the fuel injection system it is equipped with. Cars with regular, distributed injection from Europe, Korea, China, or America are the same for conversion. Practically any modern CNG from well-known manufacturers can be installed on them. It will work approximately the same. The difference lies in resource, durability, and correctness of operation. A good turnkey system, which does not require frequent repairs and adjustments, will cost from 450 euros in Kyiv.
If you bought a car with direct fuel injection, the situation is different. This technology, unlike distributed injection, injects gasoline not into the intake manifold but directly into the combustion chamber (cylinder), as in diesel. To supply gasoline to the combustion chamber during the compression stroke, where there is high pressure, the fuel pressure must be higher (mechanical pumps installed provide 100 bar or higher). It should also be noted that such engines operate on a binary mixture, consuming gas and gasoline simultaneously in an approximate ratio of 80/20. Gasoline cannot be completely excluded; it is necessary for cooling the standard injectors. If gasoline is not supplied, the injectors will quickly fail.
Technology doesn’t stand still, and some concerns have started to produce models equipped with piezo injectors that use pressure of more than 1000-2000 bar. Currently, only the company Prins (Netherlands) has released CNG for such engines.
Why is this needed? To ensure compliance with modern high toxicity standards. Engines with direct injection succeed in meeting stringent environmental standards. The higher the pressure, the smaller the fuel droplets get atomized. The smaller the droplets, the more completely it burns. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve the EURO 6 standard with distributed injection.
Features of Installing CNG on Direct Injection
On cars with direct injection, it is not possible to install ordinary fourth-generation CNG; individual kits are needed for each engine. Working with them takes more time and requires high qualifications of the installer and tuner.
Roman Matveev, director of Kyiv’s Motor-Gas Auto Service, explained the complexity of creating equipment for such engines:
“The main large manufacturers of gas equipment are located in Europe. For engineers to create new software for engines with direct injection, a vehicle needs to be physically delivered to the factory, the operating algorithms studied, and the necessary indicators taken. The main part of the car fleet in Europe consists of small cars 1-1.5 liters, while here, on the contrary, cars from America with large volumes are becoming more popular. For many manufacturers, it’s simply costly to bring each model popular here to create individual software.
We work with Polish manufacturer ALEX, which created a universal system called IDEA. As the exclusive representative of ALEX in Ukraine, we have undergone training and have tools that allow for the development of software remotely, without driving cars to Poland each time.
The procedure is as follows: a car owner arrives at our service, and using an oscilloscope, we read the impulses of the gasoline injectors and pass the data to ALEX engineers. The software part is developed within a few days. When everything is ready, we invite the client for installation. In this way, we have launched numerous cars: Chevrolet Cruze/Equinox with 1.4 and 1.5 turbo/2.4 engines, Honda Accord 2.4, Honda Pilot 3.5, and Acura MDX 3.5, where in addition to direct injection, there is a cylinder deactivation system, among many others. Prices for installing CNG IDEA start at 900 euros.
In conclusion, it can be summarized that there may be three main reasons why you might be refused conversion of your car to alternative fuel:
- Lack of qualification and experience in such work;
- The installer simply does not know about the existence of a kit for this car;
- There is no kit for this car (due to technical peculiarities).
