Kevin Tarr wrote: > > > I want to ask a different question. I looked > on-line but saw no information. You say the same > type of engine, but is it exactly the same? I > mean....well I don't know how much you know about > mechanics. Not physics/mechanics, but how an > engine works. What I'm getting at: is you vehicle > and engine 'matched'? I don't even know if you > said what type of vehicle it is.
It is a 1996 Dodge Ram Van B2500, which was formerly a State of California fleet vehicle. Admittedly, it's a bit big, and this model would not have been one of my initial choices, but it qualifies for the sticker, which was the most important factor, and I found one with excellent mileage that I could buy outright without having to go into debt. For a somewhat current list of alternative fuel vehicles, this is a pretty good starting place: http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm And for other, more general info: http://www.afdc.nrel.gov/afvehicles.html Which is where I found this fact sheet on the 2000 van. http://www.ott.doe.gov/otu/field_ops/nve/pdfs/b2500.pdf It is basically the same engine (meaning it has the same engine block as the gasoline version, the same oil & filter, and most of the same parts. The differences start appearing when you look at the fuel system and possibly the emissions system. > > I'm trying to ask two things: if I walked into a > Chevy dealership and was looking a minivans, would > there be one model that offered a regular engine > or a NG engine, or would there be two separate > models? Maybe the same outward appearance, but > basically a different vehicle. Most of the ones I looked into were a special version of an existing car line. My first choice would have been the Honda Civic GX, which is essentially sold as an option package for the Civic. > > If it's the same model, just with different > engines the next question is: will they ever get > into retro-fits of cars that had a regular engine? > I've heard of conversions, which generally involve putting a CNG tank in existing cargo space, but was not interested enough to look deeply since that would make getting the carpool stickers much more difficult. -- Matt _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
