2016 Ford F150 Will Run On Natural Gas And Propane
Even though Ford still doesn’t have an electric car on the market, they’ll soon offer a hybrid F150 of a different sort. Ford announced at the Alternative Clean Transportation Expo that starting with the 2016 F150 full-size pick-up truck, buyers can choose an option that will allow the 5.0-liter V8 engine to run on compressed natural gas or propane.
While the F150 will be the only truck in the half-ton market that has this option, this isn’t the first time Ford has offered it. In 2013, the car manufacturer offered a similar conversion kit for the 3.5-liter V6 2014 Ford F150, according to AutoBlog.com. Ford also has a line of other trucks that offer the conversion kit, the most popular of which are the company’s F-Series Super Duty trucks. Dealers will start taking orders for the 2016 F150 this summer, and the truck will go on sale this winter, said Ford spokesman Mike Levine.
2016 Ford F-150 w/ Class-Exlcusive CNG/Propane Capability Expands @Ford Alt-Fuel Leadership: https://t.co/b4g98Cd17b pic.twitter.com/IlGvKV6BVa
— Mike Levine (@mrlevine) May 4, 2015
With sales of the 2014 F150 3.5-liter V6 model greater than estimated, the Michigan-based manufacturer has now decided to make the same option available for the V8. With the greater pulling power of the V8, a propane engine is sorely needed in an economy where consumers have been beaten up by the prices of fossil fuels.
In 2014, Ford sold a record-breaking 16,821 vehicles with natural gas and propane prep packages, and expects sales in 2015 to be even stronger, in a year where the manufacturer already is crushing the competition in the performance vehicle sector. Since 2009, Ford has sold over 57,000 natural gas/propane prepped vehicles — seven times more than all other major U.S. car manufacturers combined.
“We surveyed customers likely to use natural gas or propane, and 72 percent told us they want to have these alternative-fuel capabilities available on F-150 with the 5.0-liter V8 engine,” Jon Coleman, Ford fleet sustainability and technology manager told Torque News. “We expect the gaseous-fuel prep package will be even more popular than it was on the 2014 F-150 with the 3.7-liter V6 engine, given the capability of the 2016 F-150 5.0-liter V8.”
The prep package costs $315, and with it, your car will have stronger valves and valve seats. Ford doesn’t actually alter the engine for you; you will need to take it to a Ford-certified shop to have the alternative-fuel tanks, the filling setup, the fuel lines and injectors installed. Ford projects this will run the consumer between $7,500 and $9,000, a large sum, but for Ford’s fleet customers, this represents large savings.
Compressed natural gas currently costs $2.11 per gallon nationally, and as low $1 per gallon in areas where it’s produced. Propane costs in March were as low as $1.23 in some areas of the country.
[Image from YouTube]
