This is the first post in a while, mainly because there has been no progress in Congress on taking action on our energy issues despite the Gulf crisis we are dealing with from BP right now. I was contacted recently by fellow Pickens Plan volunteer Rick Freeland of Maryland about a project to drive a 1966 Pontiac GTO powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) from California to Chicago on Route 66. Intrigued by this ‘Natural Gas Goat’ I talked to Rick who put me in contact with Mark McConville, who will be driving the clean burning classic.
I talked to Mark earlier this morning, he is driving out to California from his home of Birmingham, Alabama for the start of his cross country tour. Starting next Sunday, June 27th he will drive from Santa Monica to Chicago on historic Route 66. My recollection of Route 66 is the oddish show on Nick at Nite when I was a kid but before the interstate system was fully developed, Route 66 was the way to get across the country. Now it is a little bit slower than driving out west on I-80, but it cuts directly through the wind and natural gas corridors of the Texas panhandle and Oklahoma. Missouri is a beautiful state and the drive up through southern Illinois to Chicago is scenic and full of history from a tumultuous era of American history.
The full story of Mark’s GTO and how he converted it are available on the Route66GasGoat website. Suffice to say that Mark has taken a favorite muscle car of the past and had it fitted with a kit that allows the existing engine to burn CNG (for about $3500). Mark told me the CNG unit with the BTU equivalent of a gallon of gasoline costs about $1.36 versus about $2.40 for the gallon of gas. He said there was a slight reduction in horsepower but he doesn’t notice it in driving the car. Mark will be supported by a truck carrying CNG since the infrastructure is not fully in place to refill along the way. Route 66 drives through Oklahoma, however, which has one of the most developed systems for CNG filling stations anywhere. The GTO gets about 10 mpg but using CNG is cheaper and produces significantly less emissions.
I’ll be posting updates on the trip and will try to get Mark to post some of his thoughts on the blog as well. Using CNG to power existing cars is a technology that is available immediately. With proper support through tax credits and incentives the infrastructure for refueling vehicles can be added to existing truck stops and main transportation centers at a modest cost. At the very least the government should have all federal fleet vehicles running on CNG. Hopefully this trip raises awareness of CNG as a viable transportation fuel and demonstrates a potential positive effect of good energy legislation.
Mark plans to make it to Chicago on July 4th depending on how the schedule plays out. Check back for updates and the where to meet Mark when he makes it to Chicago!
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