RE: “... one never knows.”
LNG/CNG powered truck fleet power vs diesel makes so much sense for many reasons, yet the leading companies like WPRT and CLNE in the field have struggled for many years to show even a profitable quarter, let alone a profitable year. Electric power for heavy over-the-road truck transportation is vaporware at best. Now with the over-supply of oil coupled with a sputtering world economy, the future of NatGas as a transportation fuel is even more of a gamble.
T.B. Pickens has been the lone big voice promoting the concept and was met with failure to lobby Congress to pass Federal subsidies. However, there has been some activity among municipally owned bus and truck operations to contract with private enterprises to operate them, somewhat like the municipal electric power and phone companies of the early 20th century. What do you think of this approach?
It is a chicken before the egg problem. LNG fueling station are not economic without LNG vehicles to purchase their fuel. LNG vehicles are not practical/economic, without sufficient fueling stations.
It is a growing market, but it is slow growth and regional at first.
.B. Pickens has been the lone big voice promoting the concept and was met with failure to lobby Congress to pass Federal subsidies.
He is not the only voice, but certainly the loudest, particular after he set up his LNG fueling company.
However, there has been some activity among municipally owned bus and truck operations to contract with private enterprises to operate them, somewhat like the municipal electric power and phone companies of the early 20th century. What do you think of this approach?
There has been a "lot" of growth in this area. Fleet service type vehicles like metro buses, garbage trucks, are easier to break into the LNG since they return every night to the same location and have a large enough use to justify a dedicated fuel system. Some have added commercial public vehicle fueling as the cost to add a public lane outside the fence is rather minimal after the fleet service is built.
I don't understand the analogy to power and phone.