Posted on 09/03/2014 10:50:00 PM PDT by george76
In addition to the fueling problem, workers for Colorado’s Department of Natural Resources and Colorado Parks and Wildlife may have difficulties doing their jobs because of Compressed Natural Gas fuel tanks on trucks,
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When state fleet was pushing CPW to buy the vehicles, there were concerns for the employees out in the field.
“That is additional cost to the agency and inefficiency,” CPW fleet manager Michelle Arnold wrote in January 2013. “The decreased hauling capacity because of CNG fueling tanks in the back of the bed of the pickups is going to severely limit if not totally preclude the ability of our staff to operate as required.”
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Arnold previously wrote the mandate to buy CNG vehicles prevents staff from doing their jobs and costs taxpayers money.
“The decreased hauling capacity because of CNG fuel tanks in the back of the bed of the pickups is going to severely limit if not totally preclude the ability of our staff to operate as required,” she wrote in the Jan. 4, 2013 memo. “CPW employees understand the need to order CNG vehicles where it make sense, but as stated above, pickups are ordered for their ability to haul the equipment that the various CPW employees need to do their jobs in an efficient manner. The requirement to order a CNG compliant vehicle with the decreased bed space, will ultimately result in staff needing to purchase additional trailers to haul what they normally would in their pickup beds.”
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State records show various state departments have about 120 Ford CNG pickups, but it’s not clear how many of them require modifications to accomplish the tasks the state employees need to do.
(Excerpt) Read more at watchdog.org ...
Sounds like maybe the nanny staters are losing another one.
Typical liberal mandate typically thwarted by unintended consequences. Unfortunately, being liberal means never having to say you’re sorry (or admit you were wrong).
Why can’t the CNG tanks not fit in the space the gasoline tanks normally occupy? Is the energy density greatly inferior relative to gasoline? If so, could they use LNG instead?
Apparently, the natural gas tank takes up much of the truck bed with little room for other stuff like an ATV - then the taxpayers have to spend more money to buy a trailer .
Colorado has so far spent $8 million in taxpayer money on nearly 240 compressed natural gas vehicles, with dozens of them stationed in places where there is no compressed natural gas filling stations
http://watchdog.org/167308/natural-gas-vehicles/
The tanks are designed to hold the gas at 3,000 psi or so and the gas is still in it’s gaseous state, a much less energy density.
You could say that, but you could also say that Watchdog is a front company funded by the infamously evil Koch Brothers. Natural gas vehicles are a major threat to the refineries and alcohol plants that the Koch Brothers own.
Too large.
Is the energy density greatly inferior relative to gasoline?
Yes.
If so, could they use LNG instead?
Still less dense, also LNG is not a good fit for vehicles that are shut off more often than they have the engine running. The LNG continues to boil off in the insulated tank raising pressure. Also LNG has even more limitations in fueling availability.
Thank you!
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