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JuiceTheGator
Purveyor of Justice
Y'all know I think Tesla has done one helluva' job. They make great cars but the range will always have limits and there are some other problems too. So, WTF is taking our cleanest and most plentiful resource from catching on?
Supposedly, the first CNG trucks will start working in January. Once they're running on CNG they'll all have to run on CNG because of the competition from cheaper costs. Electric cars were a nice distraction, but the answer was always right there. For some reason, our gov't and big energy firms delayed the obvious for a decade.
America's Fuel of the Future Is Here
On the other hand, one company has already built the highway of the future. Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE ) expects to have 150 natural gas refueling stations open by the end of the year as part of its plan to build America's Natural Gas Highway. These stations would refuel a truck in the same amount of time as conventional gasoline. So when compared with Tesla, which currently has only about two dozen Supercharger stations open, natural gas is faster and more readily available.
In addition, natural gas has two critical advantages over electric. First, it's cheap. Even spending the $10,000 to get the next-generation Ford (NYSE: F ) F-150 equipped for natural gas, consumers who drive 1,000 miles per month would enjoy a five-year return on that investment of 98% at current prices, thanks to a $2.17-gallon-of -gasoline equivalent savings enjoyed by switching to natural gas.
The other clear advantage to natural gas is that it's powerful. The battery power necessary to power a Ford F-150, let alone an 18-wheeler, would be astronomically expensive and take up important towing space. On the other hand, towing and hauling ratings aren't reduced when a truck is powered by natural gas.
The final consideration is the sheer abundance of natural gas. We have an estimated 100-year supply, though more of it is being found each and every day
Supposedly, the first CNG trucks will start working in January. Once they're running on CNG they'll all have to run on CNG because of the competition from cheaper costs. Electric cars were a nice distraction, but the answer was always right there. For some reason, our gov't and big energy firms delayed the obvious for a decade.
America's Fuel of the Future Is Here
On the other hand, one company has already built the highway of the future. Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE ) expects to have 150 natural gas refueling stations open by the end of the year as part of its plan to build America's Natural Gas Highway. These stations would refuel a truck in the same amount of time as conventional gasoline. So when compared with Tesla, which currently has only about two dozen Supercharger stations open, natural gas is faster and more readily available.
In addition, natural gas has two critical advantages over electric. First, it's cheap. Even spending the $10,000 to get the next-generation Ford (NYSE: F ) F-150 equipped for natural gas, consumers who drive 1,000 miles per month would enjoy a five-year return on that investment of 98% at current prices, thanks to a $2.17-gallon-of -gasoline equivalent savings enjoyed by switching to natural gas.
The other clear advantage to natural gas is that it's powerful. The battery power necessary to power a Ford F-150, let alone an 18-wheeler, would be astronomically expensive and take up important towing space. On the other hand, towing and hauling ratings aren't reduced when a truck is powered by natural gas.
The final consideration is the sheer abundance of natural gas. We have an estimated 100-year supply, though more of it is being found each and every day