CNG Compressor Set up in Indy

I had a trip this week to the Carrier/Bryant furnace factory in Indianapolis, Indiana.  The factory did not allow pictures (so all of our loss as all big factories are cool in general to walk through).

In route we took a short road trip to check out a very successful OEM re-fitter for compressed natural gas vehicles. We stopped by Green Alternative Systems (or G.A.S. as for the shortened logo name on their cards) to check out a conversion factory up lcose.  The other special reason for the visit was their inventory VPG MK-1 CNG vans (or cross overs, or whatever you'd call them).  Juaning Higgins pictured in the test drive below.

VPG has the MK-1 made by AM General at a former Hummer plant in Indiana. VPG is a start up auto manufacturer making a niche vehicle for transporting those in wheel chairs.  We saw these all over Chicago as cabs while we were there to. According to the Cabby driving one we talked to the City of Chicago has an ADA compliant requirement for taxi fleets in the city.  Also the lower cost of CNG as well as an incentive that CNG taxis go to the front of the line at O'Hare Airport make these popular among the drivers who can get them.  In fact the cabby we talked to said that if we were doing something with CNG he wanted to invest (which goes more to the point that there is a boom coming on this subject as speculators are already circling).

The MK-1 is designed specifically with special needs transportation.  Wide on the inside we couldn't help but notice it would make a really sweet service van.  No doubt these vehicles will possibly have a huge cross over potential especially with this factory CNG opportunity.  The sticker price on these high demand limited run vehicles is around $50,000.  From what we can figure that price tag is probably competitive in the ADA transportation business. No doubt retrofits after the factory are probably extremely expensive and a short run vehicle like this cannot be inexpensive.

LUBRICANT NERD ALERTWhen we drove the vehicle I had one thing I noticed.  The RPM on the dash lived above 3000.  So my experience of training as a driver I was instructed to keep the shifting below 3000 preferably at 2000. It just struck me that given the lean natural gas fuel the engine needs to run at a higher rate to get the same power. Something I will be looking at going forward as I get more familiar with CNG will be checking out oil samples out of these CNG engines.  No doubt there is more wear not less though the CNG sales men like to tell us we can extend oil drains due to the reduced emissions going into the oil I am not convinced.  No doubt higher RPMs is more heat, more wear, and therefore probably a special lubrication specification if you want to see them exceed 200,000 miles in their life.

What's cooler than a new car company start up?  The compressor they use to fill them and the Ford vehicles up with.  That was probably the highlight of the trip for me. Luckily they let me take pictures of the unit they rely on. Originally G.A.S. had a BRC Fuelmaker but this unit couldn't keep up with production. Hence they had a new rig assembled and installed.  

( NOTE: I am a layperson. A nerd layperson.  But still a layperson).

Below is what looks like to me to be the compressor and a flywheel no doubt attached to an electric motor below in the cabinet. I was not able to get a good look at the motor driving the compressor.

This is the path that natural gas at 10psi (according to our tour guide) moves its way into the compressor (in Oregon I have always been advised that the service side of a compressor would be under 5psi). Notice the water drain at the bottom left.  Pretty simple parts but no doubt thinking about cleaning up the gas off of the pipeline is an important part of these compressor lives.  No doubt moisture being a constant wear issue.

If the cabinet was not a dead give away about this being a fabricated one-off system the gauges will remove all doubt.  Notice the plastic carve out labels. I haven't seen this on a new installation in years. The whole system seems to be completely analog too. The gauges being the first give away on that.

Here is a picture of the fueling station.  I have seen in Oregon where they run ten or twenty feet of high pressure (3800 psi) stainless steel lines from the compressor to the fueling dispenser.   It never made sense to me. In Indy they obviously like simple and compact better.  There are two wands on the fueling location for two different sizes of refueling port that goes on the vehicle.  This was news to me as I had never heard that before.  A real important tid bit if you build your compressor set up and then find you've got a VHS vs Betamax design problem when you go to fuel.

Inside the compressor compartment there are three filter canisters.  Now of course these also might be pressure canisters for the three stages of refueling.  But I am not an engineer.  The guy on site couldn't answer what they were specifically.

A cool trip and very interesting to see what other markets are doing in the field. This trip to Indiana and Illinois just made me want to find my way to Pennsylvania where I hear the real gold rush for CNG is at.  From what I hear anecdotally they literally have people with expired wells on their property from a century ago and they are tapping these resources with a compressor and pumping natural gas for free out of the ground. I'd be real curious to take a tour of old petroleum country and see it for myself for sure.

Sunday thoughts about Automakers BK

As GM crawls towards what others describe as unavoidable bankruptcy I am drawn to the historic figures of US auto industry founders. How would Henry Ford or Billy Durant have handled this crisis.

The more I speculate the more sure I become of the answer. Their actions would be like that of the tech Mavens of today.  They boldly would stand up and demand more of every member of their team, their supply chain, and ultimately move the entire industry forward surfing the wake of crisis. They would have stepped forward welcoming competition, harsh medicine of the downturn, and would have cast their lot with the American consumers needs.  Their solution would be simple: Progress!

Progress in my definition is simple.  More for less.  Less cost, less impact, and in turn the creation of more value.  

What is the need of the American auto consumer. It is a simple three prong test: Stylish function, bottom of the market cost, and reliable utility.  

That is the secret formula used first by the Oldsmobile as it built market share at the dawn of the automobile.  Again it was the secret strategy of Henry Ford in his quest to displace the horse with his ever less expensive Model-T.  As well it was the come to market strategy of all other car makers gobbling up GM's lunch since Billy Durant launched his own come to market coup with the Chevrolet.  Again, ironically the comeback of Chrysler was marked by this same strategy in the 90's and is why Kia is still a safe bet for dealers who picked up the brand as they pursue it today.

Unbelievably the pundits blame it on fuel economy and the lack of demand for their cars. Though it isn't demand that's dried up in the world. Its credit, income, and of course crude oil's availability.   Who doesn't want a H2?  Only the social sensibilities and excess pull back this shinny toy of the wasteful urbanite.

I can't help but notice that Toyota, Honda, and Nissan manufacture huge SUV's and full size toy-hauling pick-ups.  The difference is their market share make up not their Environmental credentials.  Again we come back to affordable, stylish, and reliable.  

Look at the markets.  When you buy American and inexpensive your purchase reminds you of your income. Your options smack of cost cutting.  The upgrade also is substantially different as well.  Japanese designers on the other hand provide a consistency with value.  

The Japanese hold their consistent come-to-market units true to their roots.  They offer a middle ground to their consumers.  

Ford Festiva 1.4L Diesel

Ford is bringing back the Festiva. More pictures and an better description over at Wired's Autotopia.

But will it make the US? If you read Ford's own press release I get the impression that it won't.