Inside Line goes au natural with CNG Civic

Let me clarify, Edmunds Inside Line had the opportunity to test
drive Honda’s 2005 Civic GX. The GX is, you guessed it, fueled by compressed natural gas. Big whoop, you say? Well, the
Civic GX’s unconventional powertrain is touted by the EPA as the cleanest internal combustion engine on Earth. Not only
that, but install the home refueling kit and fuel could run the equivalent of $1.00 per gallon. The article itself is
definitely worth a read, as Edmunds tries to let you peek into the frustrations of refueling the CNG Civic. The ‘Phill’
system that connects to residential natural gas infrastructure takes up to 12 hours to refuel, but most commercial
refill facilities take the same amount of time as gasoline pump to refuel the Civic’s trunk-space eating fuel tank. For
commuters who live in a region that partially subsidizes the additional cost of the GX and the home refueling kit, the
Civic GX might be an economically, environmentally sound alternative to chugging gasoline. Honda will be offering a
redesigned GX for model year 2006. The only obstacle to any potential GX adoption might be CNG prices, as weather
forecasters are expecting a colder than normal winter.

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