Fleets lead the way toward alternative fuels (Dallas)

Fury Zaidi learned about fleet vehicles working in the limousine, bus and taxi business.

But the Pakistani native learned about vehicles powered by compressed natural gas as he finished his education in Karachi. Zaidi converted a 1969 Dodge Dart to run on CNG as his final project in earning a mechanical engineering degree.

Forty years later, as president of Dallas-based Natural Gas Vehicles Texas Inc., Zaidi aims to make such conversions his main business. And it starts with taxis and other fleet vehicles.

You’re not likely to see hybrid or electric buses or even taxicabs rolling the streets of Dallas soon, but a confluence of inducements could make CNG-powered vehicles more appealing.

“The game is about to change,” Zaidi said. Zaidi has been converting his own business from general auto work to CNG specialization for the past two years.

On March 10, the City of Dallas green-lighted a green lane for alternative-fuel taxicabs at Dallas Love Field Airport. The city ordinance, set to take effect April 10, would allow CNG-powered taxis to jump to the head of the cab-stand line.

What’s more, federal tax credits for alternative-fuel vehicles have been extended and could soon double, and clean-air rules could make cleaner-burning natural gas even more appealing. Advocates for CNG argue that it’s a cheaper fuel than gasoline or diesel, although that varies depending on a vehicle’s fuel economy.

Read the full story in the Dallas Business Journal.