May 6, 2005
Convenient Home
Refueling Appliances Now Available for Natural Gas Vehicles
The Southland’s air quality agency today approved financial incentives
for consumers interested in driving natural gas vehicles and refueling them
from the convenience of their own homes.
“Natural gas vehicles are one of the cleanest options available today,”
said Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality
Management District. “We believe the convenience of home refueling will
make driving a natural gas vehicle a lot more appealing to consumers.”
AQMD’s Governing Board today approved $400,000 in incentives to assist
consumers with the cost of purchasing or leasing a new natural gas home
refueling appliance, developed by FuelMaker Corp. of Toronto.
AQMD’s incentive will match funding recently approved by the Mobile
Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC).
"The MSRC has a long history of supporting the development of natural gas
fueling stations to serve the growing fleet vehicle market," noted Gwenn
Norton-Perry, chair of the MSRC. "Now, with the option of home refueling,
we have the opportunity to greatly expand individual consumer interest in a
clean, affordable alternative to gasoline vehicles."
The refueling appliance – marketed under the name “Phill” – is expected
to cost about $3,500. Incentive funding offered by AQMD and the MSRC will
total $2,000 per unit for a total of 400 units, lowering the cost of each
unit to $1,500 for the consumer. Installation of a unit costs an additional
$1,000 to $2,000. Driving a compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle can cut
fuel costs in half. On average, fueling a CNG passenger vehicle will cost
about 4 cents per mile compared with 8 cents per mile for a similar gasoline
vehicle.
The refueling unit is a small, compact gas compressor capable of
providing convenient overnight home refueling for CNG vehicles. The
appliance is safe, lightweight, and can deliver 3,000 or 3,600 pounds per
square inch gauge (psig) of natural gas.
The home appliance is available through FuelMaker and American Honda.
AQMD and MSRC jointly will provide funding to FuelMaker for 100 units,
available for purchase, and to American Honda for 300 units, available for
lease. FuelMaker’s purchasing plan targets consumers who currently drive a
CNG vehicle and Honda’s leasing plan targets new buyers or existing owners
of a Honda Civic GX.
AQMD co-sponsored the development of the home refueling appliance through
funding awarded by its Governing Board in 2001 and 2002. FuelMaker will be
responsible for installation of the home refueling appliance.
Mobile sources account for more than 70 percent of the air pollution
emissions in the four-county area. Natural gas vehicles are one of the
cleanest vehicles available and can emit 15 times less smog-forming nitrogen
oxides than a comparable gasoline vehicle. Fleet operators and some private
motorists currently drive thousands of natural gas vehicles and fill them up
at one the Southland’s approximately 75 existing natural gas fueling
stations.
For information on how to purchase the home refueling appliance,
consumers can contact FuelMaker at 1-866-MY-PHILL or
www.myphill.com. To lease the home refueling appliance from American
Honda, consumers can visit a Honda dealership in the four-county area.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major
portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
The MSRC, created by state law in 1990, is supported by vehicle
registration fees and funds transportation projects to reduce air pollution
within the AQMD’s four-county jurisdiction.
-#- |
