Abu Dhabi will convert 500 taxis, public vehicles to natural gas

The National, Abu Dhabi Media company's English publication, reports that the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) aims to convert over 500 government vehicles and taxis, including luxury models like the Infiniti G37 sedan, to natural gas by the end of 2012. To date, 177 vehicles have undergone the CNG conversion.

ADNOC intends to eventually offer the natural gas conversions to the private sector, which it claims could save motorists up to 50 percent on refuelling costs. Why this push for natural gas conversions? Well, the oil-rich but water-scarce United Arab Emirates (UAE) possesses the world's fifth-largest natural gas reserves that, at its current rate of utilization, could last another 150 years.

Four CNG conversion centers, including one in Al Manaseer, one in Al Dhafra, another in Khalifa City A and one in Al Ain, will tackle the task of modfying vehicles to run on natural gas. Currently, Abu Dhabi has only 11 CNG fueling stations.

Photos copyright ©2009 Dan Roth / AOL

[Source: The National]