The state of Oklahoma along with its agencies and the city of Dallas has placed an order for 321 units Ford F-150 pickups designed to run on compressed natural gas (CNG).
The bi-fuel F-150 vehicles order will feature two storage tanks with the usual gasoline reservoir and a supplementary CNG tank that offer a combined range of about 750miles.
According to the company, the fuel tanks would allow the fleet operators to go 450 miles on CNG and another 300 miles on regular gas.
The 2014 Ford F-150 pickups are powered by a 3.7L V6 engine, which can run both on CNG as well as liquefied petroleum gas.
Ford fleet sales manager Jon Coleman said for fleet customers in Oklahoma, Texas and other states, a CNG F-150 really makes sense.
"The fuel is more affordable and widely available, and it reduces greenhouse gases and pollutants that cause smog," Coleman added.
The company claims that the CNG-powered trucks not only offer reduced emissions, but also have operating costs of about one third of conventional vehicles.
As per the order, Ford will supply eight commercial vehicles with a gaseous-prep option. The company is on track to sell over 15,000 such vehicles in 2014.
