From Deseret News archives:

It takes planning to fill CNG vehicle - but it's worth it

Published: Sunday, Aug. 26, 2007 12:08 a.m. MDT
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Finding fuel was one of the more formidable challenges for motorists setting out on the open road — a century ago.

Duplicating that experience is difficult with today's network of interstates and gas stations. But you can get a nostalgic hint by driving a car that runs only on CNG, or compressed natural gas. Have you seen a gas pump lately that dispenses natural gas? Exactly my point.

The environmentally friendly, cheap-fuel, tax-credit-worthy cars caught my attention, so I bought one — a 2005 Honda Civic GX. The seller was in Glendale, a Los Angeles suburb, which meant I either had to buy it sight unseen and pay to have it shipped to my home in Murray or fly down and pick it up. I chose the latter but made some careful fueling preparations before making the trip.

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Government and private entities involved with the promotion of this kind of alternative fuel vehicle universally caution drivers to find and plan their fueling stops before making a trip in unfamiliar territory. So I used the Department of Energy's alternative fuels Web site at afdcmap2.nrel.gov/locator/FindPane.asp to plan my trip. I also took cautionary advice and contacted each fueling station I planned to use on my trip back to Utah. Questar Gas also has helpful fueling information at www.questargas.com/FuelingSystems/NGV/ngv.html.

My initial fueling stop was in Burbank. California has the nation's largest network of CNG fueling stations, and each has a state-of-the-art pump with an interactive video screen that teaches first-timers, like me, how to fill up. Pumps squeeze natural gas into the car's tank at a very high pressure — 100 times the pressure in the car's tires — so it's important to know what you're doing when you turn the pump on.

Zip the credit card. Follow the on-screen instructions. Indicate on the pump's touch-screen that you know what you're doing and the fueling begins. The actual process of putting fuel in the car took about the same amount of time as a traditional gasoline fill-up.

The California pumps are networked and remember credit card information and issue the user a PIN for future fill-ups. So, in theory, the next California CNG pump I would visit would know who I was and that I knew how to use the pump.

I started the trip late, so it was about 3 a.m. when I rolled into my next planned fueling stop: Barstow.

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