Here is some great news for consumers in Florida. A CNG version of the Ford Focus is being made available to residents in Florida through the cooperative efforts of Wise Gas and Altech-Eco. The aftermarket retrofit allows the Focus to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) up to 300 miles before switching over to gasoline. Thus the Ford Focus CNG will become a bi-fuel vehicle, eliminating the "range anxiety" associated with vehicles that rely solely on CNG.
This is exactly the kind of effort we need to see in order to bring alt energy vehicles to market.
From Green Car Congress:
Wise Gas, Inc. and Altech-Eco have signed an exclusive agreement to bring EPA-certified dedicated and bi-fuel (gasoline/compressed natural gas) retrofitted Ford Focus vehicles (MY 2008 and 2009) to Florida consumers.
The bi-fuel CNG Ford Focus has the ability to run on CNG or gasoline and comes with a manufacturer-rated CNG cylinder of 9.1 GGE (Gasoline Gallon Equivalents), with a driving range of 218 - 318 miles with an average 35 mpg on highway and 24 in the city. The dedicated CNG option will be coming soon, according to Altech-Eco parent Transeco Energy.
The Ford Focus with CNG option is now available in Florida through Wise Gas, Inc. at approved aftermarket conversion facilities and should be available soon through participating Ford Dealerships. Ford Motor Credit has approved the financing for the incremental cost of CNG conversion.
Wise Gas, Inc. is in the permitting and planning process for the state’s first public CNG fueling station in South Florida.
As we continue to build CNG Fueling stations throughout the state of Florida, the bi-fuel option of Altech-Eco’s Ford Focus retrofit allows consumers the freedom to enjoy the benefits of driving on CNG without the fear of being stranded without fuel availability. We look forward to the near future when we believe people will be able to drive across the state with CNG widely and readily available.
—Christine Slager, Wise Gas Communications Manager
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