What's Stopping Mass Adoption of Natural Gas Vehicles?

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

http://www.fool.com/investing/genera...as-vehicl.aspx August 31, 2013 | Comments (0) Join Motley Fool analyst Brendan Byrnes for a conversation with Ian Scott, the executive vice president of Westport Innovations' On-Road Systems segment, which works with OEM partners such as Ford, Volvo, Kenworth, and Peterbilt to produce natural gas-0powered vehicles in the U.S. and elsewhere.
In the following video, Scott describes the progress being made in natural gas infrastructure among companies such as Clean Energy Fuels and Royal Dutch Shell, with as many as 560 stations projected to be in place by the end of 2015.
To watch the full interview, click .
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<iframe width="560" height="330" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dtFnMmMkLrQ?fs=1&hd=1&feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> Brendan Byrnes: When you look at some of the big companies using natural gas vehicles -- Waste Management, UPS, FedEx -- UPS actually is going to increase their natural gas fleet to 800 by the end of 2014. That's up from 112 right now.
What do you think overall when you look at the landscape? What's the biggest barrier for companies embracing natural gas? Is it the infrastructure? Is it companies like these that need to come in and really take the lead and show that it's possible and the economics work? What do you think is the barrier?
Ian Scott: I think historically it's been infrastructure, has been the biggest one. But now we see -- and the UPS example is a great one -- we see where infrastructure is no longer an impediment. I think we're getting stronger infrastructure but we're not at critical mass yet, where we need to be in order to just see massive adoption of natural gas.
Companies such as Clean Energy and Shell and ENN, they're doing a great job in building out particularly liquid natural gas stations right now. I think that's really going to help.

[jafar00]

My guess is there are a lot of rev heads out there who think they need a V8 petrol engine to bring the shopping back from Walmart. Gas is not manly enough.

[aboutime]

My guess is there are a lot of rev heads out there who think they need a V8 petrol engine to bring the shopping back from Walmart. Gas is not manly enough.

jafar. You'd be guessing wrong. When was the last time you went to Walmart on a Camel?

[fj1200]

Ian Scott: I think historically it's been infrastructure, has been the biggest one. But now we see -- and the UPS example is a great one -- we see where infrastructure is no longer an impediment. I think we're getting stronger infrastructure but we're not at critical mass yet, where we need to be in order to just see massive adoption of natural gas.
Companies such as Clean Energy and Shell and ENN, they're doing a great job in building out particularly liquid natural gas stations right now. I think that's really going to help.

My first guess was also infrastructure but it seems there are other issues as well?

Natural Gas Vehicle Comparison

They cost more upfront, they weigh more, and there is minimal emissions advantage over gas. Oh, and no one really sells them.