The state of Oklahoma’s order is the Company’s largest customer order since production of the CNG trucks began in October.

Peter Grady, Vice President of Network Development and Fleet – Chrysler Group LLC, presented the keys to one of the Ram 2500 CNG pickups to Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) in Oklahoma City.

The Ram 2500 CNG is the only entirely OEM-built compressed natural gas-powered pickup truck in North America.

ODOT will use the Ram CNG pickups primarily as service trucks on the state’s roads and highways.

Gov. Fallin is leading a bipartisan coalition of 22 states seeking to use more CNG vehicles in their state fleets.

Chrysler said CNG-powered trucks offer cost and emissions benefits, using an abundant, domestically-sourced fuel, which reduces America’s dependence on foreign oil. CNG lessens the environmental impact of greenhouse gas and reduces smog-producing pollutants up to 90 percent.

The governor announced the CNG project at the inaugural Governor’s Energy Conference in 2011. Since then, Gov. Fallin has worked with other state officials and governors, met with automobile manufacturers, including Chrysler Group, and issued and received bids for more affordable CNG vehicles for use in state fleets.

“Chrysler Group is delighted that we can deliver these unique Ram pickup trucks today to Gov. Fallin, a steadfast champion in the use of compressed natural gas vehicles in state fleets,” Grady said. “Through the governor’s tireless efforts to form a coalition of states, 13 Ram Truck dealers have landed contracts with 19 states to supply their fleets with the new Ram 2500 CNG pickup trucks.”

The Ram CNG pickups delivered were purchased by the state of Oklahoma through John Vance Motors, a Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Truck dealership in Guthrie, Okla., north of Oklahoma City.

“Converting the state’s fleet to CNG will save taxpayers millions of dollars in fuel costs,” Gov. Fallin said. “The use of cleaner-burning CNG fuel is good for the environment and promotes Oklahoma-made natural gas which in turn supports the creation of more Oklahoma jobs. Our multi-state bidding process was aimed at encouraging automakers to provide states with more affordable and more functional CNG vehicles. We are very thankful for the team at Chrysler for their help and leadership throughout that process. The state of Oklahoma is excited to add quality CNG trucks to our state fleets from manufacturers like Chrysler.”

The Ram 2500 CNG is a bi-fuel vehicle that uses compressed natural gas as its primary fuel source, but automatically switches to gasoline when the CNG tanks are emptied. In use, the Ram CNG transitions from one fuel to the other with little discernible difference in operation or capability.

“These are heavy-duty trucks and we have highway crews in every county in the state who will put them to work immediately,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Gary Ridley. “I’m grateful that ODOT has the opportunity to work with Governor Fallin and the auto industry to cut costs and improve our operations.”

In vehicles, Chrysler said CNG achieves nearly identical mileage figures as unleaded regular gasoline – with a retail cost more than 50 percent lower than the average price of a gallon of gasoline.

The Ram 2500 CNG system was fully engineered and tested by Chrysler Group and is assembled at the company’s Heavy Duty truck plant in Saltillo, Mexico. Production of the Ram 2500 CNG began in late October in the Saltillo plant.

The post 242 Ram CNG Trucks Heading To Oklahoma DOT appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Named A3 Sportback g-tron by Audi, the natural gas vehicle showcases what Audi qualifies as state-of-the-art CNG drive technology, starting with the fuel storage. The vehicle has two tanks, located under the luggage compartment floor. Each can hold seven kilograms (15.43 pounds) of CNG.

In tune with the ultra-lightweight construction concept, each tank weighs 27 kilograms (59.52 pounds) less than its conventional counterpart.

The tanks are made of a new type of matrix. The inner layer consists of gas-impermeable polyamide polymer, while a second layer of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) gives the tank its high strength; a third layer of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) provides rugged protection against damage from the outside. High-strength epoxy resin is used to bind the fiber reinforced materials.

Another technical highlight of the Audi A3 Sportback g-tron is its electronic gas pressure regulator. This compact and lightweight component reduces the high pressure of the gas flowing from the cylinders in two stages.

This ensures that the right pressure is always present in the gas rail and at the injector valves – low pressure (five bar) for efficient driving in the lower speed range, and higher (nine bar) when the driver calls for more power and torque.

If the pressure in the tank drops below ten bar, the engine management system automatically switches over to gasoline operation.

