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Page added on August 11, 2013
Ford’s new F-150 will fortify potential of our natural gas
Ford’s decision to sell the nation’s most popular pickup with a compressed natural gas (CNG) engine is premium news for the Canton (Ohio) area’s gas drillers.
It drives home another reason that a natural gas-burning power plant is being built near the Carroll County oil and gas fields. It would produce electricity for 700,000 homes.
The gasoline-powered F-150 is the most popular vehicle sold in northeastern Ohio. Its market is here.
The question remains: Why is the federal government so silent on supporting natural gas vehicles? Ford is demonstrating that the technology is proven and offers compelling anti-pollution solutions without costly research and development.
The Obama administration’s main support seems to be for exporting natural gas instead of using it here. Perhaps this is due to natural gas being a fossil fuel and so it is automatically dismissed by many of the environmentalists who support him.
VIABLE FUEL
Meanwhile, the evidence is piling up that compressed natural gas in vehicles is viable. AT&T wants to deploy 650 Ford CNG trucks. They will save on gasoline and maintenance costs and reduce the company’s carbon emissions. UPS and FedEx are operating CNG vans and trucks. Cross-country truckers are rushing to CNG.
But Honda offers the only U.S. car that is fueled by compressed natural gas.
For an extra $8,000 to $10,000, the 2014 Ford F-150s will burn the same fuel that is revolutionizing air-pollution control in power plants. Ford expects customers to recover the costs in gasoline savings over two to three years. Ford’s main selling point is that natural gas costs $2.11 for the driving power of a gallon of gasoline. Its V6 CNG engine will also run on gasoline.
CNG California, a research group, expects the engines will last twice as long as gasoline models. They produce none of the sludge and carbon of gasoline burners. CNG vehicles with one person are approved for that state’s carpool green lanes.
Ford is the first manufacturer to offer a CNG pickup. It also builds CNG Transit Connect vans and wagons, popular with delivery and taxi fleets; more than 15,000 will be sold this year.
TOO FEW STATIONS
Lack of CNG public fueling stations is limiting the engines to commercial fleets. There are only 2,000 stations available to the public. That should increase if the Ford sales take off.
The CNG F-150 looks like a win-win deal in northeastern Ohio. As usual, the marketplace — not politicians and special-interest groups — will determine its success. Still, it remains sensible for our president to at least acknowledge a main driver of our push to reduce carbon emissions.
Becoming part of the solution is the natural gas industry’s best talking point.
7 Comments on "Ford’s new F-150 will fortify potential of our natural gas"
BillT on Sun, 11th Aug 2013 3:56 pm
“…For an extra $8,000 to $10,000…”
Only the wealthy … with incomes over $80k/yr/net will be able to afford them. Since the average annual wage for those working is about $30K before taxes …
Assuming that “Ford sales ‘take off’.” Not going to make a difference.
GregT on Sun, 11th Aug 2013 4:14 pm
Ford sold over 2 million vehicles in 2012. 15000 CNG vehicle sales would be insignificant. If natural gas vehicle sales ever did amount to anything, nat gas prices would very quickly surpass gasoline prices, and a 100 year resource could easily be consumed in a decade or two.
“Becoming part of the solution is the natural gas industry’s best talking point.”
The natural gas industry’s only talking point, is to create a demand for natural gas. Continuing to burn fossil fuels in any form, is part of the problem, not part of the solution.
rollin on Sun, 11th Aug 2013 4:23 pm
The Ford F-150 you buy today could very well outlast those natural gas fields.
BillT is right, that $8000 to $10,000 cost figure will be enough to stifle sales.
bobinget on Sun, 11th Aug 2013 4:55 pm
Ten G’s to burn CNG? When for a dozen years we have been asking simply for a smaller diesel in GM or Ford
LIGHT pick-ups like the 150. Such a vehicle with TDI technology would achieve 35 MPG and better w/turbo.
CAT or Cummins would be happy to accommodate.
For three winter months I live in Central America.
TDI diesels with Ford, Toyota and Chevy brand names are in use everywhere but Chinese w/ their reasonably priced diesels are making strong inroads.
The trucks (from China) we will be seeing here soon look like smaller ‘stake’ body designs getting OVER 37 MPG. (empty)
mike on Sun, 11th Aug 2013 8:01 pm
GregT is spot on
DC on Sun, 11th Aug 2013 10:56 pm
I really hope KenZ doesnt show up shortly with his usual canned ‘bring on the CNG, Hydrogen, blah blah’ because of this….
Keith_McClary on Mon, 12th Aug 2013 5:27 am
Whatever happened to those small pickups, Ford Ranger or Toyota, Nissan, etc. I forget what they were named?