Natural Gas Vehicle Technology Forum Winter 2003 Meeting Summary

A Natural Gas Vehicle Technology Forum (NGVTF) Technical Committee Meeting was held January 28-29, 2003, in Dallas, Texas.

To request a specific presentation from this meeting, contact NGVTF.

Meeting Summary

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program manager Dennis Smith began the meeting with an introduction to the DOE-led Natural Gas Vehicle Technology Forum (NGVTF). He noted that, due to the limited funds available for natural gas vehicle (NGV) efforts, NGV stakeholders must leverage and coordinate their efforts to use available funds most effectively. The NGVTF provides a much-needed forum for sharing NGV information and an opportunity to discuss ideas and concerns about barriers that stakeholders can work on together.

Technical Committees will play a key role in the NGVTF. They will provide technical briefings on new technology developments. They will also provide opportunities for interactive communication similar to that provided by the Infrastructure and Vehicle Working Groups and the NGNGV Working Group supported by DOE in cooperation with the Gas Technology Institute in the past.

One objective of this Technical Committee Meeting was to update stakeholders on current NGV activities. Presentations were given on infrastructure, engine and vehicle integration, component development/storage systems, demonstration and deployment projects, codes and standards, and new technologies. Another objective of the meeting was to discuss new issues and ways for government and industry stakeholders to move forward in a coordinated manner. Panel discussions at the end of each presentation session facilitated constructive questions, answers, and comments among speakers and other attendees.

Comments from attendees indicate that the update on NGV activities was helpful as were the panel discussions and opportunities for networking. Attendees expressed particular interest in the following topics:

  • Vehicle integration
  • OEM issues
  • NGV components
  • Hydrogen
  • Natural gas to hydrogen pathways
  • Energy legislation
  • Information/outreach/education/training
  • Coordination of efforts/money
  • NGV marketing
  • Competing technologies (e.g., clean diesel)