NatGasCar Announces CNG Conversion Kit for Ram 1500 and Dodge Dakota
We’re still years away from seeing electric-powered, zero-emissions pickup trucks towing and hauling across the U.S., but if you’re looking to clean up what’s coming from your tailpipe while reducing dependence on foreign oil, NatGasCar has a new compressed-natural-gas conversion kit for 2009-11 Ram 1500 half-tons with 4.7-liter V-8 engines.
NatGasCar recently received approval from the EPA to start sales of its CNG kits. The Ram 1500 is the first truck for which the kit is available, in either dedicated CNG or bi-fuel gasoline-CNG configurations. The conversion kit will also work with the 2010-11 Dodge Dakota with the same engine.
“We starting with the 4.7,” said John Webster, NatGasCar’s spokesman. “It’s a popular engine with fleet [buyers].”
Compressed natural gas is an odorless and colorless gas that consists mostly of methane. CNG burns almost completely during combustion and also emits less carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides while returning slightly better mileage than gasoline. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. has abundant natural gas reserves. As of 2009, there were 255 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves still in the ground.
Photo: Brian Williams for Brenda Priddy & Company
Despite CNG’s huge untapped reserves, distribution and refueling points are limited in the U.S. Fleet operators, like municipalities and large businesses, are likely to have CNG refueling facilities, though CNG has moderate public availability in some states, like in Utah and Oklahoma.
To solve CNG’s distribution challenges, NatGasCar is also working on a home refueling appliance for private consumers, called the EcoWise, that it hopes to sell by the end of 2011.
NatGarCar’s 4.7-liter V-8 conversion kit includes hardened exhaust valves and intake and exhaust valve seats, plus special acoustic and thermal insulating shields that cut down on noise and high temperatures. It also comes with a tank mounted in the cargo box that’s required to store the CNG under high pressure. The company says driving range with the CNG kit is 250 to 325 miles.
“A [CNG] version is also a possibility for the 3.6-liter [Pentastar] V-6,” Webster said. “We are also working on a version for the Ford F-150 with the 5.0-liter V-8.”
The starting price for the conversion packages is $5,400, according to Webster. It comes with a five-year, 120,000 mile warranty, according to NatGasCar's website.
Photo: Brian Williams for Brenda Priddy & Company
Other companies, like Roush, previously have offered liquid propane injection systems similar to CNG. Roush performed all of the testing on NatGasCar’s system, according to Webster.
[Source: NatGasCar]
