Utah is a state that gets a lot of sun but not a lot of attention on these pages for their green transportation moves. Still, it does seem that the DIY crowd is strong there. Remember the homemade Ariel Atom? That's not the only homemade vehicle taking to the street in the state.

Kyle Dansie and Michael Mielke run ZEVUtah (Zero Emission Vehicles of Utah) and are two strong proponents of taking control of your transportation energy sources. The Salt Lake Tribune ran a story recently about the 1994 VW Golf that the two converted to all-electric drive with solar panels on the roof. They draw extra power from the solar panels deployed on the roof. This isn't an EV for everyone, but the 65 mph top speed and 40 mile range should be enough for most people to use on a daily basis - at least, people who can swallow the $10,000 price tag for the electric components on top of whatever it costs to buy the Golf. There's a multimedia slideshow of the converted car here and ZEVUtah contains detailed descriptions on what happened during the conversion and explains why decisions were made as they were. Very helpful if you're thinking of tinkering yourself.

[Source: Salt Lake Tribune]

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]

A new Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) store is now open in Salt Lake City selling two-seater and four-seater models. You can pick up a two-seater for about $7,000 and a four-seater for $10,000. The vehicles have a range of about 40 miles and incredibly low running costs. Ideal for planned communities and warm weather, NEVs make great second cars or main cars for people who don't need to travel far.

Analysis: No word as to what brands are to be sold in the dealership, but I'd expect the Miles ZX40 and the ZENN models would be likely. All-electric vehicle dealerships are likely to be niche businesses for a while yet, but they're bound to start popping up as more EV start-ups enter the market.

Related:

• AutoblogGreen visits the American Electric Vehicle factory and we drive a Kurrent
• The Top Ten electric vehicles you can buy right now (for the most part)
• Wisconsin pro-NEV law actually makes it harder to drive electric vehicles there

[Source: KCPW News]

And you thought biofuels could help end wars for oil. The Salt Lake Tribune would like you to know the future could be full of small-time battles over waste grease collection, handling and environmental regulations. The newspaper's Sunday edition last week had an article about the escalating "grease war" being fought between home biodiesel brewers and large biodiesel concerns in Utah.

The Salt Lake Valley Health Department got involved in the dispute six months ago after a grease rendering company, Renegade Oil, complained to the department that home biodieselers were able to take waste oil without having to follow the same laws that companies like Renegade Oil had to follow. In some cases, biodieselers were stealing the grease, which was another point of concern. The Utah Biodiesel Cooperative put out a statement telling home brewers not to steal waste grease and to not take the grease without a permit, but the Cooperative does not have control over all the brewers in the state. Graydon Blain, a Cooperative member, said in the article that, "this [fight] has pretty much killed [home-made] biodiesel in Salt Lake County." The whole article is worth reading, and I'm certain more fights like this will pop up in other places in the future.

[Source: The Salt Lake Tribune]