Quote:
Originally Posted by highfive
Where did you hear about it? Honestly, I think nat gas would be the solution to our energy needs. It's cheap and we have lots of it (Canada and US). Plus no hybrid vehicle can haul a 40' trailer. I remember reading on Talisman Energy planning to building a plant that converts nat gas to diesel fuel.
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Natural gas is indeed plentiful and, at the moment, cheap. However, as an investment, it might be a bit late to get into this game. The big lorries will be switching to natural gas within a decade, aided by technology such as our own Vancouver-based Westport Innovations. There is no point in building a big plant and having to offset the costs of converting natural gas to diesel when they can just use natural gas directly. More than 80% of lorries run on preplanned routes, so setting up refuelling stations will not be a problem. What is more, the Natural Gas Act, due to be reintroduced with bipartisan congressional support in April, will give substantial subsidies to lorry operators for switching to natural gas motors. Underlying all of this is the increasing use of hydraulic fracturing technology, even here in BC, that will release huge natural gas reserves and thereby reduce the price of natural gas even further, making the natural gas transition an eventual one.
In short, in about one to two decades, we'll see increasingly use of natural gas for lorries, and electric vehicles for passenger cars. Do your own DD on the commodities this transition will require and place your bets.