There are certainly more opinions than there are correct answers when it comes to deciding which alternative energy is best for propelling our future vehicles, but whatever the opinion, the answer at Chrysler appears to be natural gas. At least for now.
Amidst the chaos that was the 2012 Detroit auto show was a discussion between Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne and Bloomberg, during which the CEO made it very clear that natural gas was on its way to its U.S. product lineup for 2012.
“We are going to bring them [natural gas engines] here, there is no doubt,” said Marchionne, before cautioning that supply would be limited – at least at first. The CEO believes that natural gas is the best answer, even better than diesel, and certainly better than all electric or gas-electric hybrids when it comes to reducing operating costs for fleets.
The report also points out that Alfred Altavilla, head of Fiat’s Iveco truck unit, says the added cost of having a vehicle that runs on natural gas is about $3,000, compared to $3,300 for a diesel or as much $8,000 for a hybrid.
The downside to natural gas is largely found in its lack of available refueling stations. In the U.S. there were only about 1,000 refueling stations as of 2010, compared to the tens of thousands of stations which offer both gasoline and diesel fuel.
In addition to getting natural gas-powered trucks to the U.S. before the close of 2012, Chrysler will also bring compressed natural gas-powered vehicles stateside by 2017.
