Posted on 04/25/2008 4:32:39 AM PDT by BeAllYouCanBe
Troy Anderson was at the gas pump and couldn't have been happier, filling up at a rate of $5 per tank.
Anderson was paying 63.8 cents per gallon equivalent for compressed natural gas, making Utah a hot market for vehicles that run on the fuel.
It's the country's cheapest rate for compressed gas, according to the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition, and far less than the $3.56 national average price for a gallon of gasoline.
"I'm totally celebrating," crowed Anderson, a 44-year-old social worker, who picked up a used Honda Civic GX two months ago. "This is the greatest thing. I can't believe more people aren't talking about it. This is practically free."
Personal ownership of natural gas-fueled vehicles in Utah soared from practically nothing a few years ago to an estimated 5,000 vehicles today, overwhelming a growing refueling network, where compressors sometimes can't maintain enough pressure to fill tanks completely for every customer.
"Nobody expected this kind of growth. We got caught by the demand," said Gordon Larsen, a supervisor at Utah utility Questar Gas.
Utah has 91 stations, including 20 open to the public, mostly in the Salt Lake City area. The others are reserved for commercial drivers, such as school districts, bus fleets and big businesses such as a Coca-Cola distributor.
It's possible to drive the interstates between Rock Springs, Wyo., and St. George, Utah — a distance of 477 miles — and find 22 places to pull off and fill up.
California has more stations but prices are much higher there, the equivalent of $2.50 a gallon for gasoline.
"Utah has the cheapest prices by a big margin," said Richard Kolodziej, president of the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition, whose members include utilities, Honda Motor Co., environmental groups and transit agencies.
Among major utilities outside of Alaska, Questar is the country's cheapest provider of natural gas for home use. It can offer compressed natural gas for cars even cheaper because of a federal tax credit.
The incentives don't stop there. Buyers of new and some used and converted vehicles can claim their own federal and state tax credits totaling up to $7,000 — nearly the extra cost of a CNG-fueled vehicle.
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Republican, paid $12,000 of his own money to modify a state-owned Chevrolet Suburban last June.
"Converting to CNG gives us an opportunity to promote energy security and support a clean-burning alternative," Huntsman said in an e-mail Thursday. "Plus, who can beat running a Suburban on 63 cents a gallon?"
Mike Gaffa, a 39-year-old Continental Airlines reservation clerk, bought a used Ford F-150 pickup for $10,500. The vehicle came with a bonus: a previous owner added three extra tanks that fill the bed of his pickup.
"I don't even keep track of gasoline prices anymore," Gaffa boasted. "You'd be hard-pressed to find another vehicle that can go 600 miles on a fill-up."
And when he runs out of natural gas, he can switch over to a regular gasoline tank for a total range of more than 850 miles.
Utah has caught the attention of Honda, which can't make CNG-equipped Civic GXs fast enough at an Ohio plant. For now, it makes the compact available for sale to individuals only in California and New York, but executives say Utah could be next on their list.
Aside from fleet sales, no other automaker offers a CNG-powered car in the U.S.
Most Utah buyers must turn to the used-car market. They are tracking down vehicles on the Internet, some made earlier by the Detroit automakers. Some dealers here are hauling used CNG vehicles to Utah by the truckload.
"The demand in Utah is huge," Kolodziej said. "It's sucking all the used vehicles from around the country."
Hmmm...how viable would LNG be in the future? How long would it last us?
Also, can a normal engine use this fuel? Or if not, how much is the conversion?
I am not sure of all it takes but I know that the conversion can be done. For most of my life I’ve seen buses that burn LNG so it ain’t new technology.
Two words: big oil.
Gas is cheaper and way cleaner than oil. CNG also requires very little refining once it leaves the ground. LNG is a bit more work.
There is no shortage of gasoline. There is a surplus in supplies every week because people are cutting down on their driving.
The price gouging that is going on is a result of gamblers in the commodities market running up the price, as Soros and currency speculators are running down the value of the US dollar. U.S. drivers are being robbed at the gas pump.
From the site below I got the following and I only listed some of the Fords that can be converted because I’m not sure why someone would own another kind of car. (:>)!
http://www.cleanfuelsohio.org/cngconversions.php
Taurus Sedan/Wagon, 3.0L V6,
Sable Sedan/Wagon 3.0L V6,
Crown Victoria 4.6L V8, 2003, 2006+.
Mercury Grand Marquis 4.6L V8 2003, 2006+,
Lincoln Town Car 4.6L V8 2003, 2006+,
Ford E-350 Cab and Chassis 5.4L V8
Using Liquified Natural Gas may also be an option, except for one small technical reason. Methane will remain liquid only at −161 °C (-270 °F) under one atmosphere of pressure, and therefore must transported only when kept refrigerated. Incidentally, this would be an excellent means of cooling the engine temperature of an internal combustion engine, by using the warm engine coolant to vaporize the liquid methane in the carburetor, and aspire the fuel-air mixture into the cylinder for combustion.
Another means may be to transport methane as Methane Hydrate, an amorphous substance that resembles ice, and exists at temperatures below about 6 °C (41 °F). As the substance warms slightly, the methane is released at about a ratio of 165 or so to one of methane to Methane Hydrate.
Methane Hydrate has the advantage of containing a great deal of energy in a very concentrated form, and one that is being constantly regenerated in nature, on the ocean floor.
