The U.S. auto maker, Ford (F, Financial), has recently announced to launch propane fueled or compressed natural gas fueled 2016 F-150 truck model that would mainly apply to its fleet customers. This is not the first time Ford is experimenting with the use of alternative fuel sources but the top brass believe that this is the only pickup which is capable of running on CNG or propane, besides gasoline or diesel.
In fact, according to the words of Ford’s fleet sustainability manager, Jon Coleman, the company had put forth a survey in which more than 70% of the respondents favored the launch of F-150 truck with alternative fuel choices that would power the 5.0-liter V8 engine.
Let’s introspect further to find out what Ford is about to offer in the 2016 F-150 truck where it wants to provide better and greener options of fuel.
Catching up with competitors
It is to be noted that on May 5, General Motors (GM, Financial) made an announcement that the Chevrolet Silverado would now be available with a CNG option, meaning, both the two-wheel and the four- wheel drive models would have bi-fuel tanks, one for CNG and the other for gas and such a change would be effective starting in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year. Following the rival’s footsteps, Ford has made such an announcement on F-150 which happens to be the closest competitor to the Chevrolet Silverado in the pick-up truck segment.
Adding to the customer’s satisfaction
The popular models of Ford available with CNG/propane prep packages are the F-Series Super Duty trucks, but the company had provided a similar option in the 2014 F-150 truck series. The automaker has already offered CNG prep packages on the 3.7 liter V6 engine in the 2014 F-150 and such vehicles have sold by more than 2,000 units in less than a year. This reflected the demand of customers for alternative fuel choices which are priced lower than gasoline but which can provide better engine output.
With this recent announcement, Ford expects demand to grow for the new CNG prep package on the V-8 F-150 for the 2016 model version. In fact, the company has also stated that such orders would be taken starting this summer with trucks on sale in winter.
The company has emphasized that though the CNG tank would improve the weight of the pick-up truck, it would be able to tow by the same amount it would have if it was run on gasoline. The payload capability would also remain unchanged barring the weight of the installed CNG system.
Though the prep kit would cost around $315 extra over the truck’s standard price, Ford remains confident that buyers in the U.S. would be interested to go for greener and safer options if the engine capability remains unaltered. Since the price of CNG stood at an average of $2.11 per gallon equivalent in the U.S. , while the unleaded gasoline costs an average price of $2.58 per gallon and diesel costs around $2.81 per gallon as on April 30, the fleet customers are gradually turning to alternative fuels, taking into account the cost of ownership and the requirement to reduce vehicle emissions in the U.S.
Parting thoughts
While the sales of the F-150 pickup truck is picking up in the U.S., offering a CNG variant to the 2016 model makes Ford one of the major U.S. manufacturers focusing on selling vehicles with a gaseous-fuel prep option. In fact, including the 2016 F-150, Ford would be offering eight commercial vehicles with such an option by the end of the year in the U.S. Since the automaker anticipates huge demand for CNG/propane driven vehicles it is taking such a step to promote the F-150 pickup truck sales and to stay ahead of immediate rivals. Let’s stay tuned and keep an eye how ultimately the F-150 CNG/propane fueled engines aid in raking the sales in the highly competitive pickup-truck segment in the U.S.
