Ford Motor Co. on Monday said its 2016 model year F-150 — which hits dealer lots this winter — will offer a compressed natural gas option on its 5-liter V8 engine that runs on fuel cheaper than both unleaded gas and diesel.
The Dearborn automaker said the F-150 will become the only half-ton pickup with the gaseous-fuel prep package option, which allows customers to run on clean, low-cost compressed natural gas or propane.
The option will cost customers thousands of dollars: $315 for Ford to prep the engine, and between $7,500-$9,500 to have a Ford qualified vehicle modifier supply and upfit the engine with the necessary fuel tanks, fuel lines and fuel injectors.
“For us, it’s another way of providing improved productivity and efficiency to our broad customer base,” Doug Scott, Ford’s F-150 marketing manager, said in a statement.
Compressed natural gas is mainly composed of methane. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of approximately 3,600 psi. Ford had previously offered the CNG option on its 2014 F-150’s 3.7-liter V6 engine, but believes it can sell more on the V8 to customers who want lower fuel costs.