# Will CNG Overtake Pricey Electric Cars?



## EVDL Archive (Jul 26, 2007)

BYD's e6 electric is having to compete against Honda's Civic GX fueled by natural gas.

More...


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## Jason Lattimer (Dec 27, 2008)

Not a problem if you don't mind your CNG tank expiring every three years.


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## dladd (Jun 1, 2011)

Jason Lattimer said:


> Not a problem if you don't mind your CNG tank expiring every three years.


They are good for 15 years. Supposed to be inspected every 3, but I don't think anyone does that... After 15, they must be replaced at a tune of $3k or so.

We've owned our 2002 Civic GX for 2 years now with no problems. It's a perfect commute car for my wife's 55 mile each way commute (does it twice a week), fuels up for $2.20/gallon right now at local PG&E substations, is carpool lane legal, and gets 35ish mpg in mixed driving. And compared to the 50 mile range of my EV, the 200 mile range of the Civic is pure luxury.


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## Caps18 (Jun 8, 2008)

You still have to pay for natural gas. Which might not be a problem for the next few years since we don't seem to care about the mess that it makes both above ground and below ground.

I wouldn't get a CNG vehicle. There are no refilling stations around here that I know of anyways.


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## jeremyjs (Sep 22, 2010)

I like CNG more than most other compressed fuels, but I'd still rather have batteries. I just don't like the idea of carrying a large tank full of anything under extremely high pressures. Accidents happen. Batteries can certainly short and possibly burn, in a small number of cases, under the right conditions, but it's going to take a good bit more time, time I could spend getting away from the car, than rupturing a pressure vessel. There is of course the ever present infrastructure problems with anything like that. 90% of the infrastructure for electric cars is already in place.


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## dladd (Jun 1, 2011)

jeremyjs said:


> I like CNG more than most other compressed fuels, but I'd still rather have batteries. I just don't like the idea of carrying a large tank full of anything under extremely high pressures. Accidents happen. Batteries can certainly short and possibly burn, in a small number of cases, under the right conditions, but it's going to take a good bit more time, time I could spend getting away from the car, than rupturing a pressure vessel. There is of course the ever present infrastructure problems with anything like that. 90% of the infrastructure for electric cars is already in place.


it's funny, on the CNG side they say the same thing about electric. It's more dangerous (high voltage, EV fires etc) and dirtier (EV's powered by dirty coal power plants vs. clean CNG). 

As to infrastructure, I (and a lot of the US) have both electricity and natural gas already plumbed in my house. This is, in my opinion, why the powers that be are limiting both options. It's harder to control the fuel when it's already in the home.

Anyway, personally I like electric better, but CNG is a good stop-gap until batteries get cheaper/better. I'll continue with both for at least a few more years, in addition to the old van with a gasoline V10 that I also have.


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## jeremyjs (Sep 22, 2010)

dladd said:


> it's funny, on the CNG side they say the same thing about electric. It's more dangerous (high voltage, EV fires etc) and dirtier (EV's powered by dirty coal power plants vs. clean CNG).
> 
> As to infrastructure, I (and a lot of the US) have both electricity and natural gas already plumbed in my house. This is, in my opinion, why the powers that be are limiting both options. It's harder to control the fuel when it's already in the home.
> 
> Anyway, personally I like electric better, but CNG is a good stop-gap until batteries get cheaper/better. I'll continue with both for at least a few more years, in addition to the old van with a gasoline V10 that I also have.


True you already have CNG piped to your house, but you have to pressurize it, using electricity, to get a descent amount into the tank of the car. How much electricity, I have no idea. It's something to look into.


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## dladd (Jun 1, 2011)

jeremyjs said:


> True you already have CNG piped to your house, but you have to pressurize it, using electricity, to get a descent amount into the tank of the car. How much electricity, I have no idea. It's something to look into.


Including the cost of the natural gas and the electricity for the compressor, it's ~$1.00-$1.50/gallon equivilent to fill at home. The downside is the ~$10k initial investment for the wiring/compressor.  Payback isn't really possible, but some still do it. My wife drives right by SFO every commute, and there are 2-3 CNG stations right there, so it's not been an issue for us.

There has always been the lure of the $500 home compressor on the horizon, but like the lithium air battery, I'm not holding my breath.


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