[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Pickens: Energy independence starts with natural gas in big trucks
Chrissie Thompson
Automotive News -- February 16, 2010 - 2:04 pm ET

ORLANDO -- Powering heavy trucks with natural gas is the first step in U.S. energy independence, Texas oil and gas billionaire T. Boone Pickens told a gathering of the nation's automobile dealers.

Eventually, natural gas may become more popular in light vehicles, he said.

Since 2008, Pickens has crusaded to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil by using renewable power and alternative fuels for vehicles.

“I'm not here to sell the guys today on switching over to natural gas” for light vehicles, Pickens told reporters Sunday before his speech to the National Automobile Dealers Association convention here.

But once refueling stations exist across the United States for heavy vehicles, natural gas may catch on in cars and light trucks, he said. Pickens drives a Honda Civic powered by natural gas.

But the U.S. energy solution for cars and light trucks also may be electric powertrains, he said.

“We've got to make sure that we don't get off Saudi oil and end up with a Chinese battery,” he told the NADA audience.

Dealers need to hear the “Pickens Plan” because “this is an American issue,” Pickens told Automotive News . Without action, he projects that foreign countries will raise the cost of oil to $300 to $400 a barrel in 10 years. A barrel sells for about $77 now.

Pickens supports legislation in the House and Senate that would grant $65,000 tax credits for purchases of new heavy-duty and some new medium-duty trucks that run on natural gas.

“You'll have it by Memorial Day,” he told reporters. “I've cleared about eight hurdles out of 10.”


Read more: http://www.autonews....9#ixzz0fjqTzW7D

[jwbouch]

Are they talking about heavy duty pickups, or tractor/trailers? I don't mean to sound ignorant, but I"m not aware of any semi manufacturers who make any trucks that run on natural gas - do you have more info on this? As a truck driver, I find it interesting.

[Z-06]

jwbouch, on 16 February 2010 - 08:57 PM, said:

Are they talking about heavy duty pickups, or tractor/trailers? I don't mean to sound ignorant, but I"m not aware of any semi manufacturers who make any trucks that run on natural gas - do you have more info on this? As a truck driver, I find it interesting.

Volvo Buses an example.

CNG has been used in bigger vehicles for quite a while.

[JamesBond]

CNG is extremely inefficient compared to Diesel. T Boon Pickens just wants more people to use Natural Gas because he owns A TON of it. It is hard to store and is explosive and would require HUGE HUGE HUGE tanks so a truck could go half the distance if on diesel. There is a reason why CNG is primarily used for short range vehicles.

[CSpec]

JamesBond, on 16 February 2010 - 09:48 PM, said:

CNG is extremely inefficient compared to Diesel. T Boon Pickens just wants more people to use Natural Gas because he owns A TON of it. It is hard to store and is explosive and would require HUGE HUGE HUGE tanks so a truck could go half the distance if on diesel. There is a reason why CNG is primarily used for short range vehicles.

Quoted for truth! Pickens is using fear mongering to try and get fat subsidies for his own investments. If natural gas was so cheap, abundant, and wonderful, unsubsidized private enterprise would have exploited it long ago. What's the range of the Civic GX? Like 200 miles?

[loki]

CSpec, on 16 February 2010 - 08:56 PM, said:

Quoted for truth! Pickens is using fear mongering to try and get fat subsidies for his own investments. If natural gas was so cheap, abundant, and wonderful, unsubsidized private enterprise would have exploited it long ago. What's the range of the Civic GX? Like 200 miles?

you're forgetting that gas is subsidized. as with ethanol.

[Z-06]

JamesBond, on 16 February 2010 - 09:48 PM, said:

CNG is extremely inefficient compared to Diesel. T Boon Pickens just wants more people to use Natural Gas because he owns A TON of it. It is hard to store and is explosive and would require HUGE HUGE HUGE tanks so a truck could go half the distance if on diesel. There is a reason why CNG is primarily used for short range vehicles.

Plus the filling options are limited.

[JamesBond]

Z-06, on 16 February 2010 - 08:00 PM, said:

Plus the filling options are limited.

If there are filling options, you need large compressor houses to compress the gas. I worked for a government transit agency where we fueled less than 50 buses a night and it took hours to do it. The compressors took forever, thats when both were working.

[67impss]

Yeah though I like the idea it isn't v viable option for over the road trucks and temperature of liquid natural gas is too costly to do in small scale.

[Z-06]

JamesBond, on 16 February 2010 - 11:19 PM, said:

If there are filling options, you need large compressor houses to compress the gas. I worked for a government transit agency where we fueled less than 50 buses a night and it took hours to do it. The compressors took forever, thats when both were working.

Yeah because most of the compressors cannot sustain high pressures. I did a small paper for my undergraduate studies regarding CNG buses used by Bombay Suburban Transportation. Those buses are bitch to maintain and fill. If you look at the conversion of an existing diesel engine to CNG, then it even makes less economical sense.