Ford Motor Co., the second-largest U.S. automaker, plans to begin offering compressed natural gas fuel systems for its F-150 pickups to meet growing demand from business fleets and attract retail buyers.
Fuel packages similar to what Ford has offered on large commercial vehicles since 2009 will be available starting this year with the 2014 F-150, said Kevin Koswick, head of its fleet operations. The F-150 will be the only half-ton pickup capable of running on compressed natural gas, or CNG, the company said in a statement.
Ford is seeking to further bolster its F-Series pickups, which have been the top-selling trucks in the U.S. for the past 36 years. Natural gas prices have fallen as U.S. production surged with horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Ford said the average U.S. price for CNG is equal to $2.11 a gallon, compared to $3.66 for regular gasoline.
The F-150 is “probably our No. 1 request out there right now, with people asking us” for a CNG system, Koswick said yesterday in a briefing near Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. The F-150 will be the eighth commercial vehicle that Ford will sell that can run on CNG.