Ford to Provide Clean Natural Gas Vehicles for WTO Summit in Seattle

22 November 1999

ADVISORY/Ford to Provide Clean Natural Gas Vehicles for WTO Summit in Seattle

    --Nov. 19, 1999--Ford Motor Company is providing 55 natural gas vehicles (NGVs) to the Seattle Host Organization for use during the World Trade Organization conference in Seattle. Ford hopes the vehicles will raise awareness locally and internationally about how natural gas vehicles can help improve air quality.
    Ford is providing 50 natural gas Crown Victoria sedans and five dedicated natural gas Econoline vans to the Port of Seattle, which will dispatch vehicles and drivers to area hotels to shuttle delegates from the airport, to meetings and around the city. The natural gas vehicles, which emit 95 percent fewer pollutants than those powered by gasoline, meet California's ultra low emissions standards and offer WTO delegates a clean, environmentally-friendly alternative when they travel to their various destinations.
    Fueled by natural gas delivered by Puget Sound Energy, the vehicles will refuel at Seattle-area compressed natural gas (CNG) stations operated by Puget and the City of Seattle.
    Since Seattle, one of the federally-designated Clean Cities, and the Puget Sound region are recognized for taking aggressive measures to keep western Washington's air clean, Ford will make its 55 clean-burning natural gas vehicles available for sale in the area after the WTO conference. Ford has already discounted the vehicles sharply and is working with government and commercial fleets to find purchasers.
    "We believe the use of natural gas vehicles in government and private fleets is a key component in promoting clean air in the Puget Sound region," said Dennis McLerran, executive director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. "By providing clean natural gas vehicles for use by delegates during the WTO conference, we're making a strong statement about the importance of using natural gas as a clean alternative to gasoline and diesel for fleets in our region."
    When compared to gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles, NGVs cut emissions of carbon monoxide by 95 percent; smog-forming hydrocarbons by 80 percent; and nitrogen oxides by 30 percent. In addition to being clean, natural gas is significantly less expensive than gasoline, reducing fleet operation and maintenance costs.
    Key to greater use of natural gas vehicles in the Puget Sound area is the availability of compressed natural gas refueling stations.
    The Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency are working to encourage government and commercial fleets to purchase natural gas vehicles and identify sources of funding to build infrastructure to fuel them.
    Challenges include fuel availability, which is a major barrier to the wide-spread commercialization of alternative fuel vehicles. Other challenges include less driving range compared to gasoline and the lack of awareness of the benefits of natural gas.
    Worldwide interest in alternative fuel vehicles is increasing as developing and emerging markets look to cleaner-burning fuels to address their transportation needs. According to the Clean Air Agency's McLerran, government support in the form of incentives or purchases is crucial to make the market for alternative-fueled vehicles truly viable.
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