![As Richard Nixon claimed to have said, \"We could do that-- but it would be wrong.\"](https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/gas.jpg "As Richard Nixon claimed to have said, \\"We could do that-- but it would be wrong.\\"")
Even Autoblog knows something's not right when GM announces a $15.5b second quarter hit. ("We're no industry analysts and we don't have any insights into the General's balance sheet, but a $15.5B Q2 loss and four strait [sic] quarters of red ink doesn't sound good at all.") Well, you don't have to be an industry analyst to know that GM's Attention Deficiency Disorder accounts for a large part of its misery. Representing our Best and Brightest armchair analysis semi-pro squad, I'd like to point out that Larry Burns, GM Veep R&D and planning (yes planning), does his employer no favors when he steps on the GM Fastlane Blog soapbox and declares "GM believes there is no single technology solution to displace petroleum." So compressed natural gas it is! "Natural gas, is enticing because it is abundant, affordable and relatively clean." Only… "We are not ready to commit to a future production plan." So, Larry, how do we get this party started? "If natural gas is to make a measurable impact, many vehicles need to use it, and it must be readily available. Collaboration with the energy industry and governments is key. Governments will likely need to provide incentives to encourage early adoption of the technology and to jump-start the fueling infrastructure." Will these guys EVER learn? Nope.
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gmc had compressed natural gas trucks in the early 90’s ……. they bought them all back
they probably got it all figured out by now
paul
“Captain, the ship is sinking!”
“Don’t worry, it’s just additional liquidity.”
It’s all over except the bailout.
Unreal.
sorta like watching AMTRAK, you know it will get to the destination, you just don’t know WHEN.
Don’t these gasbags know that it’s sometimes better to say NOTHING?
Opfreak (you here now too?): The answer is that Honda has the luxury of TIME; GM does not.
Pacific Gas & Electric has many CNG Chevy trucks. Natural gas pipelines crisscross most of the country. An enterprise would just need to tap into them for fueling stations.
I kinda like heating my house more than driving my car…
And Honda has already been selling a CNG Civic… the Civic GX… for years.
“GM believes there is no single technology solution to displace petroleum.”
I’m sorry, but I can’t join the rant on this one. That is a completely accurate statement. Natural gas is one option, but if overnight all cars in the country were to run on it, what would that do to natural gas prices, say for heating houses in the Winter in the midwest?
TTAC loves to point out that using ethanol to fuel cars instead of feeding people is a “boondoggle”. Using natural gas to fuel cars so people can’t afford to heat their homes is also a bad idea. Thus, Natural gas is or could be PART of a long term solution. But natural gas is plentiful and relatively cheap in this country and worth looking into.
Larry Burns is right: As it stands right now, not one technology is going to replace petroleum fuel.
With all due respect Robert, what you are calling ADD here I would call “not putting all your energy eggs in one basket”, and I think its smart.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a grad student doing engine research at a leading university, partially funded by GM. However, I do not “drink the GM Kool-Aid” so to speak – I hate the Cobalt as much as the next guy – but on this point I agree with them.
CNG fueled class 8 trucks are going to catch on in a big way for the LA/Long Beach container haulers.
Running CNG offers a lower cost per mile than a comparable diesel that meets the 2010 emissions standards.
@the duke: With all due respect Robert, what you are calling ADD here I would call “not putting all your energy eggs in one basket”, and I think its smart.
The problem is that GM isn’t putting any eggs into any basket, and even if they wanted to, they don’t have the money for the eggs in the first place.
They’ve got a few lame “light hybrids” that have been commercial flops, a Volt that is promised but not anywhere near delivery, no diesel plan, and an overly strong focus on the fad of ethanol/E85 cars. They are basically doing nothing on the alternative fuels front other than talk about doing this, that or the other.
The reality is, GM is running out of cash and can’t sell what they got, let alone invest in something that anyone will want — and by the time they do, the tech will have advanced well beyond the billions they invest.
You should have seen how had my local GMC salesguy was trying to upsell me from an Acadia to a Yukon XL — and yet there, on his lot, were almost a hundred Yukons, begging against all hope to be sold. GM dealer lots are like the Land of Misfit Toys.
Ashy Larry,
Does that mean that Bob Lutz is King Moonraker?
CNG isn’t a bad idea at all; in fact, I believe Ford is putting some CNG vehicles back on the market (Crown Vics?) after ceasing production of them a couple of years ago. But if GM is just starting to talk about this, wow…there’s a bit of catch-up work to be done.
It must be depressing working as a car designer at GM.
Management BS must be suppressing many bright ideas; if those with bright ideas haven’t already left in frustration. Oh well they can work at Toyota, Honda, or Nissan where ideas are of interest to management.
The Duke does have a point there, and GM has been working on other alternitives technology to like any other manufacturer. And natural gas is good, but the current Civic model comes with alot of bagage in terms of the home unit.
And yeah, the mild hybrids arent that great, but there is work on diesels and more and more biofuel is being produced to at a much cheaper price aswell. But GM is far from having ADD though.
If GM had seriously been working on more fuel efficient vehicles their current situation wouldn’t be so difficult.
While GM was busy counting their profits from large SUV sales, Honda and Toyota were improving their engines and developing hybrids that are cost effective.
Those of us who just wanted improved cars, watched as the big 3 failed to produce them.
VVT and other engine advancements evolved over many years at Honda and Toyota. Suddenly a few years ago the big 3 struggled to develop their first versions of such engines.
My dad bought an ’87 Chevy Celebrity with the 2.8 engine, and had an aftermarket natural gas conversion done on it. At the time, the Government of Ontario and the federal Government were offering subsidies to have this done. The car was already a POS before the conversion was done. It liked to eat fuses, and the Chevy dealer could never figure out the electrical problems. At one time they told my dad “you must have gone over a bump” when one of the fuses burned out. Geniuses, I tell ya!
The car never ran right after the conversion was done, and when it was running on natural gas, the range was greatly reduced compared to running on gasoline. The thing stalled all the time and wouldn’t restart until we switched it back to the gas tank. There used to be a bunch of NGV (“natural gas for vehicles”) fueling stations at local gas stations, but it seems they’re very hard to find now in Southern Ontario. So in my opinion, natural gas is not a good solution, especially when fueling infrastructure that once existed is now gone.