Yep, we get less and less oil from Mexico, they’ll shortly be importers because their production is dropping rapidly. Nigeria is becoming a major source. However, the headline in that article is absolutely wrong, the production won’t go to zero in 7 year (or 14 years, or 20 years). Instead, it is declining to lower and lower levels each year, maybe by 7 percent per year.
Here’s another article on Mexico’s problems with oil:
Will we use it in the future? No, We are using it now!
I know I am late to the game, but I thought I would weigh in as someone that actually owns a CNG vehicle that I drive on a daily basis. There are a lot of uniformed opinions on here- I have owned a 2001 CNG Civic for 2.5 years now, and couldn’t be happier.
Home refueling isn’t too appealing. It is slow, and expensive. Here in Utah, there are high pressure refueling stations approx. every 10 miles or so- the infrastructure is here, as it is in other areas such as California, Arizona, and Oklahoma.
I pay $0.93/gallon, and have an approx. 200 mile range.
"The tanks are said to be bulky"
The tank takes up about half my trunk, but I don’t care.
"Most people like to take road trips"
I can make it from my home to Southern California without a problem. For trips longer than that, we take my wife’s car. Driving across the continent would not be recommended, but how often do people really do that? Not likely enough for me to buy a car specifically for the purpose.
Other benefits:
A generous tax refund from the State of Utah
Car Pool lane access when driving solo
Free parking at downtown Salt Lake City meters
Cleaner exhaust than anything else out there
I hope that a better alternative comes along- NG is still a fossil fuel. (As are many electric cars that are recharged with coal-powered sources) But in the mean time, I am a believer.
“I pay $0.93/gallon, and have an approx. 200 mile range.”
Are you sure you are not using LPG, better known as Propane??
How can they sell CNG by the gallon when it’s not a liquid? 200 mile range?? Are you sure about that?
“The GX’s CNG tank also occupies a good deal of trunk space and once filled, it holds the energy of just eight gallons of gasoline. Honda rates the GX’s cruising range at 220 to 250 miles, but that might be optimistic. In our car, the low-fuel light has been coming on after only 150 miles of driving. That warning indicates only 30 miles left, which provides little leeway to look for a fill-up location given their scarcity in our area. The 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine boasts only 113 horsepower instead of the gasoline models’ 140 horsepower, so the GX is a little lazy when merging. The initial price is a little steep?we paid $25,185 for ours?but right now that’s offset by a sales-tax exemption and a generous $4,000 federal tax credit.”
Some way , some how, when some one finds a way to make a buck off the distribution and mass use of natural gas, it will be done. It’s practical to use in many situations, cleaner in most and easily an arguable alternative to petro based products.
How much do they pack into the Civic? 3000 PSI? How long does a fill-up take? In order to be liquefied, NG must be lowered to cryogenic temperatures. When stored in this state, it slowly boils off and must be vented…Not practical for cars…
I took a look on line and found that CNG is compressed gas and not liquid. I don’t know what the gallon figure refers to. Honda’s GX web site says that the fuel tank holds 7.8 GGE at 3600 PSI, and I suppose that is gasoline gallon equivalent. Anyway, it goes about 200 miles on a tank of CNG (average EPA city/highway mileage) and that’s the important figure. It seems to me that the Civic GX might be a good commuter car. That would get me to work and back 3 to 4 times before I had to fill up. It wouldn’t work for me because there are no CNG stations within 50 miles of my home.
Do you mean the folks who insist on return on their investment? I thought that the USA was built by folks like that. I hope that you are not implying that all capitalists are evil.