Seeking to attract more fleet and commercial uses, Ram Truck has confirmed it will introduce a new 2012 Ram 2500 HD pickup variant designed to run on both compressed natural gas and gasoline. Available starting in July, it will be available in SL/SLT trims and be built exclusively on the Crew Cab 4×4 model with a 169-inch wheelbase. Fitted with a purpose-modified version of the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 capable, this dual-fuel Ram pickup will be capable of traveling 255 miles using CNG stored in twin 130-liter bed-mounted tanks and carry on for an additional 132 miles, if necessary, by switching seamlessly to gasoline from a separate 8.0-gallon tank. Unlike the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500 HD bi-fuel pickups announced earlier this week, the entire assembly process for these new CNG/gas Ram trucks will be carried out at a single location, in this case, Chrysler‘s Heavy Duty truck plant in Saltillo, Mexico.
In addition to CNG being about $1.25 cheaper on a per-gallon equivalent than gasoline, compressed natural gas also burns far cleaner, emitting about 20 percent less CO2 and allowing CNG vehicles to emit, on average, about 70 percent less carbon monoxide, 87 percent less non-methane organic gas and 87 percent less oxides of nitrogen (NOx) than traditional gasoline powered vehicles.
"Commercial customers are extremely important to Ram Truck," said Fred Diaz, Ram Truck President and CEO Ram Truck Brand and Chrysler de Mexico – Chrysler Group LLC. "Adding a hard-working, fully capable CNG-powered truck to the Ram lineup makes a lot of sense – both economically and environmentally."
