Vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas have had limited appeal in most of the United States. But, as in many things, Utah is proving to be the exception to the rule. While gasoline is hovering at or above $3 a gallon in most of the country, natural gas is currently going for the equivalent of $0.736 a gallon in Utah. Local utility Questar Gas operates vehicle filling stations in the state that have seen sales rise sixty percent in the past two years.

Thanks to substantial state incentives, Utah now has the lowest gas prices in the country and the second largest network of filling stations after California. In addition to the cheap, fuel federal and state tax credits of $4,000 and $3,000, respectively, can save buyers a healthy chunk on the Honda Civic GX which is currently the only new CNG passenger car on the market.

Related:

• Honda Civic GX owners rejoice! Corncob technology may extend your driving range
• Honda Civic GX gets to stay in the carpool lane
• LA Auto Show: Honda Civic GX quick test drive

[Source: Deseret Morning News]

Ray Holan is an accomplished auto mechanic, biofuel advocate, author of the book Sliding Home: A Complete Guide to Driving Your Diesel on Straight Vegetable Oil and regular feature contributor to AutoblogGreen.



The 47-acre grounds of the Congregation of St. Joseph of Cleveland, Ohio would put the most environmentally conscious neighborhood to shame. Oh, sure, there's the usual recycling activities of composting kitchen waste, collecting aluminum cans, glass, plastic, and paper. But it doesn't stop there. How about organic gardening, a "Styrofoam-free" campus, cloth napkins instead of paper, recycling bins in the retreat center for visitors and using a "green" cleaning company even though it's more expensive than traditional services? When religious women make a joint commitment to sustainability, you won't find the word "half-way" in their dictionary.

There was so much environmental consciousness and energy efficiency at play on the campus, I almost forgot to focus on the real object of my visit: their fleet of 12 Honda Civic GX's powered by compressed natural gas (CNG).

Follow the jump to continue the article...

UPDATE: Added author's byline.

It seems you can now get a car made by a major automobile manufacturer that will run on just about fuel you can think of (perhaps with slight modifications). We’ve recently had posts on compressed air vehicles, plug-in cars and now here comes information on Honda’s new natural gas-powered Civic GX. This car, which will be assembled in Ohio and will be available in New York State this fall, according to Gizmag. This vehicle is exciting not just because it’s rated as near-zero emissions vehicle, but because if you’re willing to buy a “Phill” natural gas home refueling system, you never have to go to a gas station ever again. The Phill, which connects to a house’s home natural gas supply, will also supply fuel to the car at about half the cost of standard gas at the local sprawlborhood Texaco. Of course, the gas delivery truck is going to have to stop by much more often. Other than what’s in the engine, the Civic GX is similar to the 2006 Civic LX. [Source: Gizmag. Image: Gizmag. Tip: Joel A]