Chrysler, now 30 percent owned by Italian automaker Fiat spA, has revealed that it is working on bringing technology from part owner Fiat to the U.S. to fuel vehicle with natural gas.
Although Fiat only recently upped its stake in U.S. automaker Chrysler LLC to 30 percent, the automaker intends to increase its stake to 51 percent before it supplies Chrysler with engines that run on natural gas, which are currently in use in Europe, according to a Bloomberg report. Fiat intends to import the technology as a way to reduce the emissions of its vehicles at a lower cost than alternatives, such as hybrids or electric cars.
This wasn’t the first time Chrysler hinted interested in natural gas-powered technology, as nearly one year ago Chrysler mentioned interest in the technology, and also pointed out that Fiat offers CNG-powered engines ranging from 1.0-liter to 7.8-liters.
“The technology is very actively being worked on,” Bob Lee, Chrysler vice president of engine and electrified propulsion systems, while speaking with Bloomberg. Lee added, “It’s a good way for some diversity in the market in terms of fuel use.”
Although Lee did not list the vehicles that are being considered for possible compressed natural gas engines, Fred Diaz, head of Chrysler’s Ram brand said, “I’m eager and very interested to see what we can do with CNG in our truck applications.” We also know that Fiat uses natural gas in the European Fiat 500, making that vehicle an almost guaranteed candidate to receive the technology in the U.S.
Currently, General Motors is selling CNG-powered vehicles, but they are limited to fleet sales. Honda Motor Co. is the only full-line automaker in the U.S. that is currently selling vehicles directly to the public with CNG-capable engines installed from the factory, although many others have available post-manufacturing retrofitting available.
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