The NGV industry growing stronger, leaner and faster by overcoming the challenges it faces

Houston, TX (PRWEB) February 02, 2016

Normally, mixing a long sales cycle with a low sense of market urgency is a serious challenge. Compiling that with already low oil prices and additional oil from Iran about to saturate the market, further dims prospects for natural gas vehicular. Moreover, since the industry is still in its infancy stage, the resulting chronicle under-funding exacerbates these challenges. Top all this off with alarming claims from supposed “environmentalists” suggesting that “lethal” methane is being leaked into the air by NGV’s and natural gas stations, proponents of Natural Gas Vehicles face a frustrating and uphill battle.

Yet, these challenges also boost our industry’s resilience. NGV is an industry that since its inception has learned to grow strong and stalwartly meet the challenges and contenders eager to make their points at the expense of a still unorganized and young group. I am not suggesting that we’re now off to a smooth ride, not at all. The challenges and contenders constantly throw jabs and take advantage of every single opportunity to knock the Natural Gas Vehicles down, but we have learned to cope with the adversities, and we are stronger, leaner and faster because of them.

When it comes to the environmental concerns, The insistence on not presenting scientific evidence to validate accusations and consistently focusing on undocumented/unquantified problems while ignoring the benefits and not proposing alternatives is what ultimately, disarms these environmental claims.

Diesel and gasoline are highly contaminating. The cost of wars and suffering associated with these fuels cannot be ignored either. As for the EVs, although I like them and even confess being a Tesla fan, the idea of electrical cars suggested as “The Clean Solution” to the transportation is overstated because it is a solution limited to individual commute and limited to average sized towns. I can’t see a sales rep covering a day worth of sales calls throughout a city like Houston or Los Angeles on a single battery charge, and even if it did, this is not yet the solution to the transportation industry because:

1) We’re still far from seeing commercial vans and trucks operating on batteries, in a functional way.
2) We’re even further away from seeing heavy-duty freighters rolling on batteries.
3) Going back to the electrical cars and considering the increasing use of natural gas for power-generation, soon a great portion of electrical cars will most likely be re-charged with electricity generated with natural gas….what a wasteful and complicated way to consume gas.
4) Those electrical cars charged with natural gas-generated electricity require the production of batteries - a knowingly not so clean industry - and later in life those batteries require disposal, the other portion of this not so clean equation.

Meanwhile the question is: Considering the already proven and fact checked benefits produced by the natural gas adoption, as well as the lack of serious alternatives and all the adversities that this industry is facing, is it wise to continue derailing it? What would be the benefits of such backlash, returning to diesel and gasoline? Who would be the recipient of such benefits? OPEC?

I am not raising the conspiracy flag here. I am just questioning the negative actions against the industry I represent and against the opportunity for my kids to be closer to a peaceful and war-less time while breathing cleaner air. If you’ve got something cleaner, cheaper and made in the USA—then bring it on. Not only will I buy it, but I will also defend it, sell it and swear by it. Until then, Natural Gas it is.

About the Author: Karim Bousfiha works for CNG Source holding the position of Vice President of Marketing and Business Development and is also the Chairman of the Communication Committee for the Houston Natural Gas Vehicle Alliance. After receiving a Masters in Sales and Marketing and an MBA in Business Administration from the Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain, Mr. Bousfiha spent the next twenty-five years at various international firms developing strategies for an array of clients and completing his education with several executive programs from Stanford, Kellog, and Ipade among many others. He also lent his talents to CEMEX, a company with 47 thousand employees, operations in 50 countries and nearly 15.7 billion dollars in revenues. He helped establish CEMEX as the premier brand in the ready mix concrete industry, launched the brands Duramax, Construrama and Construmex among the several key marketing projects he has lead. Most recently, Bousfiha crafted the launching of Global Transynergy, a holding of companies headquartered in Houston, specialized in diverse solutions and services for the ready mix industry, ranging from fleet and asset tracking and management, to compressed natural gas solutions for vehicular applications.