The Audi A3 Sportback g-tron has identical performance whether running on CNG or gasoline.

CNG provides a range – based on standard fuel consumption – of around 400 km (248.55 miles), with gasoline providing another 900 km (559.23 miles) if necessary; the total range is approximately on a par with an Audi TDI.

Two displays in the instrument cluster provide the driver with up-to-date information on the fuel level in each of the tanks. The driver information system also displays the current fuel consumption based on the particular operating mode.

The CNG and gasoline filler necks are placed under a common fuel flap. After refueling, and whenever it is very cold, the engine is started with gasoline initially, then is switched over to natural gas as quickly as possible.

The engine is based on the new 1.4 TFSI. Key modifications relate to the cylinder head, turbocharging, injection system, and the catalytic converter.

Developing 110 horsepower, the Audi A3 Sportback g-tron has a top speed of 190 km/h (118.06 mph), with 0 to 100 km/h (0 – 62 mph) taking eleven seconds.

The A3 Sportback g-tron will be available at the end of the year.

Audi producing its own CNG

With the e-gas project, Audi said it is the first automobile manufacturer to develop an entire chain of sustainable energy carriers.

The start of the chain has electricity produced from renewable energy sources; the end products are hydrogen and the synthetic Audi e-gas, which can be used in the same way as CNG.

According to Audi, construction of the world’s first industrial plant to produce synthetic methane (e-gas) from CO2 and renewable electricity is almost complete in Werlte (Emsland district of Lower Saxony), Germany.

The Audi e-gas plant uses the renewable electricity in the first stage for electrolysis – splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen (Audi e-hydrogen), which could one day power fuel-cell vehicles.

Because there is not yet a widespread hydrogen infrastructure, however, the hydrogen is then reacted with CO2 in a methanation plant to produce renewable synthetic methane, or Audi e-gas.

Chemically speaking, this e-gas is identical to fossil-based natural gas. As such, it can be distributed to CNG stations via the natural-gas network.

The CO2 used in Audi’s e-gas plant is a waste product from a nearby biogas plant, operated by power utility EWE. The CO2, which would otherwise pollute the atmosphere, is chemically bonded into the fuel at the Audi e-gas plant.

The e-gas plant will annually produce about 1,000 metric tons of e-gas and will chemically bind some 2,800 metric tons of CO2. This corresponds roughly to the amount of CO2 that 224,000 beech trees absorb in a year.

The CO2-neutral e-gas from Werlte will be enough to power 1,500 new Audi A3 Sportback g-tron vehicles over a distance of15,000 kilometers (9,320.57 miles) every year.

The post Natural Gas Audi A3 Unveiled appeared first on HybridCars.com.

The converted trucks will be available starting April 1, 2013.

Westport will celebrate the trucks’ debut at next week’s National Truck Equipment Association Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Ind.

Assembled alongside the Westport powered Ford F-250 and F-350 trucks at the Westport Kentucky Integration Center (WKIC), the new F-450 and F-550 trucks have undergone the same rigorous testing for safety and durability used by Ford for all its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) products.

With the WKIC located adjacent to Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant, the 2013 F-450 and F-550 trucks will use the same integrated transportation system as other Westport powered Ford products to reduce delivery costs to the customer.

Like other Westport products, these trucks will be available exclusively for order at Westport authorized Ford dealerships.

The Ford F-450 and F-550 Super Duty Chassis Cab trucks with the Westport WiNG Power System come with a warranty that matches the Ford warranty for all similar powertrain and emissions components.

“The expansion of our product line builds upon our proven technology of the Westport WiNG Power System and extends our product availability to a different end user,” said John Lapetz, Vice President Westport LD and Managing Director, North American Vehicle Programs. “With a higher degree of application flexibility and increased gross vehicle weight, the Ford F-450 and F-550 Super Duty trucks allow us to grow a solid footprint with customers who were not serviced with the Ford F-250 and F-350 CNG bi-fuel trucks.”

Westport said  this pair of trucks offer fleets the opportunity to use a cleaner, domestic fuel that offers savings between 30 to 60 percent with payback demonstrated in as little as two years.

For customers that require the Ford F-450 and F-550 Super Duty Chassis Cab trucks to be equipped to handle various jobsite environments, commercial vehicle bodies can be used with the Westport WiNG bi-fuel system.

