This is the wave of the future. GM and Dodge have both stated that their bi-fuel trucks will be on the commercial market by the end of the year. Why not the public? Companies have their own CNG stations to fill their trucks. The infastructure for CNG stations is coming, but is is a slow process and their is no real governement help. States like Oklahoma, California and New York lead the nation in CNG for public consumption. We need more people to get on the band wagon and make this a reality across our country. We have the largest supply of CNG in the world and it would do us wonders to get us off our oil dependency.

yeah, instead of driving up petro price up, lets drive up home gas up..... lose lose situation.

Everyone that I talk to about this says that home gas will not be affected by a price increase. The natural gas that utilities control is regulated differently. You would see the standard taxes like with gasoline. Right now NG stations in Oklahoma are around 1.39 per gallon and I think that is with taxes. Even it if went up, lets say 1.00 due to taxes and consumption, it is a better bet than gasoline which is heading toward $5. Now you could get a home filling station that works off your natural gas line into your house which in some cases is about 80 cents per gallon, but I think you have to register it and pay the appropriate taxes. The government likes to get its due.

I'm cynical as I recall the biodiesel promise as well. This all sounds good but to expand NG use there'd need to be expanded taxes. Lots of distribution and infrastructure changes.

NG is cheap because its hardly being used. Once in heavy use, NG prices would closely track and match gasoline. I predict we'd ultimately see a half dollar discount versus gasoline and the dealers, distributors, investors, and T. Boone Pickens would laugh all the way to the bank.

The fuel mileage is paultry at 360 miles at 18gals (equiv) CNG and 8gals of gasoline. Looks like CNG gallon equivalency is used to match 1 gallon of gasoline energy content. In the end, it gets almost 14mpg best case (hwy).

The quandary is it needs much more CNG capacity to be a useful work truck but those tanks take space and make it less useful.

It really needs to be a crew cab with CNG tanks replacing the back seats.

I like the way this new ram truck looks. It looks sleek and muscular, and one cannot forget about the hemi. I am not a big fan of cng or alternative energy sources to gasoline. they are all promising but what looks good paper does not match reality especially when theres an 8 gallon gasoline tank and an eighteen gallon cng tank, for a paltry 360 miles combined. If you consider the additional expenses, it really doesnt make sense to consume these alternative energies unless your desire to commit is for several years. I might as well keep driving my 2001 f150 that gets 12/19 ish than pay significantly more for meager fuel mileage increases.

Truck manufacterers need to lower the price of advanced solutions and/or make comparable equivalent fuel capacity.

In order for the future to be alternative sources cars and trucks need to be cost effective and get extraordinary higher gas mileage. Look at a pruis hybrid, great mileage but huge price. A focus with the XFE package attains the same efficiency but significantly cheaper.

Unless the infrastructure for our alternative options arises soon i will continue to use the nonrenewable energy( gasoline). We could completely eliminate our dependency issues if we could convert air or water in energy sources because they are renewable and infinitely ready. They will not incur a shortage or complete elimination like coal, gas, electricity or propane.

The side profile of that truck looks familiar!
The front looks like a super-doodie, the middle/cab looks like a tundra and the back looks like a GM.

I agree with the others, that natural gas can end up being just as expensive. It's still a publicly traded commodity and speculators, like the ones that brought us the housing crisis and financial collapse will certainly gamble on natural gas.

Once a few more articles come out showing how trucks will start using it you better believe the price will go up. I can picture Jim Kramer shouting "BUY BUY BUY"

Plus natural gas also comes at great expense to the environment and it is not a renewable source of energy.

And the usable space it takes from bed would be a deal breaker for me.

Time to go back to the drawing board.

I have a much easier solution! Vote for a candidate who will beat Obama, and will get more drilling done to get the prices down.

Looks like a HD Ram to me.

hahaha the article says 'bi'

3M is working with another company to reduce the weight and increase the capacity of the CNG tank through the use of high tech polymars.
Gas mileage is not what CNG is trying to improve and yes it is slightly less than regular gas per gallon.
I'm with you all when it comes to the actual price we could be paying at the pump once CNG becomes mainstream which will take some time.
HB 1380 the NAT GAS ACT sounds great, but the nuts and bolts of it are a joke. So passing it would be a mistake. Once the Republicans gain control in November, then deregulation of the DoE and EPA will help private companies and states tackle this issue on their own. The feds are working on R&D to improve engine technology and infastructure. Right now, no one has really put a lot of money into the potential of NG simply because their has not been the demand. No there is because of rising gas prices.
If we would quit exporting our own oil and quit importing for our country, we would get a hold on our energy problem. The reason the O&G's export our oil is because they get a better profit for it than selling it domestically. Therefore we import our needs at the world market price. Couple that with refineries shutting down and you create the current cost issue.

