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4.15.09 Driving the natural gas trend -- Can you handle paying 49 cents a gallon? Natural gas has been known for heating homes, but fueling vehicles is a fairly new development. M.U.D. is leading the revolution in Omaha with 62 natural gas vehicles in their fleet. “We have saved 950 barrels of oil this year by consuming 40,000 gallons of natural gas,” says Doug Clark, vice president of government and marketing for Metropolitan Utilities District. He drives a natural gas vehicle himself and says it doesn’t drive any differently than a regular gas guzzler. The main difference is the cost. Natural gas is about 49 cents per gallon with federal rebates compared to the average $2 a gallon for regular gas in Omaha. That difference, along with the push for Americans to find different sources of fuel besides foreign oil has many companies with fleet vehicles wanting to make the switch. “We are in the infancy of the programs here and across the Midwest,” says Alan Hersch of Lincoln-based Black Hills Energy. Hersch says the Midwest is catching on, especially since the majority of natural gas tanks for vehicles are made in Lincoln. The tanks, made by Lincoln Composites, are a hybrid of high strength carbon fiber blended with glass filaments and wrapped with a fiberglass outer layer.Hersch says the tank is virtually indestructible. “They are completely crush proof, more so than even a gasoline tank in today’s cars, the weight is insignificant and of course the natural gas itself has practically no weight. ”The personal auto market is also jumping on the natural gas wagon. O’Daniel Honda of Omaha is selling a Civic GX that is completely fueled by natural gas. The car retails for $25,860 and has everything a regular car would have.With no natural gas stations around, a filling station would have to be installed to refuel the vehicle. O’Daniel has partnered with A1 Heating and Air Conditioning, which is licensed to install the “Phill” stations for a cost of around $5,000. Clark says a gas station at home is a perk for the driver. "You can fuel it overnight and your car will always be full and you’ll never have to stop at a gas station again. |
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