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Natural-gas stations fall behind

CNGUtah.com has a video that shows Jay Leno learning about Natural Gas Vehicles and they show that you can have a pump installed at your house. So, you could fill up at home. (I hear this costs about $4,000 to do that though.) Anyway I guess there are pros and cons to owning a Natural Gas vehicle.

Don't let stories like this scare you away from natural gas as a fuel. I bought two bi-fuels eight years ago and the savings have more than paid for both cars. The lines to buy CNG for a $3+ saving are shorter than people are waiting through at Costco for $0.22 savings. Plus, by driving on natural gas you are not polluting as much, you are not helping to fund those who hate the USA in the Middle East, and you are not contributing to the insanity of "big oil" at home.

What? CNG is the answer? This is just the beginning. Just wait, more compitition for the pumps is coming and the pumps will not be able to handle it as well as the soon to come price jump because of demand. Enjoy it while you can.

There's not enough demand... are you kidding me????? When fillerups are up to 6 a gallon, those convresion tanks are going to look like a huge money saver!!!!!

The answer is the Phill station at your own home. Government should give tax exemptions on the interest received to finance the purchase and installation of these Phill stations. More financial institutions might get involved in funding these. The Public Service Commission will help keep natural gas prices low for many years to come since most low income and retired people on fixed incomes depend on affordable natural gas for heating and cooking. Industry in Utah also depends heavily on affordable natural gas and proximity to gas fields and pipeline infra-structure in Utah should continue to assure the cheapest natural gas in the lower 48 states.

where can I get a conversion kit?

$4, $5, $6 per gallon. Keep it coming. Finally, looking to alternative fuels is becoming cost effective. Within a few months, I predict that the bugs in compressed natural gas (CNG) delievery will be worked out. Other alternatives will become more attractive, as well. All of this will decrease our dependence on volatile dictators and their current monopoly on fossile fuels and the pollution those fules engender. I have faith in the brain power in the USA and our propensity to learn to make silk purses out of ugly looking worms.

Celluolosic ethanol & CNG are the best stopgaps until Hydrogen is ready.

Like using food for (ethanol) fuel, using CNG to replace oil will cause a distortion in the price of natural gas and large increases in home heating.

If you go CNG for your car, you may as well go for the home compressor for about $4,000 and refuel at home. When we have a million or so of these in operation, the price of natural gas to fuel your car will probably about equal gasoline. I remember when diesel and kerosene were less expensive than gasoline, because less refining is required. Now due to their heavy use by trucks, trains, and airplanes they are more expensive.

If large numbers begin using CNG on which there is no state or federal road tax, who is going to pay for the road construction and repair?? I guess those that are left using gasoline and diesel. That ought to increase the rate of conversion and demand increasing the price of natural gas for everyone. The rule of unintended consequences remains in force.

In talking to Questar they built the existing network of CNG stations for their own use and to support bifuel autos built around 2000 which are wearing out. Currently Honda is the only car manufacture I know of building CNG cars. The are not bifuel like the cars in the past but CNG only. There are rumors that Ford will start producing bifuel cars again. So Questar is in the hard spot of having demand for CNG double over the past year causing the low pressures at stations. The question is what will they do in the future?

This pressure shortage is hitting all NGV, but the Honda's are single fuel. If they are out of GNG and the station is down or have low pressure they can't fill up with gas so they can drive to the next cng station, they are stranded. For that reason I never let my tank get very low. Spending the money to be able to fill up at home is not a good cost option but may become a necessity.

Do you all not realize that natural gas is a fossil fuel too? It used to be a waste product of oil production, but now it is profitable the energy, aka oil, companies are producing it.

WE NEED MORE GNG CARS AND HYBRID, SO THE OIL MAFIA CAN SELL OIL FOR LESS, WE MUST SPEAK OUT!!! NOBODY DOES ANYTHING ABOUT IT, G8 IS DOING NOTHING ABOUT IT, THEY WANT MONEY FROM GAS BUYER AND WAR!!!

While it is possible to fill up at home with the proper equipment it takes hours to do so. The fill rate is only 1/4 to 1/2 gallon an hour. This makes it good for overnight stays but pretty useless otherwise.

I drive a dedicated CNG and when the filling stations are shut down you are stranded. There isn't a portable gas can for CNG.

newbie - search the net for kits. they're all over. cngoutfitters.com sells galileo systems and has a station locator

Stewart | 10:13 a.m. July 8, 2008:

"When we have a million or so of these in operation, the price of natural gas to fuel your car will probably about equal gasoline."

It's my understanding that natural gas companies must apply to a government entity for rate increases. This should help stabilize prices... together with the fact that natural gas is not traded on the commodities market by speculators. Could mean that natural gas may be cheap for a long time.

Does anyone have any facts on this?

wrz - natural gas is traded on the NYMEX, as is ethanol, heating oil, propane, etc.

Accordingly, speculation may well send these commodities higher, as it has oil.

"Celluolosic ethanol & CNG are the best stopgaps until Hydrogen is ready."

Do you want to be part of the problem or the solution? IMHO, any viable solution that moves us away from petroleum is a good one until a permanent renewable source is fully developed. Yes, CNG cost will go up and it will have a road tax applied soon but for me the cost of fuel is not the only reason to switch. I want to be part of the solution!

Natural gas has been cheap in Utah for years due to distribution problems. The pipelines haven't existed or have had maintenance problems - hence the price disparities between Utah and the rest of the nation. This is changing and prices will increase here. Prices will also increase as suppliers are forced to upgrade their equipment (as mentioned in the article).

The problem with these inevitable price increase is that they won't just affect drivers of CNG vehicles.
With any price increase (due to increased demand, increased distribution capacity, or equipment upgrades), we'll all be paying more to heat our homes. CNG cars are fine, but people driving them shouldn't think it's a perfect solution that doesn't hurt anyone.

I remember seeing a story on the news once about a guy who had his own fill station for natural gas at his house. It was a pump that pumped the natural gas into a cylinder.

what Utah really needs is a nuclear power plant to make electricity cheap. that way we could make more use of natural gas for transportation and be free of middle east oil.

Whre all the liberals?

They sure aren't out helping build the infrastucture needed to use alternatives.