The China National Heavy Duty Truck Group (SinoTruck) and the Datong Beiyu New Energy Co signed a cooperation agreement, on Oct 12, for a petrol-to-gas conversion project, in response to the global energy crisis, environmental pollution problems, and climate change.

China is trying to speeds up development of energy-saving, new-energy cars, as part of a global effort, with years of testing that has shown that natural gas is the preferred alternative fuel for environmental protection and cost. Natural gas is condensed into liquefied natural gas at close to atmospheric pressure, by cooling it to approximately -162 C (-260 F), for ease of storage or transport.

Petrol-to-gas conversion is practiced on a large scale, covering the cities of Beijing, Urumqi, Changsha, Guiyang, and elsewhere and, in this cooperative venture, SinoTruck will be responsible for technology and parts and Beiyu for retrofits. Both have set up service stations for-sale services to ensure that vehicles are in safe operation condition.

SinoTruck is at the very center of China's heavy duty truck industry and has a full range of commercial vehicles, with an annual output of a million units.

Edited by Roger Bradshaw