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While Mercedes-Benz has been selling B-Class vehicles that can run on natural gas or gasoline for several years, the first we will see of the car is at the Washington Auto Show this week.
At a green-car conference before the Washington show, industry leaders said there are many alternatives to gasoline-powered vehicles and all options need to be used. Most participants at the conference argued against government actions deciding which alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles should be built.
Johan de Nysschen, executive president of Audi of America Inc., said that government pressure on the Detroit Three to build hybrid-electric vehicles may kill the companies instead of help them. By building expensive –but fuel efficient –hybrids, the Detroit Three might produce cars that don’t make economic sense.
The United States has ample supplies of natural-gas and it is one of the cleanest burning fuels around. There have been vehicles powered by natural-gas for years now, but most are sold to corporations with private natural-gas refueling stations. Honda makes the natural-gas powered Civic GX and Roush builds (and sells conversion kits as well) natural-gas powered F-150s and F-250s.
William Craven, general manager of regulatory affairs for Daimler’s Washington office confirmed Mercedes-Benz’s interest in testing the market for a natural-gas powered vehicle. Richard Kolodziej, president of Natural Gas Vehicles for America, is obviously for the vehicle. He re-iterated the fact that natural-gas is one of the most abundant sources of fuel in the United States and just happens to burn extremely clean as well. Natural-gas may be one of the best solutions to gasoline right now as it decreases the United States’ dependence on foreign oil and lessens the global impact of the automobile.
Source: Automotive News
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