Natural Gas Vehicles

With gasoline prices and pollution levels on the rise, many consumers are looking for a greener, cleaner, cheaper-to-run kind of car. For some, this means purchasing a hybrid - a vehicle with both an electric and a gasoline engine. But many people are turning towards Compressed Natural Gas vehicles (NGV's).

Why Switch to Natural Gas Vehicles?

NGV's run on natural gas - the kind we use in our homes for heating and cooking. As opposed to regular petroleum gasoline, natural gas is cleaner burning and produces less gas emissions that can potentially harm the environment. Many people feel that switching to natural gas fuel could prove to be an important step towards preventing global warming and improving the earth's air quality.
It's also far cheaper - in the United States, compressed natural gas is available for as little as 63 cents per gallon. That's far less than the typical $3.50 per gallon of petroleum gasoline around the U.S. Prices like those translate into incredible savings over the course of a year, which for most people, offsets some of the inconveniences associated with switching to an NGV.

What Are the Drawbacks to Using Natural Gas Cars?

So what are some of those inconveniences? Well, first of all, NGV's are more expensive than cars with a standard petroleum tank. The Honda Civic GX, which is the only natural gas vehicle available for sale to individuals in the United States, is about $7,000 more expensive than a similar Honda with a gasoline engine. But thanks to incentives created to encourage good environmental practices, new car buyers will get most of that cash back in a tax return.
Another inconvenience - since NGV's are a relatively new product, there aren't that many filling stations where you can refill on Compressed Natural Gas. In the United States, there are only about 1500 natural gas fueling stations, and 5 million all over the world. To help new car buyers overcome this problem, Honda sells personal natural gas refueling stations to homeowners. Because many people already use natural gas to heat their homes, installing a personal fueling station often means little more than putting in a pump.
Another big difference between standard petroleum vehicles and NGV's is that natural gas tanks take up more trunk space than regular tanks. That means that after filling up, natural gas vehicles can only go about 200 miles before stopping for a refill.



Even with these drawbacks, natural gas vehicles are becoming an increasingly popular alternative for consumers who want to save money and improve the earth's air quality. Right now, the Honda Civic GX is available for purchase in New York and California, but with demand on the rise, NGV's will soon become a good alternative fuel option for motorists everywhere.