CNG News: 5th January 2009

Compressed natural gas is the ticket

As I am sure you are aware getting the big three automakers to change their ways is imperative to long-term success of the United States automotive industry and the broader economy in general. Hybrids are not the answer we should be asking for. Just like the executives very public drive down from Detroit to ask for help, they are simply a convenient show that doesn't really address many of the underlying issues. Hybrids are better than the alternative of doing nothing, however make little to no impact on the environment and getting us off foreign oil. They use the same oil, only slightly less of it. Electric cars would be great but they are years away from practical mainstream use. The promise of these cars in the future is fantastic; however one could argue that the best way to develop these technologies would not be to give billions more to the Big Three, but rather to other more focused interests. Compressed Natural Gas is the only viable answer to our current energy crisis. Promoting this cleaner, cheaper and 100 percent domestically produced fuel for use as a transportation fuel should be central to your discussions and mandated on the Big Three. The fact is they already produce CNG vehicles for foreign markets, however not for domestic use. We are desperately trying to purchase CNG vehicles for use in New Jersey but we just can't get them. The only option right now other than the Honda Civic GX (which there are only 2.000 made of per year) is to pay US$ 10.000-US$ 15.000 for an aftermarket conversion. The Big Three have the technology to provide OEM CNG vehicles on Day 1 and we just need to make it so that they feel compelled to do so. Some of it might involve easing the red tape so that it is more convenient for them to do so, however the people will never have a better stage to make their demands heard then right now when Detroit has their hands out to us. Large-scale domestic production of CNG vehicles should be part of any alternative energy mandates that are made on the automotive makers in return for government support. They should not be allowed to simply promise to invest in future technologies that may or may not be delivered down the road. (Electric cars have been promised for decades). CNG is available now, the technology is here, and they have the ability to produce it today.