I was sent this artical today and found it intresting...the only problem is that
there is not enough fueling stations around for supply.
I guess the oil companies are slow rolling the natural gas thing.
Tax incentive boosted the use of natural-gas cars in 2000
Now owners of the vehicles feel abandoned
Long before $4 gasoline, Arizona’s state legislature passed a tax incentive program to promote the purchase and use of CNG fueled vehicles. It was so popular the state’s expected $10 million price tag ballooned to $483 million. Now owners of the vehicles are having trouble finding refueling stations.
This may be another example of government incentive programs gone awry. In the year 2000, well before this year’s run up in oil and gasoline prices, Arizona was ahead of the curve- promoting the use of CNG vehicles with tax and other incentives. Today, Arizona residents may be scratching their collective heads wondering what the nearly $ ½ Billion program achieved.
Proponents of government sponsored incentive programs to promote the purchase and use of hybrid, plug-in electric and other alternative fuels should study the program in Arizona. From a report found in The Arizona Republic many of those induced to purchase CNG equipped vehicles back in 2000 are not too happy with the way it turned out.
Some, like Marty Midgley, the owner of a 2001 GMC Yukon that runs on CNG feels like he is stuck with a technology that is not supported with a refueling infrastructure. He would love to sell the SUV, but laments, “I don’t know how you could. Who would buy it?”
Owners of some of these seven and eight year-old vehicles also complain that finding someone certified to work on the system is becoming more and more difficult.
SanTan Honda Superstore in Chandler is one place that does continue to work on and sell CNG vehicles. However, their alternative-fuel manager (I’ll bet you don’t have one of them!) said that they are expecting some 2009 CNG cars from Honda, but don’t really know when to expect them in inventory.
According to the many ads being run by T. Boone Pickens to promote wind power and CNG-fueled have a cost efficiency of about 40%- meaning that you can go the same number of miles for close to half the cost of today’s high-priced gasoline. If that is not incentive enough to build the refueling system, what is?
Somewhere in all the schemes being promoted to beat dependency on foreign oil, there must be a solution. But one should expect to hear more stories like this one as we work through the alternatives.
