HK Motors Chairman Dr. Yeung unveils the production facility layout, Alabama, Sep '09.
The American Public Gas Association (APGA), NGVAmerica, and Hybrid Kinetic Motors Corporation (HK Motors) has announced the formation of a strategic collaboration to promote the mass production and sales of natural gas-powered hybrid passenger vehicles. HK Motors plans to begin producing a family of light-duty natural gas hybrid-electric passenger vehicles at its plant in Alabama beginning in 2013. Natural gas hybrids will use similar electric-drive technology to gasoline-powered hybrid vehicles available today, only natural gas will be the power source rather than gasoline.
“The American public is becoming very familiar with hybrid technology, and this is the next evolution,” says Richard Kolodziej, president of NGVAmerica.
“This new collaboration intends to break through the ‘chicken or egg’ barriers that have limited natural gas from being recognized by the public for what it is: the most abundant, efficient, environmentally friendly and affordable domestic fuel for consumer vehicles,” said Bert Kalisch, president of APGA.
Natural gas offers significant greenhouse gas advantages. Compared to gasoline vehicles, NGVs produce 29 percent less greenhouse gases. When vehicle power-trains are designed specifically to use natural gas and combined with hybrid technologies, greenhouse gas levels can be reduced by half while providing fuel efficiency to meet or exceed the new federal standards.
Key actions of the collaboration include:
- Promoting consumer interest in natural gas hybrids
- Encouraging federal and state governments to extend the current range of incentives to encourage consumers, businesses, and governments to choose natural gas hybrid vehicles and the infrastructure necessary to sustain them. This would include advocating the passage of “The NAT GAS Act of 2009” (HR 1435; S. 1408)”
- Promoting research and development efforts of natural gas vehicle/infrastructure technologies as well as related business models
- Working with natural gas distribution companies to install home fueling appliances and provide services for NGV purchasers
- Encouraging fleet owners of CNG fueling stations to expand their installations to include retail access to new NGV car owners
- Supporting access to more domestic supplies of natural gas.
“Natural gas provides an immediate, responsible step toward real energy independence for the American driving public. It is geographically abundant and clean. We will work together to ensure it is in convenient supply when HK Motors vehicles arrive in the market,” says Dr. CT Wang, CEO of Hybrid Kinetic Motors.
The American Public Gas Association (APGA) is the not-for-profit nationwide association for publicly- and community-owned gas utilities and represents over 700 members in 36 states. They advocate on issues that impact members and the communities they serve including sharing best safety practices, legislative issues, effective business and operational strategies, and host conferences promoting the benefits of natural gas as a responsible and efficient energy source.
Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVAmerica) is a national organization dedicated to the development of a growing, sustainable and profitable market for vehicles powered by natural gas or biomethane. NGVAmerica represents more than 130 companies interested in the promotion and use of natural gas and hydrogen as transportation fuels, including: engine, vehicle and equipment manufacturers; fleet operators and service providers; natural gas companies; natural gas producers; and environmental groups and government organizations.
Hybrid Kinetic Motors is a new American auto company that has plans to mass produce natural gas-powered hybrid-electric vehicles. In the first generation, the cars will include a small gasoline supply for emergency use because retail CNG infrastructure for the public car buyer is not currently a clear priority. HK Motors believes that the bottlenecks limiting the strategic importance of this important alternative fuel can only be broken if both natural gas suppliers and vehicle manufacturers work together to come into the market simultaneously with both supply and customers in a profitable way. HK Motors’ goal in this alliance is to improve the availability of natural gas for consumers, business, and government vehicle owners to move more quickly from reliance on foreign oil to a cleaner and independent energy position for transportation.
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