Toyota Corporate Communicator Irv Miller contrasted the 1999 market with current conditions favoring low emissions and high economy while also throwing a bone to fuel-cell advocates, saying "an expanded retail-friendly CNG infrastructure could be seen as a model for future hydrogen infrastructure." Plus, lazy Americans wouldn't have to learn a new term for "filling up the gas tank." Press release below.

TOYOTA TO DISPLAY CNG-POWERED CAMRY-HYBRID CONCEPT AT 2008 LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 24, 2008 – Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., announced here today at its Sustainable Mobility Seminar that it will display a compressed natural gas (CNG) Camry Hybrid concept vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

"With the combination of plentiful long-term supplies in North America, improved and more efficient recovery methods, favorable pricing and clean-burn/low emissions characteristics, CNG has become a prime energy-source for the future," said Irv Miller, group vice president, TMS Corporate Communications. "With this concept, we are confirming our interest in pursuing CNG within our broad and comprehensive R&D scope."

In 1999 Toyota marketed a CNG-powered four-cylinder Camry to fleet customers in California. However, in an era of relatively cheap gasoline, customers were not attracted to a vehicle that required special refueling techniques and a limited refueling infrastructure and the program was discontinued a year later. Currently, there are only about 1,000 CNG refueling stations nationwide, with less than half open to the public.

The benefits of CNG are currently being amplified by rapidly changing market conditions and an increase in consumer environmental awareness. At the same time its drawbacks are being mitigated by a growing awareness that advanced technologies will require investment in appropriate infrastructure. The U.S. CNG pipeline system is an approximately 1.8 million mile network and expanding.

"Natural gas," adds Miller, "and an expanded retail-friendly CNG infrastructure could be seen as a model for future hydrogen infrastructure."

[Toyota]

As is with any alternative fuel, the first problem is infrastructure. There are about 12,500 propane fueling stations in the country today, but according to Feehan, only 2,500 are open to the public. Compare that to the approximately 162,000 gasoline stations, and you can see the problem. Relative to gasoline tanks, propane tanks are also bigger and heavier. The cost of converting your car is pretty heavy too: about $10,000 for an EPA-certified kit. But non-certified kits are allegedly available for under $1000 and are said to be just as safe, at least by the folks selling them. Finally, there's the energy density issue. Propane has to fall to a price point equal to about 80% of the cost of a gallon of gasoline before it makes sense from a mileage issue; add in the cost of conversion and the inconvenience of filling it up, and we've got a ways to go before propane is as easy to find as unleaded.
[DetNews]