Summarize：www.chinabuses.org: In a broader sense, the natural gas buses contain LPG(Liquefied Petroleum Gas) buses, CNG(Compressed Natural Gas) buses and LNG(Liquefied Natural Gas) buses. But in a narrow sense, the natural gas buses contain CNG buses and LNG buses. With the oil price rising and the national required emission standard upgrading, the public start to concern more and more on the natural gas buses. Therefore, the natural gas buses are competitive compared with traditional diesel buses.
Due to the sales of the LPG buses are very few, but the time of the CNG buses put into market was so early, so CNG buses are more well known than other kinds of natural gas buses. Besides, though the development of the LNG buses are very fast, at this moment, its name is not so widely known as the CNG buses. So it is to analyze the sales & market of LNG buses in the first four months of 2012 in this article.
Currently, though the hybrid buses and pure-electric buses show their fuel-efficient and environment-friendly advantages to the public, it is still lack of the mature technologies, perfect infrastructure to make the natural buses' operation well. Besides, the high cost of the new energy buses' operation also restricts the development of them.
From the sales of the first four month of the new energy buses in 2012, the slow sales growth show the slow development of the new energy buses. But as we know, as one of the good alternative fuels, the using of the natural gas in the buses will replace the high price of the oil used buses. The natural gas buses will eventually be spontaneous attention by the end users and market.
With the national strategy adjustment on the energy, now the natural gas is supplied to the major cities in China by the several gas fields. Among them, the natural gas transferring from the west to the east for five markets are Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Henan; The natural gas which is also imported from the Central Asia and Russia is transferred to Bohai Bay Area, Yangtze River Region Delta and Pearl River Region; The receiving stations of the LNG in the coastal areas of China are imported from Indonesia, Australia and Qatar. From the above natural gas strategy, it shows that the LNG buses might play a key role in energy-saving and environmental protection in the future.
Part One: Features of LNG Buses- Environmental Protection, Relative Low Cost, Safty & Reliability
Environmental Protection
Compared with the oil or diesel drive buses，LNG buses are better for the environmental protection as its emission can be disposed so as to reach the Euro- V emission standard which is rather a good news for the public.
Relative Low Cost
Compared with oil or diesel drive buses, the low cost of LNG buses show in three aspects: the operation cost lower than other long distance buses, the manufacture cost of the LNG bus' engine and the high price-performance ratio among the buses when confronting with the crisis of oil shortage.
Safety & Reliability
Compared with oil or diesel drive buses, LNG buses are safer than them. As the natural gas has a higher ignition temperature than the gasoline. And it can disperses much more quickly in the air so as to reduce the risk of the cylinder explosion accident.
Besides, LNG buses have other obvious features, such as easy to be storage and transported, light load, small occupied space and long distance driving.
Part Two: Analysis of LNG Buses’ Sales in the First Four Months of 2012
In China, the LNG Buses are mainly driving in the Midwest of China. The Midwest of China has three rich natural gas resources, so the LNG buses are widely used there due to the nearby rich resources and easy gas transportation.
By April 2012, LNG bus regional markets are mainly in Beijing City, Shanghai City, Chongqi City, Tianjing City, Sichuan Province, Hainan Province, Harbin City, Changchun City, Xian City, Urumchi, Guangzhou City, Yinchuan City, Jinan City, Qingdao City, Langfang City and Puyang City etc.