This doesn't look like a fleet queen work truck to me. Perhaps Ram is trying to recoup costs by selling the CNG package in a higher end higher profit truck, kinda like Ford only selling the Raptor with higher end trim.

On the subject of Ford -

@Mark Williams...
Why was the Ford story "No Big Changes in F-150's Future, Ford Analyst Says" pulled???????????

The guy put his foot in his mouth and the Ford PR department crapped their drawers?

I'm waiting for the Propane version.

No Big Changes in F-150's Future, Ford Analyst Says

http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-says-top-selling-f-150-to-largely-stay-the-course.html

CNG is a no brainer. Natural gas is a domestic product, oil is an international product. The best way to minimize fuel prices is competition. Build bi-fuel vehicles. If oil creeps up, people will just quit buying it and use more CNG. If natural gas goes up, more oil. I own a service company with fleet vehicles. If there was a CNG station locally, I'd buy bi-fuel trucks tomorrow. Period. The numbers are easy. It's easy for automakers to build these. All the technology already exists. It addresses most the energy-related problems that the left and right complain about. Unfortunately, if you're a country that's in the business of making war, an irrelevant Middle East is bad for business. I'm not into conspiracy, its just the reality of things. 38 of 50 states have significant military-related economic dependencies. A handful have significant reliance on natural gas economics. Maybe that changes with the increase of source rock shale plays, but I'm only seeing minimal rhetoric. The government could have a brand new source of tax income and create a bunch of instant infrastructure jobs by incentivizing CNG infrastructure buildout by private investors.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/sns-big-changes-not-in-f150s-future-ford-analyst--20120314,0,4868362.story

Its all a PR stunt.

A diesel F100????????

cellulose fuel is the answer....maybe pickup truck need... to check this solution.....

Over 21 feet long, with only about 5 feet of usable bed space with the gate up. I suppose it might do for an urban cowboy.

Natural Gas is so 1980's !

I had a natural gas powered car in the 1980's,the problem was you couldnt go far . I had 2 huge tanks in the trunk and it was equivalent to 1/4 tank of gasoline !

Your mpg goes down,your performance goes down,not many filling stations,tanks take alot of room ! Natural gas is very,very explosive ,look what happens when a home has a natural gas leak,it blows sky high and takes out the whole block,happened several times around the U.S and Canada already !!!

I just want a gas powered HEMI 'RAM,drill,refine oil and the price at the pump will go down,get out of Opec !! Remember the current administration wants high gas prices,high electricity prices (he even said so look it up)If America would drill and refine its own oil,prices could go down,unless the government continues this left wing agenda and wants everyone out of a vehicle (it is their plan the left hates vehicles even say so)

Dodge Ram is the best looking truck !!

I remember a long time ago, 1976! when I was discharged from the Army, I hitch-hiked across the country to get home, and I was picked up by a guy driving a 60's ford F-250 reg cab p/u, I thiink it was 2X4, anyways it was running on CNG, he said he was an inventor of sorts and he did the conversion himself back then for about $150!! the tank looked like what I will admit looked like a atomic bomb in the bed, and it took up 1/4 of the 8' bed, he picked me up in Kansas, and we drove all the way the NY (upstate), BEFORE he had to stop and get more fuel, yes he did use up the 30 gals of gas also, but that was quite the range!!! he also said he only had to change his oil about every 8,000 miles if he didn't use much gasoline, and he never has to change his plugs!!! just the points and condenser (remember those kiddies)!! he dropped me off and would not except any$$$ (the good oll dayshuh?). This was 30 some odd yr ago!! of course the trucks made nowa days are heavier, and have all kinds of new fangled sytems on them, but we sure could use some help to get the imported monkey off our backs huh? Any way we can, starten this here November huh???

CNG is more cleaner and domestic fuel. There are more than 15 million vehicles worldwide. These trucks which goes so many miles and consumes so much fuel can save a lot by moving to CNG.

Hello friends !
I have drive many trucks big and small pick-ups in Greece where i coming from, and in USA AND MEXICO for work ! I will say some things from my experiences and i hope to help !

