Chrysler to sell natural gas-powered truck
Published:Wednesday | March 7, 2012 | 12:00 AM
Chrysler aims to be the first US automaker to produce a factory-built pickup truck that is powered mainly by natural gas.
The privately held company said Tuesday that its new Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG truck will be sold to commercial customers that operate truck fleets. The company expects to deliver the first trucks in July.
The truck will have natural gas tanks and an 8-gallon (30-litre) fuel tank for gasolene.
Chrysler said a small amount of gasolene is needed to start the truck, but after ignition it runs entirely on natural gas. If the natural gas tanks run out, the engine can switch to gasolene.
Natural gas prices have dropped steeply over the last year, thanks to higher production. Chrysler said the gas-powered trucks will save money over the long term.
- AP