“In partnership with service body companies based in Louisville, Kentucky, Westport will integrate the Westport WiNG Power System on the Ford F-450 and F-550 trucks with second unit bodies,” said John Howell, Senior Director, Marketing, Westport. “Many standard configurations exist for bodies with a minimum of 84CA used in combination with a tank pack and custom bi-fuel configurations can be engineered for virtually any second-unit body with a minimum order of 10 units.”

The Westport WiNG Power System is integrated on the 6.8-liter V10 engine of the Ford F-450 and F-550 trucks and offers a combined fuel range of approximately 650 miles (at nine MPG) with maximum CNG capacity (42 gasoline gallon equivalent) and a standard 40-gallon gasoline tank capacity. The Westport system will run on conventional gasoline once the CNG fuel is depleted.

Price-wise, the Westport WiNG Power System starts at $9,500.

The post Westport’s WiNG CNG System Comes To F-450 And F-550 appeared first on HybridCars.com.

But another alternative option is once again grabbing the attention of automakers, compressed natural gas, or CNG.

Compressed natural gas, a fossil fuel composed mostly of methane, is the same type of gas used to heat homes and light up kitchen ranges. But instead of running through pipes, it is stored at high pressure (2,900 to 3,600 psi) in special vehicle tanks normally mounted in the bed of pickups or trunks of automobiles.

As a transportation fuel, CNG produces approximately 25 percent less greenhouse-gas emissions compared to gasoline as well as a significant reduction of particulates and carbon monoxide, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Natural gas vehicles (NGVs) meet the strictest emissions standards, including California’s AT-PZEV standard, and is considered an alternative fuel under the Energy Policy Act of 1992. (Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is used primarily by over-the-road tractor trailers, so it isn’t covered here.)

There are two types of CNG vehicles, dedicated and bi-fuel. Dedicated versions are designed to operate only on natural gas. Bi-fuel models have two separate fueling systems enabling them to run on either CNG or gasoline, and can switch from one fuel to the other in a near seamless manner.

Currently, four major automakers – Chrysler, Ford, General Motors and Honda – offer 10 dedicated CNG or bi-fuel CNG vehicles in the U.S., an increase of seven offerings since the fall of 2010. Of these, only Honda offers a CNG automobile, the Civic Natural Gas model. The other nine are either heavy-duty pickups, vans or chassis models, an indicator that the majority of buyers are commercial fleets, even though they are available to retail consumers.

A Prior Spurt of CNG Vehicles

This interest in natural gas isn’t new; we’ve seen attempts to promote CNG before. From the mid-1990’s to mid-2000, CNG vehicles made substantial inroads in certain niche markets and were touted as a “here-today, commercially available and road-tested solution to air quality and oil dependency problems.”

Perhaps the biggest allure for CNG was price – 20-30 percent less than gasoline and diesel fuel.

The population of CNG vehicles (mostly bi-fuel) grew from around 60,000 units in 1995 and peaked at 121,000 in 2004. While the vast majority of these vehicles were buses, pickups and vans sold to commercial and government fleets, the major automakers offered a smattering of CNG passenger cars that were available to retail consumers.

Ford offered two CNG cars, the full-size Crown Victoria and mid-size Contour. GM’s entry was the Chevrolet Cavalier, Toyota produced a CNG Camry and Chrysler offered the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager minivans.

Honda’s Civic GX (renamed Civic Natural Gas) first appeared in 1998 and is the sole GNG passenger car survivor. Through the end of November, Honda has sold more than 15,000 of the fully-powered CNG Civics since its introduction.

Despite the NGV industry’s public relations and public outreach efforts, compressed natural gas vehicles never managed to capture the public’s attention enough to drag them out of the shadows and into the spotlight. Price, around $6,000 more than the comparable gasoline model, was a huge stumbling block. Plus, the low number of public refueling stations made them impractical for most of the U.S.

The brief love affair with natural gas vehicles ended when gasoline prices plummeted and they no longer offered an economic advantage. The number of CNG vehicles operating in the U.S. decreased to just north of 105,000 in 2009.

That’s not to say that all CNG vehicles were discontinued. While the major automakers retired their CNG vehicles, aftermarket conversion companies continued operations. CNG vehicle sales have slowly increased over the past three years to about 112,000, acording to the National Gas Vehicles for America, the leading trade group for natural-gas vehicles in the U.S. The growth can be attributed to fleets comprised of buses, delivery vans, taxis, sanitation trucks and other commercial enterprises that have access to a growing number of private, central refueling operations.