IN north america it is very usual to meet big pick -up trucks with gasoline engines ,big blocks V8 , especial in the category of 1500 , and you don't see in the same category no one small diesel engine !!! Also almost all the trucks are with automatic transsmision !
That i can say it have to do with a marketing-system for the clients to use a big truck and to ask for a lot of gas !
So you must to pay a lot of money for all the gas and also because you have a auto transsmision you pay a lot for brakes , tires, engines and accidents because you don't have the same control as a manual transmission ! And after where you pay you have just a truck for 5 persons and 1500 lbs of payload ! That is really bad .... fail for me ... ofcourse i can see the role where they have that cars ...it is only for to fishing girls and nothing more ... but if you take a F-150 with a TOYOTA HILUX OR RANGER OR NAVARA in the so difficult streets of Greece and in the farms also you put it for work ...the F-150 it will die earlier from all !!! IT IS GAS BOYS !!! YOU CAN NOT COMPARE IT WITH DIESELS !!! BUT IN USA THE MARKETING WANT TO SELL THAT SHORT OF CARS !!!
DO YOU WANT A GOOD TRUCK FOR WORK ? TAKE A CUMMINS DIESEL WITH MANUAL GEARBOX ! ALSO VERY GOOD IS THE TUNDRA AND TACOMA as gas and automatic , very good also the NISSAN TITAN ! THE transmission of GMC AND CHEVROLET are the best for automatic , FORD AND DODGE AUTOMATIC i have heard a lot of bad words ! DODGE FAIL because it is so strong the HEMI AND CUMMINS !!! FORD very bad words for transmission and a lot of problems with powerstroke diesel ! In europe the best is the HILUX , RANGER , NAVARA and ISUZU ! ISUZU give the DURAMAX ENGINE TO THE CHEVYS DIESEL AND HUMMER H1 !!!
THE ENGINES OF ALL 1500 IN USA THEY MUST TO BE DIESEL and manual !!! THE SIZE it can be like a great looking F-150 !!! I can say finally the F-150 it have great looking face !!! --YES IT IS FOR TO CATCH GIRLS !- NOT FOR WORK THAT THINGS !!!
HAVE A GOOD DAY there friends !!!!

Well I have checked and always wanted to put on a CNG system .. first the exhaust is nothing but water, the fuel you can get from anyplace .. be it garbage dumps, swamps, man made swamps and in the desert they grow green scum from man made ponds and they make the fuel from that .. also used oils products, almost anything you can think of.
Also setup right and tuned .. driving down the road with Tonneau cover and a light load .. on the HWY you can get 50-60 mpg, pulling a trailer like a rave you get about 40 - 45 mpg and with a 23,00lb load you get 25-30 mpg.
The Eng lasts longer changingng oil is not as often .. and it looks clean as if you just put it in, you do not need all of the fuel and power robing garbage they have to put on Eng so the tree huggerrs are happy and the fuel company's are happy that you have to use more fuel because the mandated exhaust cleaning items that are required
With the CNG and Diesel only you can get massive power a mileage makinging the truck the only thing ppl want to drive
also the 6.7 Cummins will get 600hp and 1500 lb of torque

Well I have checked and always wanted to put on a CNG system .. first the exhaust is nothing but water, the fuel you can get from anyplace .. be it garbage dumps, swamps, man made swamps and in the desert they grow green scum from man made ponds and they make the fuel from that .. also used oils products, almost anything you can think of.
Also setup right and tuned .. driving down the road with Tonneau cover and a light load .. on the HWY you can get 50-60 mpg, pulling a trailer like a rave you get about 40 - 45 mpg and with a 23,00lb load you get 25-30 mpg.
The Eng lasts longer changingng oil is not as often .. and oil looks clean as if you just put it in, you do not need all of the fuel and power robing garbage they have to put on Eng so the
With the CNG and Diesel only you can get massive power a mileage makinging the truck the only thing ppl want to drive
also the 6.7 Cummins will get 600hp and 1500 lb of torque

600 HP AND 1500 LBS from the factory ?????

@SHADOW. Agree, that Cummins would be a grenade, if used as a commercial vehicle.

Outstanding! Great design. Good range for a work rig. Be looking forward to every day pick em up version. Love how Dodge has hung in there and improved the quality and technology for us little folks. I'm a 100% Dodge Ram and Jeep Cherokee fan. Thanks!

I have an '03 ford f150e tended cab 4x4. While these people argue about problems with CNG, I am saving between $150 to $200 per month in fuel over the Malibu we were driving! At $3.50/gal a car on unledded has to get more than 50mpg to cost the same per mile. $1.11/gge and 16 mpg cost me $.069 per mile, I laugh every time I pass a hybrid!