This week, Ford Motor Company announced that it will begin manufacturing a natural gas-powered version of its best-selling pickup truck, the F-150. Unlike other natural gas-powered vehicles in the Ford fleet, including the E Series Van and the Transit Connect, this new F-150 will be available to the general public.
“This is not restricted to commercial fleets only,” says Dick Cupka, a product development sustainability manager at Ford.
According to auto manufacturer, “adding the 2014 F-150 will make it the only maker with a full-size pickup that can come prepped from the factory for natural gas, then sent to an outfitter,” reports USA Today.
Jon Coleman, a Ford fleet and sustainability manager, says the cost of conversion can pay for itself in fuel savings in two to three years. As a result, adding the F-150 is likely to boost fast-growing natural-gas vehicle sales, which have almost doubled every year for the past three years. “When you see growth like that you realize this is an emerging technology in a mature industry,” Coleman says.
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