According to WAM (the Emirates News Agency), Eco-friendly cars will soon ply Sharjah and Abu Dhabi roads.

With the encouragement of the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, many vehicles in the main cities of the UAE are expected to be converted to run on natural gas.

The encouragement comes in the form of cheaper fuel. Motorists will pay only 4 dirhams per gallon of natural gas compared to the 6.5 dirhams per gallon of special and 6.75 dirhams for super gasoline.

It seems the abundance of cheap oil and fuel in the UAE has not stopped its government from thinking about looking for alternatives that not only is cheaper for motorists but also helps keep the environment clean.

WAM says natural gas vehicles do not give off carbon emissions and are at least 30 percent more economical than gasoline powered cars. Although one point going against natural gas is that it doesn’t provide as much acceleration than gasoline.

UAE plans to encourage not only owners of autos but also mini buses to convert to natural gas. WAM says natural gas cylinders for the conversion are available in 50- to 70-liter sizes for autos and 80-liter sizes for mini buses. For those who are thinking of conversions: one gallon is equal to around 4.5 liters.

Already, UAE’s oil company ADNOC plans to establish four national gas filling stations in Sharjah as a start. Six natural gas filling stations are also planned to be set up in Abu Dhabi.

Says an ADNOC official, "Some taxis in Abu Dhabi are already running on natural gas." Once established, the natural gas filling stations in the UAE will be the first of their kind in the Middle East.

The UAE apparently heeds warning from environmentalists who said Gulf states will have serious pollution problems if the number of vehicles on roads in the region increases.

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Digressing from this bit of smiley newsbit, there’s a sad wind a-blowing on the karting front. Seems a tempest in a teapot is a-brewing pitting a young talented karter’s ambitions supported by some bigwigs in the Automobile Association of the Philippines on one side and the concerns for safety of others in the Philippine International Karters Association on the other.

We still have to learn all the whys and wherefores behind the brouhaha, but it has already resulted in JP Tuason submitting a letter of resignation as PIKA president. This is really sad for karting, a motor sport that has grown in popularity over the last two and a half years with JP as head of PIKA.

Here’s hoping that all those who love karting will prevail on JP not to push through with his resignation and find a way to cool the tempest in the teapot.