Honda Civic GX

How does gas for between $1.00 and $1.85 a gallon sound? Pretty good?

Honda has begun building a new version of its Civic sedan that runs on gas that can be had today for about that much, which is a significant discount to the national average price of unleaded gas, which is 3.47.

There is a catch. No, you don't have to take online surveys, "like" their Facebook page or agree to deliver meals to the needy in the car each week as part of the deal--although, there would be nothing wrong with that if you did.

The catch is that you have to fill up the Honda Civic GX on natural gas, not liquid gasoline.

Yup. The same stuff that is running through your stove or fireplace. And if you price it relative to liquid gasoline, you can drive the GX for about $1.85 a gallon today. If you refill at home, you can get that cost down to a gasoline equivalent of around $1.00 per gallon.

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The first issue is that the GX costs more than even the Civic Hybrid. The GX is $4,500 more than the conventional Honda Civic. At $27,665, including optional navigation, it is also more than a similarly equipped Civic Hybrid.

The Civic Hybrid, which many will compare the GX to, starts at $24,800. And, at an EPA-estimated 44 mpg in all driving conditions, the gas-electric hybrid is actually more fuel efficient.

The Civic GX will be sold through 200 dealers in 28 states, a dramatic shift up from the four states in which the old GX was sold.

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There are two ways to fill up the Civic GX. A driver can go to one of many public CNG pumps and use it just like a conventional gas pump. To know where those stations are, you can go to the U.S. Department of Energy website for alternative fuels or download one of several apps to your smart-phone that will tell you where they are wherever you are driving.

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, for example, there are three such stations, and Detroit has three as well. The fact that refilling will mean hunting down specific refueling points will put many buyers off. But for lone commuters who can utilize the HOV lanes, it will be much more attractive than electric cars.

The driving range of a 2012 Civic GX is about 220 miles, give or take, depending on driving habits and conditions, while the driving range of a Nissan Leaf EV is between 80-100 miles.

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The other method for refilling a GX is at home. But that will cost you extra money. Fuel Systems Solutions, a major manufacturer of natural gas flex-fuel systems for cars and trucks, will sell you a system through its BRC Gas Equipment subsidiary that taps in to a home's natural gas line. The unit is called "Phill." The cost of the unit is an eye-popping $4,500 plus installation. But the Federal government will knock $1,000 off that with a tax credit, and GX buyers should check with local city's and states and their local gas utility for other credits available.

Filling up at home is cheaper than filling up at a pay-station. Estimates today, depending on where you live, indicate a fill up at home will cost you between $1.00 and $1.30 per gallon equivalent to gasoline.

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The Civic GX is considered the greenest car you can buy today by some environmental groups.

The Civic Natural Gas offers multiple benefits including significantly reduced operating costs compared to gasoline and lower fuel costs, with natural gas purchased at public fueling stations historically costing about 30-percent less than gasoline on a gasoline-gallon-equivalent basis.

The Civic Natural Gas engine produces almost zero smog-forming emissions and is the cleanest internal-combustion vehicle certified by the EPA (Tier-II, Bin-2 and ILEV certification as of August 2010).

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A modified version of the 1.8-liter four-cylinder found in the gas-fueled 2012 Civic Sedan and Coupe powers the Civic Natural Gas; a five-speed automatic transmission is standard. The Civic Natural Gas is EPA-rated at 27 city/38 highway/31 combined miles per gasoline-gallon equivalent. Compared against the 2011 Civic GX, the 2012 Natural Gas delivers a 12.5-percent improvement in city fuel efficiency and a 5.5-percent bump on the highway.

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There are so many hybrids on the road now that California among other jurisdictions have taken away the eligibility of lone commuters in hybrids to use the HOV lanes.

If you are driving alone now, you have to have an electric vehicle or a natural gas vehicle.

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Emissions on a natural gas vehicle are much cleaner than vehicles burning gasoline or diesel. The cleanliness of natural gas as a transportation fuel is more a debate over extraction from the earth.

Fracking, which uses high-pressure water to crack into natural gas reserves and tap it for commercial use is highly controversial. Several communities in the U.S. have complained that it compromises the water table. The energy industry is under fire for fracking, and pressure to find alternative means.

But one thing is for certain. North America has vast natural gas reserves to tap as a means for getting the U.S. independent of oil held by countries that generally do not like the West.

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