Since the beginning of fuel driven transportation, vehicles have been fueled by petroleum, but now things are beginning to change. Natural gas has hit the spotlight with the rise in popularity of compressed natural gas cars (cng cars). There are several reasons why these cars are becoming so popular: Natural gas sources are available in North America rather than Saudi Arabia, natural gas costs two to three dollars less than gasoline, vehicles run on natural gas just as well as gasoline, if not better and natural gas produces nearly no pollution.

According to Natural Gas Vehicles of America (NGVA) there is an estimated 150,000 natural gas vehicles operating in the U.S. today and over five million worldwide. News has spread that it is possible to convert used vehicles to run on cng and the phones at NGVA have been ringing off the hook from consumers that wish to convert their cars to natural gas. Cng cars are sold overseas by all the major automobile manufacturers but only Honda sells them in the U.S. At present the only model they sell is the Honda GX at a suggested retail price of $25,190 U.S. In some parts of the country such as Utah, where cng is only sixty four cent per gallon, the company is having a hard time keeping up with the demand for the vehicle.

Although the Honda Civic GX costs more than regular Civics, the car is eligible for thousands of dollars in tax credits. The range of the Honda Civic GX is only between two hundred and two hundred and fifty miles because compressed natural gas occupies more space in the tank than gasoline. Therefore, if you were planning a long distance trip you would have to make sure there there were enough cng stations along your route. Most cities typically have about three cng stations in a metropolitan area and all are usually located in industrial areas far away from residential areas.

Now more than ever consumers are considering the purchase of a natural gas car because it is possible to fuel the vehicle from home. A new appliance named Phil, marketed by Fuel Maker allows you to fuel your car from your home’s natural gas supply for $1.00 to $1.50 per gallon. All you need to do is attach the nozzle to your gas tank and turn it on. When the tank is full, Phil shuts off automatically.

The installation cost for Phil is about four thousand dollars but in some parts of the country you can get a lot of that money back through tax credits. The only downside is that home supplied natural gas is under low pressure so if your tank is empty it may take up to twenty four hours to fill up. The best way to avoid this problem would be to top off your tank over night on a daily basis. When it is convenient to fill up at a CNG station it will only take minutes because the gas is under high pressure.

The supply of natural gas in North America is abundant and growing. New technology is allowing for the release of natural gas found in coal fields. There are also a number of untapped areas off the east and west coast, around Florida and in the Rockies. There are both pros and cons to operating a natural gas car. They may not be the answer to all of Americas energy needs but they are definitely a step in the right direction.