Why The Renewed Interest In CNG?

Less than a decade ago, energy experts didn’t have a clue that the vast amounts of domestic natural gas resources in unconventional reservoirs like shale beds, tight sand and coal seams could be recovered economically. The predictions were that the available reserves were so low that the U.S. would have to begin importing the energy source in the form of liquid natural gas (LNG) from overseas countries such as Qatar, a sovereign Arab state.

Today we’re awash in natural gas. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and an industry organization called the Potential Gas Committee has estimated that the U.S. holds a minimum of 100 years’ worth of proven natural gas reserves and is poised to become an exporter of the fossil fuel.

This hydrocarbon bonanza can be attributed to combining two established drilling technologies that economically release natural gas trapped in shale formations: horizontal drilling and fracking—shorthand for hydraulic fracturing.

Horizontal drilling turns wells sideways after a certain depth to open up large production areas. Fracking, which has caused strong outcries from environmentalists, is then used to loosen the shale and release gas by injection water, sand and chemicals into the well at high pressure.

This gusher of natural gas has resulted in a dramatic price fall from $15 per million British thermal units (BTUs) a few years ago to $2.00 last April. (The current price is around $3.70 per BTU.) Natural gas at $2.50 is the equivalent of a barrel of oil at around $15.

Photo courtesy of America’s Natural Gas Alliance.

Unlike the ups and downs of gasoline and diesel, CNG pump prices stay fairly constant for months at a time. In New York, CNG costs $2.50 for a gallon gasoline equivalent (GGE). Michigan CNG stations display a price of $1.95, while in the Southwest and Gulf Coast states, 1990’s prices of $1.50 or less per GGE are common.

The nationwide average for regular gasoline is $3.39 per gallon and $4.01 for diesel, according to data from the American Automobile Association. Combine the price difference with the fact that CNG is a cleaner burning fuel and roughly 85 percent North American resourced, and it’s easy to understand the revived interest.

Where Are The CNG Cars?

This new interest, however, is currently directed towards trucks and vans.

Ford’s lineup of CNG-capable vehicles ranges from the F-250 and F-350 super duty pickups, to the Transit Connect and E-Series vans to super duty chassis cabs. General Motors began selling natural-gas-powered versions of the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana cargo vans in late 2010, and added the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickups in November. Chrysler introduced a CNG Ram pickup this summer.

Apart from Honda’s Civic sedan, these large trucks and vans are America’s only natural-gas-powered vehicles, and the future for CNG automobiles doesn’t look very bright.

Global energy market research firm Pike Research in its latest report on clean energy predicts sales for natural gas vehicles to pass 3 million worldwide for the first time by 2015, with growth from the U.S. market.

Dave Hurst, senior analyst at Pike Research, said in an interview that CNG technology could see U.S. growth in the corporate and government fleets but, “I’m not very optimistic about natural gas for cars.”

His reasons for the dour forecast? First is the lack of a refueling infrastructure – of the approximate 1,000 refueling stations, only about half are open to the public. Second, CNG tank storage takes up a large space in an automobile’s trunk.

Automakers also see the CNG tank as a roadblock. At a recent industry conference, Ford’s fleet sustainability and technology manager, Jon Coleman, said customers often ask why Ford doesn’t offer a CNG passenger car.

“Functionally, it doesn’t work. Where do you put the tank?” he said. “If you have a four-passenger sedan, which passenger seat are you willing to give up so you can have a CNG-powered vehicle, or are you willing to give up the trunk?”

The tank conundrum has been addressed by 3M, yes that Post-A-Note company. 3M is close to marketing a resin-based fuel tank that uses nano-particle enhanced resins. It is lighter, holds more fuel and is less expensive than current tanks made with heavy high-strength steel.

As for the lack of refueling stations, General Electric in partnership with Chesapeake Energy Corp. has unveiled what it calls the “CNG In A Box.” Costing from $700,000 to $1.2 million – thousands less than current refueling pumps, almost everything needed is included in a 20-foot freight container. Only two pieces are shipped separately, the dispenser and motor control center.

GE has also partnered with the government’s Advanced Research Project Agency for Energy (ARPA-E) to develop a home refueling station that can do the job in less than 60 minutes and costs less than $500.

