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Environmental degradation is on the rise due to the increased motor vehicle population. One of the strategies adopted to curb deteriorating environmental quality is the use of alternative fuels like Ethanol, Compressed natural gas and Liquefied Petroleum Gas. Natural gas is the world's most plentiful combustible fuel, abundantly available in all the continents. This naturally occurring fuel requires little or no treatment prior to use as compared to liquid petroleum products. Natural gas is also the lowest costing fuel. The use of CNG as an automotive-fuel results in significant reduction in the level of vehicular pollutants CO, HC, NOx, SOx, Pb and PM [1, 2, 3 and 4]. Additionally, the use of CNG results in reduction in the emissions of greenhouse gases (CO2), owing to the lower Carbon-to-Hydrogen ratio of the methane (CH4), as compared to other hydrocarbon fuels [5, 6 and 7].

Present day technology is continuously being upgraded in order to meet demand for cleaner vehicles by meeting stringent emission norms. The other driving force is vehicle performance in terms of drivability, fuel economy and comfort. Gasoline engine meets all the requirements except fuel economy, where in diesel engine has an advantage. The need of the hour is to achieve drivability, comfort and fuel economy of diesel engine. Apart from development of direct injection common rail and hybrid electric vehicle, this need has also caused development of gaseous fuels like LPG. The gaseous fuel could be CNG, LPG or Hydrogen depending upon the availability. This will also help in delay of depletion of fossil fuel reserves. Main features of this technology are its cost effective operation, modular nature and adaptation on old generation of vehicles.