Posted on 08/12/2013 10:15:51 AM PDT by thackney
Acceptance of natural gas as a consumer motor fuel has a long road ahead, even if Texans soon will be able to travel it in a gas-powered version of their favorite vehicle – a Ford F-150 pickup.
Concerns about a lack of refueling stations, higher up-front costs and limited availability of the vehicles themselves mean that customers will probably not be rushing to buy natural gas trucks or cars any time soon.
Still, a bi-fuel option on 2014 models of the top-selling F-150 – which will let the trucks run on natural gas or gasoline – along with changes in the Texas fueling landscape, could give natural gas a nudge toward a greater future role.
Ford announced July 31 that its 2014 F-150s will be available with the bi-fuel option or natural gas-only engines, in addition to the conventional gasoline models.
Not only does the F-150 have the advantage of being the most popular vehicle in Texas and the nation, but a bi-fuel option will allow buyers to enjoy the benefits of low-cost natural gas while keeping the flexibility to refuel on gasoline when needed, said Lynn Lyon, director of fuel market development for Pioneer Natural Resources. She leads an industry-backed initiative to encourage more refueling stations in Texas.
Lyon said the bi-fuel capability on a pickup she owns came into play on a recent round trip to San Antonio, when the vehicle ran out of compressed natural gas at a difficult spot on her return trip. Her truck – a natural gas version of a Ford F-250 – automatically switched to gasoline power, she said.
“I’m driving back. It is 108 degrees outside, and I have my son in the backseat,” Lyon said. “No problems. I didn’t even know the difference. It was seamless.”
Where to fill up?
That comfort of having a gasoline fall-back option in a popular vehicle could get more customers into the market, said Jon Coleman, Ford’s sustainability and technology manager.
“If they need to make a trip to visit grandma in El Paso, then they run on (compressed natural gas) as long as they can,” Coleman said. “Then they switch over to gasoline and they run gasoline until they can find CNG again.”
Finding it might not be as difficult after completion of plans to double the number of natural gas refueling sites in the state, Lyon said.
While that increase isn’t much in pure numbers – the state has just 69 such stations today and only 33 are available for public use – the change will make natural gas a more viable option for motorists looking for a cheaper alternative to gasoline.
Forty-five of the 69 planned new stations will offer public access, according to a tally of announcements and state applications related to the sites, Lyon said.
Bringing the total to 78 public-access stations will boost natural gas availability in several urban areas and the thoroughfares between them, said Lyon, who is working to promote the state-backed Texas Clean Transportation Triangle of refueling stations linking Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Cheaper alternative
The increased access to natural gas, which is as much as $2 cheaper than the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline, will offer consumers more opportunities to lower their fuel costs, said Frank Chapel, director of natural gas transportation fuels for Apache Corp.
Even with a limited number of stations, locating the low-cost fuel isn’t as hard as it seems, he said.
Chesapeake Energy Corp. started a website and smartphone application, called CNG Now, that helps users locate natural gas refueling options near them, Chapel said.
And in-home refueling options, which would hook up to homeowners’ natural gas lines, could provide additional savings, he said.
Only one at-home device for refueling natural gas vehicles overnight is available to consumers now, but it is expensive, Chapel said. Newer systems expected within the next year could be less than $1,000, he said.
If consumers could tap into their residential gas lines, they could pay as little as 84 cents for the equivalent of one gallon of gasoline, he said.
While the added cost for a natural gas or bi-fuel vehicle can be substantial – Ford estimates that its natural gas options will cost $6,000 to $9,500 more than gasoline models – savings from lower fuel costs can make up for the difference in as little as two years for motorists who drive more than 30,000 miles a year. Lower fuel costs from home refueling could mean a faster payback period.
The cost benefits for heavy fuel users already have made natural gas an attractive option for commercial fleets.
Fleets will continue to be the main market for natural gas vehicles, including the F-150 options, Ford’s Coleman said. But with changes including new refueling stations, lower up-front costs for natural gas vehicles and in-home refueling, natural gas could make more sense for individual consumers too, he said.
State incentives
The state of Texas is expected to play a role soon in pushing more consumers to consider natural gas.
Starting next year, Texas plans to offer a $2,500 incentive to up to 2,000 buyers of natural gas vehicles, under legislation Gov. Rick Perry signed in June.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will hold a hearing on the incentive rules in November.
