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Good news on the natural gas front; an evolution at the pump
Topic Started: Mar 11 2013, 01:49 AM (238 Views)
Pat
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Fire & Ice Senior Diplomat
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I think the answer to the question is yes. And so do car manufacturers and engine manufacturers. Diesel demand will plummet as trains and other heavy equipment switch over. I think it is a bridge to all electric that is a no brainer.




Can Natural Gas Replace Regular Gasoline?

CNBCBy Javier E. David | CNBC – 17 hours ago
@cnbc on Twitter

Natural gas is abundant, clean and far cheaper than diesel. That has the U.S. transportation and auto industries looking for ways to kick their dependence on dirtier fossil fuels.

After years of debating how to tap domestic energy sources, new innovations in the sector have created a boom in U.S. energy production. And natural gas is now being viewed as something of a panacea for much of what ails the world's largest economy - cheaper energy could make U.S. manufacturing globally competitive again.

Indeed, natural gas was the buzz of CERAWeek, an energy conference in Houston that explores hot topics in the energy sector.

Using the fuel in conventional transportation is one avenue that appears to hold vast potential.

This week, BNSF Railway, one of the largest consumers of U.S. diesel fuel and a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A), announced a natural gas pilot program for its fleet of locomotives. Observers and market participants say it could be the first step toward eroding the stranglehold oil and traditional gasoline has on cars, trucks and trains.

"Natural gas is a huge boom here in the economy," Lorenzo Simonelli, General Electric (GE) Transportation president and CEO told CNBC this week. GE is currently competing against manufacturing giant Caterpillar (CAT)to develop natural gas locomotives.

The energy source is "a huge opportunity", Simonelli said.

Natural gas has been slow to catch on in the auto industry, but there are tentative signs that consumers may be warming to using the cheaper fuel as an alternative to regular gas.

This week, auto maker Ford (NYSE:F) said it sold a record 11,600 natural gas vehicles last year - a fourfold increase from just two years ago. In recent months, General Motors (GM) and Chrysler have added natural gas pickup trucks to their automobile lines.

Honda (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 7267.T-JP)also sells a natural gas version of its popular Civic. Analysts, however, estimate their sales are far more modest than sales at Ford.

Natural gas has its share of critics, many of which are activists who bemoan the impact the process of natural gas extraction, known euphemistically as "fracking," has on the environment.

Still, the sector also has some high-profile backers, many of whom see it as a way to revitalize the U.S. economy and build its energy independence. It's biggest boosters include alternative energy maven T. Boone Pickens and Dow Chemical (DOW) CEO Andrew Liveris.

The glut of natural energy in the United States is "a game changer, and I think it's the story of global economic recovery if handled right," Liveris told CNBC in January on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.

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Brewster
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I have serious doubts about Nat Gas for cars - too hard to set up an adequate infrastructure. Batteries will be cost effective long before all the stations could be put in place.

But I think it's an excellent choice for trucks and trains - putting together a battery pack to haul tons of cargo doesn't seem realistic, and it would take a relatively limited number of stations to fill up trucks on Nat Gas.
Edited by Brewster, Mar 11 2013, 02:06 AM.
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Pat
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I know you think that and obviously your government must too, given you are selling off your reserves to commie China. We think natural gas is a winner in the transportation arena.
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Neutral
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We will all be gone before electric is the mainstay.
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retired
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Frackem. Less polluted gas and lower diesel prices.
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Corky52
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Pat,
Canada doesn't have the NG infrastructure in place that the U.S. does, NG is not nearly as much of a nobrainer for them as it is for us.

:smoker:
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Thumper
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Progess is finally occuring. Bout time.
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Corky52
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NG, properly handled could buy North America the time needed to develop and move to renewable energy resources, handled the way that is currently being proposed will simply make a very few huge amounts of money and leave us in the same hole fifteen years from now.

If you really believe NG is worth the effort you will not allow the export of NG or oil, let the energy be used here to help our people and maintain our industry and standard of living.


:smoker:
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Neutral
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How about turning NG into gas?
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/03/11/new-technology-turns-u-s-natural-gas-glut-into-gasoline/
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Pat
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I heard it is more efficient and clean in the gas state.
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