The only problem is in recovering it as Methane Hydrate. The Japanese are working on those techniques right now, and we may expect to see this become a commercial process quite soon.
Unconventional Natural Gas Reservoir In Pennsylvania Poised To Dramatically Increase US Production
Now where can you fill up on this stuff in Illinois? And ow much is it in other states where it is available?
Yes, the conversion is relatively cheap, and it’s a lot easier on the engine too.
Home garage fill-up kits are available as well- the trick is getting the big supply tank refilled every so often at a reasonable price by a local LNG supplier.
Seems to me someone is doing all they can to keep the price up....won't last forever.
A well orchestrated fleecing of the working man and the poor.
Good link here:
http://www.cngforum.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl
There is also the alternative of propane, widely avalable, and many engines are relatively easily modified for its use. Methane has an octane equivalent of about 120, so engine knock would be resisted up to some very high compression ratios (say about 12:1 or so). Propane has an octane equivalent of about 110 or so, and could easily sustain a compression ratio of 10.5:1.
The higher the compression ratio, the greater the thermal efficiency of the engine. Most existing internal combustion engines could be tweaked to take advantage of this greater efficiency, it is mostly a matter of obtaining the right fuel.
Ammonia would work as an engine fuel, but for a number of reasons, it is not practical.
What’s the mileage like? Is it comparable?
Anything for a Mustang GT? I’d like to see performance specs too.
That’s the home fill station I was thinking of. I think a conversion kit runs about $2000, and you can still use gasoline if need be.
EXACTLY!
Far from true. Russia has 8 times our reserves, Iran and Qatar have more than 4 times.
World Proved Natural Gas Reserves, January 1, 1980 - January 1, 2008 Estimates
http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iealf/naturalgasreserves.xls
Now if we could drill in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and Offshore California, our numbers would increase. We already cannot supply our own needs and are become more dependent on imports. Several LNG import terminals are in the process of being built or already completed with much of it expected to come from Russia and Qatar.
you can already buy and possible rent natural gas compressors for your own home.
NO methane hydrates
No liquefied Methane
No swapping tanks
If you have natural gas coming into your home you are set.
http://jalopnik.com/cars/alternative-energy/more-on-hondas-cng-home-refueling-station-121381.php
Regards,
Lurking
at home
Gas is cheaper and way cleaner than oil. CNG also requires very little refining once it leaves the ground. LNG is a bit more work.
Not sure "big oil" cares. NG cars have been available for awhile. Nobody bought them. I tried to get my wife interested in one (the Honda Civic) three years ago. They sold them in Florida then. She wanted nothing to do with it.
At is verifiable that gasoline in storage in several locations in the US is down to 1-3 days.
If you want to be the farm that it's speculation go ahead, it's your loss.
If people start topping off either from fear of fast increasing prices or fear of shortages, there will be areas in permanent deficit.
Google and read Matthew Simmons.
We are not going to avoid the coming shortage.
When gasoline prices double in a period of two years you would be foolish to chalk that off to - speculation.
Lurking’
I won’t own a Honda. Can their unit be used with other CNG cars (e.g. Ford Crown Victoria)?
Of course big oil cares. Alternatives cut into their bottom line unless they can get a piece of it. Ethanol actually increased oil consumption so the government subsidized it. I’ve done research sponsored by oil companies and they don’t want alternatives.
People don’t like change but oil has skyrocketed in those 3 years and needs a competitor. LNG would likely average under $2 equivalent while gas will go past $4.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/natural_gas_locations.html
Yes, but I just spoon-fed you ONE example - there are several more.
Sorry, I only do paid research.
Google is your friend.
Lurking’
The list of the largest US Natural Gas Producers looks a lot like the list of the largest US Oil Producers.
1 CONOCOPHILLIPS CO
2 ANADARKO PETROLEUM CORP
3 BP PLC
4 CHEVRON CORP
5 DEVON ENERGY CORP
6 CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORP
7 EXXONMOBIL CORP
8 SHELL OIL CO
9 ENCANA OIL & GAS INC
10 XTO ENERGY INC
11 DOMINION RESOURCES INC
12 EOG RESOURCES INC
13 APACHE CORP
14 WILLIAMS ENERGY INC
15 OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORP
16 EL PASO ENERGY
17 NEWFIELD EXPLORATION CO
18 SAMSON RESOURCES CO
19 MARATHON OIL CO
20 QUESTAR CORP
21 NOBLE ENERGY INC
22 PIONEER NATURAL RESOURCES USA INC
23 CIMAREX ENERGY CO
24 MERIT ENERGY CO
25 ENERGEN RESOURCES CORP
26 ULTRA PETROLEUM INC
27 EQUITABLE RESOURCES INC
28 YATES PETROLEUM CORP
29 HILCORP ENERGY CO
30 HUNT OIL CO
Operator Level Data
Table A6. Top 50 U.S. Operators Ranked by Reported 2006 Operated Production Data
http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/natural_gas/data_publications/crude_oil_natural_gas_reserves/current/pdf/appa.pdf
Page A-8
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bifueltech.shtml
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/natural_gas_related.html
read this
http://www.simmonsco-intl.com/files/Connecticut%20College.pdf
then make the claim that there is “no shortage of gasoline”.
Are you and a lot of your friends going to be surprised!
Lurking’
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