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Who:
Engineers
Where: The
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
in Laurel, Md.
What: Designed
and built three cars that run on natural gas instead of gasoline.
Why:
Cars that don't use gasoline have very low exhaust emissions
and so are better for the environment and people.
Additional facts:
Emissions from gasoline cars pollute
the air and make it unhealthy.
Cars that run on natural gas produce about one-fifth the exhaust
emissions of gasoline cars. They pollute the atmosphere much
less and are healthier for people.
Natural gas cars don't depend on oil from foreign countries.
It is estimated that America has a 200-year supply of natural
gas. Until now, America hasn't made many natural gas cars.
The gas tanks took up so much room there was very little trunk
space. But the APL natural gas cars have a new type of storage
tank that takes up less room so the cars have the same trunk
space as a gasoline car.
Up to now, most natural
gas cars could only go about 150 miles before refueling, and
there were very few natural gas filling stations. But APL's
cars can go 300 miles on a full tank, and every day there
are more natural gas filling stations.
Natural gas costs less. If a fill-up with gasoline costs $20,
natural gas would be about $12.50.
At APL, the three
natural gas cars are used for company business. Drivers say
they look the same and drive the same as gasoline cars.
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