eco cars explosions and rusting tanks: why some natural gas cars cause problems
In their attitude, Germans are overwhelmingly modern. When asked if they would buy a car with alternative propulsion, two out of three citizens answer "yes . In surveys. In fact, they still buy cars powered by classic internal combustion engines – almost 99 percent of the 45 million passenger cars on german roads run on gasoline or diesel. As much as we like to commit ourselves to the technology of the future, to the protection of health and nature – when we are faced with the decision to buy, we prefer to stick to the old-fashioned way of doing things.
Even the premium for electromobility introduced in July 2016 could not change this. the federal government subsidizes the purchase of electric cars to the tune of 4,000 euros; plug-in hybrids, i.e. vehicles that have both a gasoline engine and an electric motor and are much more popular with buyers than purely electric vehicles, receive 3,000 euros. And yet, by the end of the year, only around 9,000 new car buyers had accepted this gift. Success stories look different.
Natural gas is eco
For Germans to actually switch to environmentally friendly vehicles, the decision would have to be sweetened for them. Not only through premiums, but also through intelligent transition technologies that consistently use alternative power sources such as natural gas or hydrogen until batteries for electric cars finally guarantee better ranges. A sensible solution would be cars that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) powered, with natural gas. They emit at least 24 percent less carbon dioxide, produce fewer other pollutants, and when fueled with biogas from renewable resources, they save 80 percent of climate-damaging emissions. The federal government’s goal is therefore to significantly increase their number from the current level of just over 80,000 cars.
Michael walmsley wanted to be there as early as possible. The self-employed copywriter from wuppertal decided to buy a natural gas-powered "VW touran TSI ecofuel" back in november 2012 to buy. "We wanted quality, VW had a good reputation, and the environmental idea was very important to us", he says. The fact that there are only around 900 filling stations nationwide that offer the fuel was not enough to deter him. At least he saved 20 to 30 percent on gasoline because natural gas is less heavily taxed than gasoline.
Trouble from the start
For 15.000 euros, the walmsleys had bought their used eco-car from a VW dealer. The trouble started after just one month with the replacement of two natural gas tanks. On the second christmas holiday in 2015, the touran suddenly stopped while driving and had to be taken to the workshop.
There was a smell of gas in the engine compartment. "The mechanics told me that the control relay was broken and that the tanks were rusty." in these, the natural gas is stored under 200 bar pressure. Estimated repair costs: 8500 euros. Unfortunately, there is no "VW warranty, the problem is known". When walmsley fiercely resisted, volkswagen sent an expert to wuppertal. And picked up the bill for replacing two of the four natural gas tanks mounted under the vehicle floor. But the new steel cylinders soon started to rot again. At the beginning of 2016, two more tanks were replaced at walmsley’s insistence. VW launched a comprehensive recall campaign in the summer and ordered more than 30,000 vehicles into workshops.
The trust of the walmsley family, now numbering four, in their eco-car has nevertheless dwindled. Does the tank really stay tight? "My wife is panicking,", says walmsley. "Every time she stops to fill up, she thinks about whether she’d rather get our kids out of the car beforehand."
Justified worries
Fear has good reasons. At the beginning of september 2016, a VW touran exploded at a natural gas pump in duderstadt, lower saxony, while the driver was filling up the tank. The man was injured, and the sale of natural gas was temporarily halted at numerous filling stations. the public prosecutor’s office in gottingen initiated an investigation, the results of which have been available since the end of november: rust was indeed the cause of the accident, and the corroded tank detonated. A touran ecofuel had already exploded near the swedish city of gothenburg.
Walmsley hopes that he will now have peace of mind after his three exchanges.
The government has set clear targets for manufacturers: by 2020, they must reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, a climate killer, to an average of 95 grams per kilometer. At their national party conference in november, the green party demanded that only truly environmentally friendly vehicles be registered from 2030 onwards. In the foreseeable future, this would put an end to fine dust, nitrogen oxides and harmful climate gases from millions of tailpipes.
The latter is not just party politics, but official government policy: in 2015, germany joined the international zero-emission vehicle alliance (ZEV alliance). In it, the uK, the netherlands, norway and a number of u.s. states commit to allowing only zero-emission vehicles on their roads by 2050.
But why are users of alternative technologies still left alone with their problems by politicians??
The cheap way to protect the environment with natural gas golf
The bungle takes its toll
So it’s not the manufacturers who will have to pay dearly for past mistakes, but also the owners of older natural gas vehicles, in addition to the many people who have suffered rust damage in recent times. According to an EU directive from 2006, your cars will lose their type approval after 15 years if the tanks are not replaced. Hardly any natural gas drivers are aware of this problem. Thomas schuster, test engineer and automotive expert, says: "the replacement leads to a total economic loss for the customer." because the costs for it can be a good 5000 euros. An amount that often exceeds the residual value of the vehicles. At volvo, for instance, the "V70 bi-fuel models" are affected up to the 2002 model year. With fiat the "marea bipower"-models and the "multipla bipower.
For the time being, at least owners of the gas models potentially affected by rust are to be protected from further explosions by an improvised safety measure: only those who can prove with a workshop certificate that they have had their old CNG tanks replaced with new, supposedly more durable ones, are allowed to fill fuel into a VW touran built between 2006 and 2010, for example. But the corrosion resistance of the installed steel tanks stands and falls with the strength of a special paint coating. Unlike gas tanks from some other manufacturers, they are not made of stainless steel, but are merely coated with a protective layer.
Progress for safe tanks
But there are now higher-quality materials. Models from the VW subsidiary audi, for example, but also the new golf are equipped with much more modern refueling solutions. They are made of plastics reinforced with carbon and glass fibers, do not rot, are light and strong. This technology has also proven itself for years in firefighters’ breathing apparatus cylinders. They cost a lot more, but they last a lot longer.
The volkswagen group has lost a great deal of trust in the wake of the scandal involving manipulated emissions values for its diesel vehicles. The company has just launched an ambitious image campaign to win the public’s approval. The big ads promise: "every single customer is important to us." But does the promise of loyalty really apply to everyone??
Natural gas before the end? Offside
In the U.S. market, the multi-billion dollar compensation program for diesel buyers is imminent, which in turn is upsetting German customers because they feel they are being treated worse. The legal situation in Germany makes comparable compensation payments virtually impossible. And customers like walmsley, who do not belong to the millions of diesel buyers but to the minority of natural gas customers, do not feel loved by the VW family anyway.
Openness and customer service
Radical openness and goodwill are urgently needed, not only because of the resale value of natural gas cars. The wolfsburg-based carmaker intends to continue building and selling natural gas cars under the VW umbrella brand and at its subsidiaries audi, seat, and škoda. And mercedes benz, fiat and opel are also getting in on the act – more than 20 CNG models are on the market. Prices range from 12,160 euros for a "seat mii ecofuel 1".0 start& stop" and 48,000 euros for an "E 200 natural gas drive from mercedes benz.
But instead of becoming a success story, natural gas cars have been one thing above all: a lesson in how a mature, ecological alternative has been promoted only half-heartedly, its small group of buyers hardly valued by the industry, and its image ruined in the end.
The walmsleys are now considering a new purchase, but a natural gas car is out of the running. "We’ll buy a gasoline-powered car. "But probably not from VW", says michael walmsley. He hopes that this time everything will work out.