My New CNG Car

OK - I've finally done it. I've been thinking about it for awhile, and last week I bought a bi-fuel Chevrolet Cavalier (it runs on unleaded or natural gas.) Of course, I run almost exclusively on natural gas. My justifications are as follows:

1. $3.60/gallon vs. $0.87/gge (gallon equivalent)
2. almost no emissions from natural gas compared to gasoline
3. I'm no longer contributing to the profit margins of people who finance terrorists

I wish more people would do the same, but there are a lot of excuses that I hear. Let me weigh in on a few of them, and try to provide my reasons why they are weak excuses:

1. Natural gas refueling stations are not very plentiful - no, but they will be when a lot more of us drive natural gas vehicles, and besides, I only have to go about 3 minutes out of my way to fill up
2. My natural gas tank doesn't hold as much fuel as a gasoline tank, so I have to fill up more often - true, but back to #1, it's not that far out of your way, and aren't the benefits worth a few extra minutes every few days?
3. It's dangerous to have a pressurized tank of CNG in my trunk - this is just not true, as it is designed with appropriate pressure relief - your non-pressurized gasoline tank is more of a danger than the CNG cylinder
4. I don't have much selection of makes and models that use CNG - true, but the more people start buying these things, the better the selection will be - besides, for your commuter, is it really that big a deal what you drive? This Cavalier is a great, clean car, and fun to drive

So take a look at the options, give it some thought, and if the right opportunity comes up, join the CNG club with me. When you look at your natural gas receipt and it says $4.89 for a complete fill-up, you won't regret your decision.