“A bipartisan partnership between governors and auto manufacturers makes sense and has the potential to generate new options for alternative fuel vehicles and transportation fuel diversity,” says the governors’ letter. “To that end, we are committed to exploring ways to aggregate our annual state fleet vehicle procurements to provide an incentive to manufacture affordable, functional natural gas vehicles.”

The letter is part of a multi-state agreement initiated last year by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin to promote the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel, and refers to a multi-state Request for Information (RFI), asking manufacturers to provide background and information.

“Consumers won’t buy cars with limited fueling stations and high price points; and the industry can’t build an affordable car without adequate demand. We can break that cycle by using the combined purchasing power of these 13 states. By purchasing CNG vehicles for state automobile fleets, these states are encouraging the development of more CNG infrastructure, and can now work with manufacturers to build an affordable and high quality product,” said Fallin.

Source: Governments of Colorado and Oklahoma