Atlanta Gas Light said it will test adsorbed natural gas (ANG) bi-fuel vehicles using technology developed by Adsorbed Natural Gas Products.

The utility said that ANG technology uses activated carbon to reduce the storage pressure of natural gas by as much as 75%.

In October 2018, Adsorbed Natural Gas Products was awarded a patent for its vehicle-based ANG technology. The company earlier worked with the Ford Qualified Calibration Modifier and Qualified Vehicle Modifier programs to calibrate its storage technology to Ford’s 2018 and 2019 5.0 L V8 port fuel direct-injection technology for the 2018 and 2019 F150.

Adsorbed natural gas vehicles can operate at lower storage pressure than standard compressed natural gas vehicles, refilling at 900 psi instead of 3,600 psi. The utility said this could reduce energy consumption by more than 50% and decrease fueling time by more than 60%. The vehicles would be able to switch to conventional gasoline to extend their service range.

Atlanta Gas Light said it is buying vehicles for its fleet with the ANG storage system and will test their performance compared to standard natural gas vehicles and conventional gasoline vehicles. Results from the test will help the company decide to buy additional adsorbed natural gas vehicles and help to validate the technology for use by others.

In March, Southern California Gas Co. said it would fund a six-month field demonstration of the technology in California. SoCalGas is funding the project with research and development funds approved by the California Public Utilities Commission.