An electric injection system for engines using diesel and natural gas has been developed in Guizhou Province, southwest China.

The technology is expected to help solve the long standing problems such as serious pollution and high energy consumption that China's automotive industry has been faced with, said Zhu Qingcheng, head of an expert group specialized in clean automobile production.

The new technology uses diesel as the sole fuel for the vehicle's ignition process, while much cheaper natural gas is the main fuel to support motor. Compared with a diesel-fueled automobile, the combination of the fuels will save 20,000 yuan (about 2,410 U.S. dollars) annually.

Currently, there are 1,000 diesel-natural gas engines in China, but all of them adopt an outdated mechanical system that results in more pollutants in exhaust emission and less power.

The technology was jointly developed by two companies in Guizhou Province, southwest China, and an American science and technology company known as 2H.

(People?s Daily December 19, 2001)