I live in Oklahoma, which exports natural gas to other states. I work for a natural gas company. I have natural gas delivered to my house via pipeline. Why do I buy gasoline to make my cars run?
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Tulsa World's 2/7/10 coverage of CNG
Examining the caveats of CNG and Only Natural are the two Tulsa World articles. I have a couple of comments about some information shared in the articles.
View Craig's CNG Honda in a larger map
"The biggest challenge is infrastructure not only in the state but throughout the U.S.," Chris Hoffman, Oklahoma State University's manager of transportation services, said. "And there's going to be a payback on fuel costs, but not a total payback."As readers of this blog know, I paid less for the CNG-powered 2010 Honda Civic GX after federal and state tax credits than it would have cost me to buy a gasoline-powered 2010 Honda Civic LX. And, of course, the fuel is $1.00 per gallon cheaper...
As I've shared in this blog, there are multiple, convenient locations to fuel with CNG in Oklahoma. The process is faster than fueling with gasoline. See all available CNG fueling locations at cngprices.com.
And then there's the filling-up part. Some companies may make kits to take natural gas straight from the home meter, but the process reportedly is slow. And getting to the station is hardly like pulling into the local QuikTrip. CNG stations are spread out, unmanned and require a credit card.
View Craig's CNG Honda in a larger map
Monday, February 1, 2010
Honda Civic GX tops ACEEE's Greenest Car List for 2010
"The natural gas-powered Honda Civic GX continues its stronghold on the number one spot for the seventh year running."
Greenest Vehicles of 2010
Make and Model | Specifications a | Emission Standardb | MPG: City | MPG: Hwy | Green Score |
HONDA CIVIC GX c | 1.8L 4, auto [CNG] | Tier 2 bin 2 / PZEV | 24 | 36 | 57 |
TOYOTA PRIUS | 1.8L 4, auto CVT | Tier 2 bin 3 / PZEV | 51 | 48 | 52 |
HONDA CIVIC HYBRID | 1.3L 4, auto CVT | Tier 2 bin 2 / PZEV | 40 | 45 | 51 |
SMART FORTWO CONVERTIBLE / COUPE | 1.0L 3, manual | Tier 2 bin 5 / ULEV II | 33 | 41 | 50 |
HONDA INSIGHT | 1.3L 4, auto CVT | Tier 2 bin 3 | 40 | 43 | 50 |
FORD FUSION HYBRID / MERCURY MILAN HYBRID | 2.4L 4, auto CVT | Tier 2 bin 3 / PZEV | 41 | 36 | 47 |
TOYOTA YARIS | 1.5L 4, manual | Tier 2 bin 5 / ULEV II | 29 | 36 | 46 |
NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID | 2.5L 4, auto CVT | PZEV | 35 | 33 | 46 |
MINI COOPER | 1.6L 4, manual [P] | Tier 2 bin 5 / ULEV II | 28 | 37 | 45 |
CHEVROLET COBALT XFE / PONTIAC G5 XFE | 2.2L 4, manual | Tier 2 bin 5 / PZEV | 25 | 37 | 45 |
HYUNDAI ACCENT BLUE | 1.6L 4, manual | Tier 2 bin 5 / ULEV II | 27 | 36 | 45 |
HONDA FIT | 1.5L 4, auto | Tier 2 bin 5 / ULEV II | 28 | 35 | 45 |
[CNG] denotes compressed natural gas fuel. [P] denotes premium gasoline "auto CVT" denotes continuously variable automatic transmission. a Certain other configurations of these models (with different transmissions or meeting different emission standards) score nearly as well. b A listing with two emission standards (e.g., Tier 2 bin 2/ PZEV) denotes a single vehicle carrying both a Federal and a California emission certification. Green Scores for such listings reflect the cleaner of the two certifications. c Compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle fuel economy given in gasoline-equivalent miles per gallon. |
From http://www.greenercars.org/highlights_greenest.htm
Now, I wonder what the stats look like if you apply some economics? What if the Green Score is adjusted for the vehicle purchase price and the fuel price? The Honda Civic GX is thousands cheaper than the Toyota Prius, the Honda Civic Hybrid, the Honda Insight, the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Honda Civic GX fuel is cheaper also.
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