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Got the CNG Impala certified witih EPA!
Whew, John and I finally got our dedicated CNG Impala platform certified with EPA today! The actual cert came via fax so I scanned it & attached it to this post. It covers the GM test group (aka "engine family") 8GMXV03.9052 which is found on all the flex-fuel Impalas in 3.5 and 3.9 liter engines. This is the LS, LT, LTZ and police packages (not the SS model).
In addition to installing the system here in Phoenix at AFVTech we currently have authorized the following installers:
Oklahoma
Tulsa Gas Technologies
Carter Chevrolet / OEM Systems
Utah
GoNaturalCNG
Lancer Automotive
Alabama
Phoenix Energy
Indiana
Productive Concepts, Inc.
Colorado
Fueltek
We are in discussion with other potential installers too.
Sorry Californians, we may or may not pursue CARB certification. For now, it is our understanding that DMV will let you register an EPA certified vehicle if it is used (over 7,500 miles, licensed outside of California) but so far we have not tried this. Of course, no HOV stickers even in this scenario. If any of you want to give it a try we have a few prototype Impalas with close to this mileage we could sell you.
This vehicle conversion will qualify for a $2,500 federal tax credit, which we hope to bump up to $4,000 for the 2009 model year. Our most recent lab data is blowing 0.009 g/mi NOx so we should certify to BIN2/SULEV.
As to pricing it is up to the authorized installer. Most installs will likely be in the $11k to $12.5k range depending on options. 2008 Impalas can be bought pretty well these days, we have seen anywhere from $12k for a used LS to $21k for a new LTZ. We hope most of our fleet buyers will find a fully installed vehicle to be priced close to the Civic GX with the following benefits:
* 10.8 gge gives a range of 240 city to 300+ miles highway. John just did a run yesterday from an overnight Fuelmaker fill to 340 miles on the highway.
* Over double the trunk volume of the GX
* Full size sedan with all the goodies of satellite radio, OnStar, etc.
Anyway, it was a long road but we got there. Now we have to finish up the 5.3 liter truck/SUV platform. This should give us the Silverado 1500, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra, Yukon, etc. Our prototype Suburban is running great so it should be off to the lab soon.
In addition to installing the system here in Phoenix at AFVTech we currently have authorized the following installers:
Oklahoma
Tulsa Gas Technologies
Carter Chevrolet / OEM Systems
Utah
GoNaturalCNG
Lancer Automotive
Alabama
Phoenix Energy
Indiana
Productive Concepts, Inc.
Colorado
Fueltek
We are in discussion with other potential installers too.
Sorry Californians, we may or may not pursue CARB certification. For now, it is our understanding that DMV will let you register an EPA certified vehicle if it is used (over 7,500 miles, licensed outside of California) but so far we have not tried this. Of course, no HOV stickers even in this scenario. If any of you want to give it a try we have a few prototype Impalas with close to this mileage we could sell you.
This vehicle conversion will qualify for a $2,500 federal tax credit, which we hope to bump up to $4,000 for the 2009 model year. Our most recent lab data is blowing 0.009 g/mi NOx so we should certify to BIN2/SULEV.
As to pricing it is up to the authorized installer. Most installs will likely be in the $11k to $12.5k range depending on options. 2008 Impalas can be bought pretty well these days, we have seen anywhere from $12k for a used LS to $21k for a new LTZ. We hope most of our fleet buyers will find a fully installed vehicle to be priced close to the Civic GX with the following benefits:
* 10.8 gge gives a range of 240 city to 300+ miles highway. John just did a run yesterday from an overnight Fuelmaker fill to 340 miles on the highway.
* Over double the trunk volume of the GX
* Full size sedan with all the goodies of satellite radio, OnStar, etc.
Anyway, it was a long road but we got there. Now we have to finish up the 5.3 liter truck/SUV platform. This should give us the Silverado 1500, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra, Yukon, etc. Our prototype Suburban is running great so it should be off to the lab soon.
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