Without EVs, Chrysler Gets Gassy. Will Washington?
Today, natural gas is a rational alternative to gasoline that can provide a near-term environmental solution on the road to vehicle electrification. It is the most effective solution, in terms of costs and timing, to lessen this country’s reliance on oil
Chrysler/Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne tells the Detroit News that despite not having an electric vehicles in the works until 2012 (can you believe ENVI was just vapor), Chrysler can sell environmentally-friendly vehicles sooner than that. After all, Fiat sells a grip of natural gas-powered vehicles in Europe (130,000 last year), offering the alt-energy drivetrain on nearly every model. Of course, there’s a hitch. Or three.
Fiat’s European natural gas offerings are entirely the product of hefty subsidies, and in order to roll out the technology stateside, Chrysler’s going to need more government help. Go figure. And not just for consumer incentives (which have since ravaged the Italian market in particular), but in subsidized infrastructure. You know, like the kind of infrastructure that the US government is already subsidizing for electric cars. Sorry Chrysler, I like natural gas as much as the next windbag, but spending more government cash on an interim technology while numerous EV projects and subsidies are already underway just doesn’t make a ton of sense. Unless, as is the case in Italy, the entire program is designed to specifically help a domestic automaker… but then, Chrysler’s already had its bailout.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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Stingray - you're exactly right re: Hydrogen. CNG-capable vehicle technology is a good bridge to Hydrogen fuel cell/electric vehicles. Up and coming fuel cell technologies are designed to run from natural gas directly without reformers (such as Bloom Box). Having CNG storage on board, whether used for ICE fuel or as an H source for fuel cells, is a good starting point. Personally, I don't think that direct Hydrogen storage will ever be suitable for automotive applications. CNG is perhaps the next best substitute.
The difference between CNG and all electric vehicles is that the technology is well in hand to build CNG vehicles in volume today. Electric vehicles, on the other hand, are constantly just over the horizon as we wait for the killer battery to materialize. CNG makes much more sense for the next several decades than all electric vehicles do.
The US already has tax incentives for natural gas powered vehicles and for refueling stations too. In addition, natural gas is much less expensive than gasoline. The problem is CNG tanks are big, heavy, and expensive. In the case of the Honda Civic GX, you pay about $7000 extra minus $3000 tax break, have to give up half the trunk, and tie up lots of money in a slow cheap looking car that only works where CNG refueling is available. Got a quote close to $10000 to install my own industrial type CNG refueling pump at my house. Couldn't make the economics work even if natural gas was free. Unfortunately most CNG cars are sold with lower trim levels at high prices to government agencies. I would rather own a bi-fuel CNG and gasoline car with a smaller CNG tank plus a gasoline tank and nice upgrades like leather upholstery and aluminum wheels. Need smaller, less expensive CNG tanks installed in cars that are very desirable except for their fuel cost to make the economics work. Chrysler should think CNG Challenger, not CNG econobox.
Don't worry, like Stinray explained, a car w/ this won't explode on you. It's a different gas. Some time ago my home state started a state company to promote and distribute this kind of fuel. In futuere it would even exploit some gas reserves that apparently the state has. When ethanol made its comeback though, this fuel was basically left to wither. The reasoning was that you'd have to drive over 100km per day for 3 years to make up the difference in performanceXcost to runXconversion. FWIW yes Fiat is a world leader in this technology. And they offer down here a Siena Tetrafuel (4 fuels), which car run on Brazilian gasoline (25% ethanol content), pure ethanol , pure gasoline (only available in neigboring countries) and natural gas. The cilinder to keeps the gas takes up about half of the trunk, but since the trunk in this car is huge (500L) is can be a good trade off is you travel a lot. A others have said, YMMV as structural (read governmental) decisions affect your decision. Right now it's not a winner.