Of the three Detroit automakers, Chrysler seems the most likely candidate to offer a CNG passenger car in the near future. Sergio Marchionne, who runs both Chrysler and Fiat, has plans to integrate Fiat’s CNG expertise with Chrysler vehicles. Fiat is the market leader for natural gas vehicles in Europe, with about a 90 percent market share in Italy.

Boosting Marchionne’s CNG plans for Chrysler, the final rules of the tightened fuel-economy standards released in August give automakers an incentive to sell natural gas- powered vehicles.

When HybridCars.com asked Reginald Modlin, Chrysler director of environment and energy, if passenger cars would be a part of CNG vehicle growth, he replied, “Our expectation is that some of those are going to be passenger cars. If the customers start buying some product, the industry’s going to be there.”

And when might we expect CNG cars from? Like all automakers, Chrysler won’t talk about specific future products and when they might become available.

The Fracking Controversy

Shale gas production has surged so rapidly that it has bolted ahead of governing regulators and public comprehension. In the mean time, fracking has become a dirty word to environmentalists who have raised concerns that it causes contamination of freshwater aquifers, increased greenhouse gases, pollution from heavy truck traffic and even earthquakes.

Fracking’s reputation hasn’t been bettered by Gasland, a 2010 Oscar-nominated documentary about the perils of shale drilling. An attention-getter for the public was footage of contaminated tap water that was lit on fire.

What’s not known by many is that methane has been seeping into poorly constructed wells for longer than a century, and igniting water from a faucet is nothing more than an old trick that causes jaw dropping amazement by onlookers, both children and adults, alike.

That doesn’t mean that the fracking picture painted by greenies is totally untrue. Improper well casings can leak chemicals or gas that seeps into drinking water and research suggests methane leaks do occur. As for earthquakes, this issue seems to originate chiefly from wastewater disposal rather than the fracturing process itself.

As the gas drilling industry has matured, these problems are being addressed and, for example, well design and construction, including the casing and cementing process, must conform to rigid state and federal regulations. High tech “green compliance” equipment captures methane and volatile organic compounds from the drilling water and prevents them from escaping. Additionally, the industry has taken the lead in recycling much of the wastewater for reuse in succeeding fracking wells.

The disdain of cheap natural gas by environmental activists goes beyond fracking – it out competes their beloved choice of energy sources, photovoltaic and wind power.

Rachel Cleetus, a senior climate economist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that “the problem is [natural gas] can take over the entire pie and crowd out renewables. Part of the reason this is happening is there’s a boom and there’s a sense that natural gas resources will be around forever.”

But fracking and shale gas well drilling isn’t going away. Cheap natural gas will lead to small, perhaps even moderate increases of CNG vehicles in the U.S., but its major impact is an energy source that replaces coal fired power plants, and that’s too important for the economy.

Bottom Line

Many view natural gas as a “bridge fuel” on the road to discovering a breakthrough technology, whether that’s a cheap battery with a 300 mile driving range or, the “holy grail” of vehicle transportation – inexpensive hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Until then, commercial and government fleets will continue to be the major users of CNG vehicles in the U.S. That of course means most will be big pickups and vans.

But what if you want a CNG automobile? Well, you can have your present car converted to CNG at a cost of around $10,000. If you want a natural gas-powered car built by a car company, visit a Honda dealer. That’s your only choice, at least for now.

Why is a Car’s CNG Fuel Tank Located in the Trunk?

Compressed natural gas requires a larger amount of space for storage than a liquid such as gasoline. A typical CNG tank is about twice the size of the propane tank used for the gas grille on your patio or deck. Therefore there aren’t many places these cylinders can be safely installed in a vehicle. In a pickup truck, the tank usually takes up some space in the bed. In an automobile usually the only safe and allowable space large enough for the CNG tank is the car’s trunk.

A CNG tank isn’t just an air tank. The natural gas is compressed and stored in the cylinder at the U.S. standard of 3,600 pounds per square inch (PSI). At that pressure, and to meet federal safety standards, the cylindrical shape is necessary.

Of course a car manufacturer could engineer and design an all-new car with CNG tanks tucked under the body, but that’s not likely given costs to develop such tanks costs a few hundred million dollars. Or, new materials advancement could result in a free form shaped tank to replace the existing gasoline tank. But, until either of these two developments occurs, we’re stuck with less cargo space with the CNG option.

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