Comment & Debate
“The Natural Gas Alternative”. ConsumerReports.org – “Gassing up with CNG. Even if you have access to natural gas, refueling can be a hassle. There are a limited number of refueling stations in the U.S., and many are operated by fleets and not open to the public. The number available to consumers is estimated to be from 700 to 800. New York has about 100 stations with public access. In addition, the pressurized CNG pumps take some getting used to. They use a special fitting to seal to the vehicle, something with which most motorists are not familiar. A Honda representative suggested a 15-minute training session before using the pumps. Many pumps also work on a card-reader system specific to the fuel supplier. Users are billed monthly, which may be less convenient than handing over cash.”
Katie Fehrenbacher. “10 Things You Should Know About Natural Gas Vehicles”. Earth2Tech – 1). Infrastructure bottleneck: Like the “hydrogen highway” compressed natural gas vehicles need fueling stations. According to the natural gas vehicle trade group the Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVA) there are over 1,100 stations in the U.S. That might sound like a lot, but only half are available to the public, and compare that to the around 200,000+ U.S. gas stations. The U.S. would need a lot more natural gas stations to power a third of its vehicles. Who’s going to be the first to make that investment?
“On the Road Again.” Washington Post. 26 Aug. 2008 – there are mammoth hurdles to getting large numbers of natural gas vehicles on the road. Most troublesome is simply where to buy the fuel. Of 176,000 gas stations in the United States, fewer than 2,000 carry natural gas, according to the Department of Energy. In the Washington area, there are just four.