Toyota Camry CNG Hybrid

Unveiled at the LA Auto Show, the Toyota Camry CNG Hybrid vehicle is one that is desperately needed. The only other OEM natural gas vehicle currently offered is the Honda Civic GX.

From Green Car Congress:

"The CNG Camry Hybrid concept was designed by the TMS Advanced Product Strategy group and built by Metal Crafters of Fountain Valley, Calif. To convert the stock Camry Hybrid to a CNG vehicle, the gasoline fuel system was replaced with a CNG fuel system including two Lincoln composite Type 4 CNG tanks installed in the spare tire well area.

The CNG Camry Hybrid retains the 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine with Hybrid Synergy Drive. The concept delivers net (all power sources) 170 hp (127 kW); the production Camry Hybrid delivers net 187 hp (139 kW).

The CNG Camry Hybrid stores sufficient natural gas at 3,600 psi to support a 250+ mile range, with combined fuel economy of 33 mpg gasoline equivalent. (The gasoline Camry Hybrid has a combined fuel economy rating of 34 mpg.)"

I like this car, a lot. The range is very respectable at 250 miles, although I would think a hybrid system could do better. This vehicle should get 40 to 45 mpg gasoline equivalent. Why isn't it able to match the Prius in fuel economy? I feel that the added expense of the hybrid system is not justified in this case.

Also, I would like to see Toyota offer plug in capability with this vehicle to make it even more green!

OEM CNG vehicles

Did you know that major auto manufacturer's make vehicles that run on compressed natural gas (CNG)? I have previously written about the Pickens Plan on this blog and how their goal is to convert most of the US fleet to CNG. Today, CNG is abundant and relatively inexpensive in the United States (less than 1 dollar per gallon in Utah), which is in sharp opposition to crude oil and gasoline that we need to import. Furthermore, burning CNG in an internal combustion engine is drastically cleaner than burning gasoline. It is so much cleaner that California will give you HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) status for driving a CNG vehicle.

Here are some examples of CNG burning automobiles:

-- The Honda Cixic GX:
-- The Chevy Cavalier CNG bi-fuel vehicle
-- The Chevy Suburban/Silverado 2500 vehicles
-- The Ford Contour CNG bi-fuel
-- The Ford 150 truck
-- the Ford Excursion

You can see these for sale at various websites which I will list below. These vehicles are made by the auto manufacturers and then sold to fleets but not to you and I. The only exception is the Honda Civic GX, which is a great car. My question is, "Why can't I walk into my local Chevy dealer and buy a new Chevy Cavalier CNG bi-fuel vehicle?" I can buy one used after the fleet is finished with it, but not when the car is new.

If we had more of these vehicles for sale and more stations that sold CNG at the pump, we could march ever onwards towards living oil free.

CNG Cars for Sale
Morris Auto Sales
US Government Fleet Auctions