In the dark days of the polio epidemic era, those who were stricken by the virus the hardest were left to spend the rest of their lives inside an iron lung. This medical device mimicked the way the human lung draws in and expels air through negative pressure. One version, the Both respirator, was briefly linked to the automotive industry when William Morris built 1,700 of the iron lungs, donating them to hospitals throughout the then-British Empire.
Chrysler's version of the human lung isn't meant for polio patients, but for the CNG-burning Ram 2500 and, perhaps, beyond.
The Italo-American automaker came up with a design for CNG tanks that utilizes small compartments inside the larger tank to increase fuel capacity and storage, mimicking the lung's alveoli's ability to store and exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. If adopted by other automakers experimenting with CNG, no longer would they have to store the fuel in large reinforced cylindrical containers.
Currently, the only CNG vehicle offered by Chrysler is the Ram 2500, where underneath what appears to be a toolbox in the bed lies two CNG tanks. Paired with a 35-gallon gasoline reserve, the truck can cover up to 745 miles through the grunt of its bi-fuel HEMI 5.7-liter V8. With the new humanized tech, Chrysler can provide a better packaging method for future generations of the pickup and other future vehicles for potential fleet and private duty, though Chrysler is currently mum on the latter.
from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com
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