Will Honda's natural-gas-powered Civic GX blow other "green" cars off the road? See the first reports from our year-long in-depth test
Posted 11.02.2006 at 3:00 am
6 Comments
For more on the Civic GX's natural-gas powertrain and the innovative home-fueling station that keeps it going at a fraction of the cost of gasoline, launch the slideshow.
Behold the car that could displace the Toyota Prius as the eco-ride of choice. The new natural-gas-powered Honda Civic GX uses domestically produced fuel–the same stuff your gas stove burns–that costs as little as one third the price of gasoline. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy calls it the cleanest-burning internal-combustion vehicle on Earth.
So what's not to like? Only the scarcity of places to fuel up. Honda has sold compressed-natural-gas (CNG) Civics to fleet operators for eightyears-because they have their own CNG pumps, they don't have to search for the rare public ones. But thanks to a new home fueling station, anyone can fill up in their driveway.
The car drives like any other, and no, it's not a rolling bomb-CNGis actually less volatile than gas. Beyond its supply lines and fuel tank, the only difference between it and a regular Civic is a specialized fuel injector. Well, that and its gas bill.
2007 Honda GX
Price: $24,590
Horsepower: 113
Torque:109 lb.-ft.
Fuel economy: 29/39 mpg
Fuel capacity: 8 gallons (gas equivalent)
The Test
Over the next year, PopSci will drive the Civic GX and gas it up with the Phill home refueling station. It's hard to argue with the GX's fuel cost and environmental benefit, but is Phill enough to make the GX practical? Find out in regular updates on the following page.
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I think I'm gonna buy one. It's 'green-ness' is good, but what's better is its economy. NG is so much cheaper, is delivered to my house, is not subject to highway taxes, and because it burns so much more cleanly (in the mechanical sense) the engine will last much longer with less maintenance. The only real 'issues' I would have would be in regard to range and cargo space, but both of these could be easily resolved with the construction of a lightweight trailer with a "spare" tank (high volume CNG cylinder) and space for luggage. Such a trailer should be able to give you a range of 1000 miles, and the space of a small pick-up bed with a GVW increase of less than 500lbs. In addition, having the trailers 'spare' tank available would give you a rapid refuel capability by simply connecting connecting it to your car and equalizing pressure.
Hi,
I also found this article on the same subject - interesting stuff! It doesn't really run on water, but extracts HHO gas from water, and uses that. Apparently it's cheap and legal too!
Water Powered Car
Gary.
its nice :)
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So what's not to like? Only the scarcity of places to fuel up. Honda has sold compressed-natural-gas (CNG) Civics to fleet operators for eightyears-because they have their own CNG pumps, they don't have to search for the rare public ones. But thanks to Sohbet a new home fueling station, anyone can fill up in their driveway.
How about a users group or car club. Civic GX's natural-gas care owners could register in a data base and offer refueling services at their home or business for long-distance travelers. This would fill the gap between early adopters and plentiful commercial refueling stations.
Low and behold anyone who shake the Prius of its top perch will stay there for a long time. I have always been a fan of Honda and expect that if one car can make a move it will be The Honda, but gee it will have to be good.
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