Compressed Natural Gas

Gas for $1.80 Per Gallon In Seattle????
Well, sort of. Compressed Natural Gas, that is.

Okay, I know this is a bit "niche" and I'll admit that I don't know how many CNG vehicles are currently running around the street of Seattle. That being said, even a casual reader of my blog knows what a HUGE fan I am of alternative fuels. Bottom line, we HAVE to get off of our "oil addiction" if this planet is going to survive for our children- so I am in favor af anything and everything that has even a promise of moving us in that direction. And hey, gas at $1.80 a gallon in a Honda Civic is pretty darn attractive.

Here's the story from Environmental Protection:

PetroCard, a fuels distributor, and Waste Management announced on May 1 the grand opening of a "Clean N' Green Fuel" compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station in South Seattle, the first public-access CNG facility in the city. For businesses and consumers with CNG-compatible vehicles, the facility offers a readily available and affordable fuel. The station sells CNG at prices typically one-third below gasoline and diesel.

There are currently more than 120,000 CNG vehicles in the United States and more than 8 million worldwide. Locally, several municipalities, airport shuttles and taxis run fleet vehicles on CNG including vehicles from the King County Government fleet and STITA airport taxis. The Honda Civic GX is currently the only consumer CNG vehicle on the American car market, however many standard engines can be converted to use CNG.

CNG is sold in gasoline gallon equivalents (GGEs), with each GGE having the same energy content as a gallon of gasoline. Vehicles using CNG typically have similar or better fuel economy ratings than standard gasoline or diesel vehicles, and today CNG is approximately one-third lower in price. Current pricing at the station is in the range of $1.70-$1.80/GGE.

CNG produces 17-80 percent less nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, 25 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and provides up to 85 percent reduction in toxic soot associated with conventional diesel engines.

PetroCard, based in Kent, Wash., sells fuel to commercial fleets through a chain of unattended cardlocks and provides mobile fueling services. Today the company has 66 cardlocks – 27 sites in the greater Seattle area, 3 sites in Spokane, Wash., and 36 sites in Oregon