Two different fuel tanks? Or have they figured out how to make one tank serve for both gasoline and CNG? (One tank doesn’t seem possible to me, since the CNG tank must be a pressure vessel... but what do I know.)
If it’s two tanks, that additional volume has to come from somewhere — what do you give up?
Two tanks weigh more as well.
Still, better to burn the gas in our F-150s than flare it off! I’m all for increased gas demand as long as we meet it with US supplies!
Two different fuel tanks?
Yes
what do you give up?
Bed space, see picture above.
Ha! You answered my question while I was typing it.
So... you give up cargo space.
There used to be fleet trucks around here that ran on propane.
I don’t see them any more except on fork lifts inside shops.
The US average price of propane is nearly the same as gasoline on a price per energy rate. In some areas you can save noticeable money running on propane, but in most areas, you cannot. In some it would cost more, even without the added taxes.
One step at a time. A common flaw in thinking is that these kinds of changes must come all at once, completely, at the same price, with no changes in habits or operations, for everybody, everywhere.
Ford says right in their promotional material that this will work out for businesses with a fleet of trucks. Many of these have their own private gas station of their own for refueling without the middleman’s (small) mark-up or logistical problems. Let them adopt this technology over a few years. Ford can amortize their investment and make changes and improvements to the engine, companies that make NG refueling machinery can dip their toes into the consumer market here and there (a Costco here and there for example), rich people will pay big bucks for something new first as they always do, and over time it will work its way into the various practical avenues so that it becomes an option for the non-businessman automobile driver.
This stuff is gonna grow quickly.
Near me, in Rockford, the Mobil added a CNG pump across from the CNG garbage truck lot owned by Advanced Disposal.
The price? $2.10GGE (gasoline gallon equivalent)
The Pilot truck stop chain is adding CNG to all of its truck stops.
Yes, you give up trunk space, but 40% fuel savings is nothing to sneeze at. Beats the heck out of ethanol as a way to cut down on oil use.
>> Beats the heck out of ethanol as a way to cut down on oil use.
That’s for sure.
We pull lots of gas out of the ground RIGHT HERE! Let’s use it!
I’m a hundred percent behind NG, as long as it isn’t A) government mandated or B) taxpayer subsidized.
Come to think of it, I feel that same way about solar and wind power.
Faster, please......
:-)
I do think you're right. I know an R & D director for one of the big auto companies, they're working an changing to natural gas as a fuel, they see this being a huge change that will be a good one for whichever car company figures it out first and best.
Amen on that.
To my knowledge no direct subsidies for CNG, even though conversions are cheaper than electric batteries (about 5K).
Trucking companies are taking a good hard look at CNG for fuel savings.
Solar and wind power have to be both A & B to be in the market at all, it is NOT competetive.
I’m getting my F250 converted to duel fuel (CNG/gasoline) and hope to get it back today or tomorrow. I’m in Oklahoma so finding CNG refueling locations is not a problem. The state gives a 50% tax credit for the cost of the conversion as well as a hefty credit if one installs a home fueling station. According to the math, the return on the up front expense for all of this should come back within a year to 18 months. I’ll try to keep you posted on how it works out.
Nothing new here except government grant monies. History does repeat itself.
>> Solar and wind power have to be both A & B to be in the market at all, it is NOT competetive.
Sad, but true.
They’re only competitive (absent government support) when you’re so far from the grid that grid power isn’t available, OR when “non-economic” advantages are added to the equation — like wanting or needing not to depend on the grid.
Natural gas does not wash away the lubrocity of oil. Gasoline is a solvent to lubricants. Especially so when ethanol is included.
The absolute best storage medium for hydrogen energy has be discovered and made available..
It’s called gasoline.. or diesel... even better than natural gas..
Thanks for that. I would enjoy hearing about any problems you have or lack of problems.
Cheers!
From my standpoint, best includes a consideration of price, not just volume.
I’m not ready to buy CNG vehicle for my area, yet. But I suspect one day I will.
CNG appears likely to remain 1/2 or so the cost of gasoline. My pickup already uses a tool box of similar size because I went with a single seat cab. (I won’t do that again). My use of my truck would allow that consumption of space in the bed with little complaint.
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