Oklahoma, Dallas Order Fleets of Ford F-150 CNG Pickups
By Aaron Bragman
Ford announced that two government agencies have placed orders for 321 Ford F-150s powered by compressed natural gas. Oklahoma will get 256 of the bi-fuel pickup trucks, while Dallas will take possession of 65 trucks. The F-150 will come equipped with the 3.7-liter V-6 engine, capable of running on either CNG or liquefied petroleum gas, also known as propane autogas. Ford says that the most commonly selected option puts two fuel tanks in the truck, one for gasoline and one for CNG, enabling the truck to travel nearly 750 miles when both tanks are used sequentially.
Fleets like the ones in Oklahoma and Dallas are increasingly using CNG vehicles because CNG prices are nearly one-third that of gasoline. Those savings allow the increased purchase cost of the truck to be recouped in less than three years, according to Ford. After that, the reduction in annual fuel costs means lower operating budgets, a good thing for municipalities. The increased production of CNG and LPG in the U.S. also means that the fuel continues to get cheaper and more available; a large fleet can even have its own filling stations. Oklahoma is leading the way in pushing for conversion of municipal fleets to CNG — Gov. Mary Fallin leads a coalition of 22 states that are committing to switching fuels for state-owned vehicle fleets as a way to reduce dependency on foreign oil and save money in the process.
By this summer Ford will offer eight vehicles that can be powered by CNG, and says that it is on track to sell 15,000 CNG trucks by the end of the year with a cumulative total of 50,000 such vehicles since 2010.
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Comments
Why not allow consumers to choose methanol-based M85 fuels at the pump. M85 can be burned in any Flex Fuel vehicle (and it costs about $1.50 per gallon to make methanol).
Going on and on about independence from foreign fuel sources sounds a bit corny considering that most of our fossil fuel shipments come here from Mexico and Canada.
Times change, but political messages don't.
There is plenty of oil, we are not going to run out.
We need to stop all this Ethanol and Methanol BS. Those fuels do not provide good fuel mileage and only use up our food supplies.
Natural gas is not the answer either, the last thing we need is every one driving around with natural gas under pressure in their vehicles.
I remember when the local police department used natural gas to fuels its patrol cars. The engines were gutless. Sure they could run them to 200,000 miles but they had no power compared to police cars with gas engines.
Does anyone else hate this stupid typing in letters that are almost unreadable?
@big horn 1500
Methanol is refined from coal--America has enough coal to make cheap fuel for a few hundred years. Corn not required. It can also be refined from natural gas.
Presently race car drivers are allowed to use Methanol in their fuels but not for street use. Why not--unless you are a corn farmer?
They just made the biggest mistake of their lives!
GUTS
GLORY
BETTER THAN FORD ANY DAY OF THE WEEK
RAM
Landi Renzo USA Recalling CNG Vans to Address FIRE RISK
March 26, 2014
Landi Renzo USA is recalling 343 2011 through 2014 model-year Ford E-150, E-250 and E-350 vans converted to run on compressed natural gas, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports. Dealers need to address a FIRE RISK in vehicles that were modified from Jan. 2, 2011 through Feb. 24, 2014.
Just what Ford needs more FIRE RECALLS! NOT!
http://www.automotive-fleet.com/channel/safety-accident-management/news/story/2014/03/landi-renzo-usa-recalling-cng-vans-to-address-fire-risk.aspx
Yep, and it's tough to be petroleum independent when our oil industries are in it for the money and will produce and sell to the highest bidder. Pretty much all a pipe dream.
This option should come with a Ram.
Utilising the bed for CNG storage instead of a load shouldn't affect the Ram to much, since it can't carry a large load.
What a waste of taxpayer dollars. I'm sort of glad we don't have this kind of stuff nowadays in Australia.
Why not just buy a Corolla? It probably has nearly as much storage in the back of it as this F-150 has and a Corolla can go faster than 98mph.
CNG and LPG ONLY works is warm climates !
I've read about guys who had this conversion done, and they love it. They don't lose MPGs with the 5.0 conversions, and pay 1/3 of what gas costs. I'm pretty sure the guys were from OK too.
Ken says it's "...tough to be petroleum independent when our oil industries are in it for the money and will produce and sell to the highest bidder."
@Ken
Actually, Ken, American has no problem producing enough for our needs and those of others. The White House and the EPA are blocking the construction of infrastructure and other resources that could strengthen our position even more.
Selling to the highest bidder??? Who the Hell are they supposed to sell it to, Ken? The LOW bidder?
You sound like you're ten years old.
@Big Horn 1500 -
What kind of engines were in those natural gas powered police cars?
"compared to police cars with gas engines?"
You go tell the corn lobby that they should stop growing corn for fuel.
You'd disappear faster than a UFO making crop circles :)
@Lou_BC - "...stop growing corn for fuel..."
Well I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong. The last thing America needs is farmers growing corn for food...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eou8ZHWViU
@Tom#3 The oil companys I do pipe lining for run kohler generators, one CAT generator and a big CAT natural gas compressor on natural gas year round six days a week. The only problem they ever has was moisture in the pancake regulator, which they put a air dryer on them and now they have no problems at all wither it be -35 F or 100 F.
papa jim: I have to agree, but when on trips where I can get E85, I have tried it in my Chevy Z-71, and while it does run a little better, and is rated 20hp more, and it does feel like it, the down side is just over 300 miles to a take full, while on premium gas I can get over 455 on a tankful! Note I also have the CAI and tuner involved, and I can get the most out of prem gas and E85 when I adjust for it on the tuner, and exhaust is next but the Chevy exhaust while heavy, are not all that bad at robbing power.
The problem with oil is not the amount of oil produced, it is the number of refineries that can refine the oil. Increasing oil production without increasing refining capacity will make little if any difference. There has not been a major refinery built in the US since the 70's. The major oil companies are international and they sell to whoever will pay the highest price. Unrefined oil from the US cannot be exported unless it is refined into products. Even if refinery capacity is expanded the World demand for oil products especially from India and China is much greater than the available supply. India, China, and other developing countries want what we have and will pay the price to get it.
@Jeff S
I've read that the US is considering lifting it's ban on the export of crude.
At the moment the US laws dictate that only refined fuels can be exported.
If that is the case we might see the US exporting.
The US does have some funny regulations.
@Big Al--That is correct and that is why only refined products can be exported. China and India are building mega refineries. China even has refinery that will refine the heavy crude (high in sulfur) which the US has as well, but most of the World does not have. The oil from Venezuela is heavy crude which cannot be refined in most refineries. The sweet or low sulfur crude is the best because it can be refined anywhere and more product can be refined with less waste. The Keystone pipeline will eventually get completed and more oil and gas will be recovered with fracking and other methods. The technology to drill and to recover oil and gas is so much more advanced than it was when I was in the oil and gas industry in the early 80s and it will continue to advance. Wells that were capped or were not feasible to drill in the past have become much easier and affordable to drill and with the higher price of oil it gives producers more incentive to drill. Even with that though we have the insatiable appetite for energy from the developing countries especially China and India which are rapidly growing. The West no longer has a monopoly on growth. China alone has over 470 million people in the middle class which is larger than the entire population of the USA>
The only way Ram (no longer Dodge....because?) is going to keep up with Ford is if the Ford is towing it.
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