Yesterday we brought you the news about the new Ram 2500
CNG, making the Ram brand the first automaker to offer a factory production compress
natural gas truck and today we bring you some of the specs on the CNG Hemi
heavy duty Ram.
The immediate advantage of the Ram 2500 CNG is that compressed
natural gas (CNG) is quite a bit less expensive than gasoline while also being
70-90% less polluting than a traditional Hemi running on straight gasoline.Most importantly, there is only a slight
difference in the power of the 5.7L Hemi when running on CNG compared to when
the engine is on normal gasoline, with the 383 horsepower dropping by about 10%
when running on the clean natural gas.
Chrysler claims that the Ram 2500 CNG has a range on just compressed
natural gas of 255 miles and with the aid of the 8 gallon gas tank, the CNG Ram
should have a total range of around 367 miles. The new Ram holds the equivalent of 18.2 gallons of CNG with another 8
gallons of gas for when you can’t find a station that sells CNG – when
factoring in the 367 mile gives you an average fuel economy figure of 14mpg.
In college, I had the pleasure of working with a fleet of
full sized Dodge Ram Vans with 5.9L Magnum engines that included models that
ran strictly on compressed natural gas. Shy of the unusual refueling procedure, there was no noticeable difference
in the power out between a van running on CNG and a van running on
gasoline.I can also tell you that the
rear wheel drive CNG Ram Vans would do some intense, smokey burnouts. The Hemi running on CNG should be every bit as awesome as the ones running just on gasoline.
Depending on the growth of the natural gas refueling
infrastructure, the Ram 2500 CNG could be a trend setter in the heavy duty
truck segment with this alternative fuel solution.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
Yesterday we brought you the news about the new Ram 2500