Can hybrids sell natural gas?
Camry hybrid - Fill 'er up with natural gas?According to proponents, natural gas is cheaper and cleaner than gasoline, and it's not derived from foreign oil. Of course, if demand for natural gas increased drastically, would it still be so cheap?
Regardless, interest in natural gas vehicles isn't very strong. Part of the problem is the lack of refueling stations. There are only about 1,000 natural gas stations across the US. However, home refueling stations, for instance, could alleviate this problem much the same way standard plugs will help plug-in hybrids overcome limited plug-in stations.
Add the fuel economy of hybrid cars, or plug-in hybrids, and natural gas vehicle refueling would be much less common.
Can hybrid vehicles help sell natural gas as a transportation fuel?
Labels: Hybrid Vehicles, natural gas, plug-in hybrid vehicles
posted by Dahcredyns at
6:13 AM
11 Comments:
Doesn't the Honda CNG car come with a home fueling station? I can't imagine it would be too hard for Gas stations to have a single pump for these cars. Mandate they all have one, and give them a tax break to help curb the cost of installation. Most stations have large tanks of Propane on the premise. Why not CNG?
yes they do, but interest hasn't been that great.
Perhaps CNG tanks could be a stop gap, but I think the long term goal would be extending the current CNG pipeline.
i've been slow to warm to CNG, and I'm still not sure where i stand, but cng hybrids help sell me on the idea, especially cng plug-in hybrids.
I would love a CNG car, especially a PHEV variety.
Right now, I am watching 2002 to 2004 Chevy Cavaliers that are bi fuel, CNG and gas. I can buy one of these with low miles for less than 7 grand...I am very tempted to get one...
The Phill station that you get for your house to refill the Honda costs 4 grand. Obviously cost prohibitive...
but the costs of Phil have come way down with each generation. economies of scale would bring it down far further. add in tax credits to get it off the ground and i think it could become cost-effective.
Hi!
I believe interest in the Civic NG car has been very high. BUT, there haven't been that many sold, because, until recently, Honda would only allow them to be sold in CA and NY.
Recently, I have been able to buy one, (WI) and they have been available nationwide. BUT, the nearest dealer that will service my car is still NY. So, you can only get service in CA or NY.
No one will buy these cars in big numbers until ALL Honda dealers, and also indy garages, will be able to service them.
cliff
YIP
that's a fair point cliff, but they've been available here in california for while and they even advertise them now and then, but i've heard they've been a hard sell.
how do you fill up? is there a CNG station near you? do you have a home fueling station?
Here's an interesting life cycle studythat suggests biomass should be used to replace natural gas for home heating, and the later, instead of ethanol, be used for transportation.
They're sure using the CNG cars big-time in Utah. Including the Governor who spent 7000 dollars (his own money) converting his SUV.
Is it mostly individual users in Utah, or fleets?
I can see two possibilities :
1) You would be asking current auto manufacturers to take risks on two new technologies. Even something as simple as a NGV is only being made available by Honda. They are resistant to even making cars use that only one of these technologies: PHEV or NGV
2) Another problem is weight: 400 lbs in lithium batteries and the NG tanks weigh at least 200 lbs each and you would probably want to have two tanks for extended range. This extra 800 lbs minimum would certainly make the car less efficient than a standard ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) car.
Sell My Car
Considering the statements that the Treasury Sec. made about oil and natural gas, I think it's a moot point now.
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