The Japan Gas Association announced on January 18, 2007 that the total number of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles owned in Japan exceeded 30, 000 units in 2006.
CNG vehicles have been sold in Japan since the late 1980s and are gaining popularity. Of all CNG vehicles owned, 40 percent are trucks (mainly 2- to 4-ton cargo trucks), about 30 percent are garbage trucks, buses or small cargo vans, and the rest are light and passenger vehicles.
CNG vehicles are completely black smoke-free, and emit very small amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC). Also, because CO2 emissions are 20-30 percent lower than those of gasoline vehicles, CNG vehicles have a reputation as environmentally friendly, clean energy vehicles.
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