Public access to CNG is Downtown Chicago available in August 2010

[wheelhorse1962]

I have been informed by a representative of Clean Energy that soon there will be five public CNG refueling sites available in the Chicago market. Three will be located in the downtown Chicago area and one each at O’Hare and Midway Airports. The first to go on line will be in Downtown Chicago during the August 2010 timeframe. All sites will be accessible via credit card and open to the public. All sites are being built to support new CNG taxis soon to come on line.

[cngacrossusa]

Re: Public access to CNG is Downtown Chicago available in August 2010

Great news for CNG movement in Chicago, IL (and for whole state of IL) to have Clean Energy putting in 5 new public cng locations. Yep, this is same CNGACROSSUSA giving "pat on back" to CE.

On side note, what is happening to Ni-Source cng locations in Indiana . . . they all shutdown?

Does Ni-Source still have anything going in Ohio . . . used to have a nice station in Columbus?

[CNG Dreamer]

Re: Public access to CNG is Downtown Chicago available in August 2010

Honda of Lisle's web site claims that 2009 & 2010 Honda Civic GX's can be purchased from their FLEET sales department.
I wish they'd put a CNG station in the Aurora area but at least it's a start.

[satish350]

Re: Public access to CNG is Downtown Chicago available in August 2010

Where are the locations of 5 cng stations coming up in chicago?

[LMRDoc17]

Re: Public access to CNG is Downtown Chicago available in August 2010

CNG Dreaming myself. I am trying to figure out how to open a CNG fueling station in Aurora. I am 2 days into trying to figure out the industry and how to get this done.

[CNG Dreamer]

Re: Public access to CNG is Downtown Chicago available in August 2010

Good luck. The mayor of Aurora is someone I'd talk to. He used to be open to trying new things. E-85 pump at the Woodman's(or maybe that's in North Aurora?). "Free Wi-Fi": total flop! Hopefully he doesn't purposefully avoid it like fellow Dem Obama.

There's an active interchange at I-88 & Orchard Road with the Auto Mall to the north and trucking companies to the south(Kraft? East side of Orch
ard North of Lowes). Is it crazy for a car dealer to have its' own pump? Plenty of space at the Auto Mall now that some have gone belly up. Sell the car and have the buyer get gas there for their commute into Chicago/elsewhere?
The other crazy idea I had was to get alot of small "investors" to finance a pump($1,000 each?). Then they could save on the lower cost fuel without having the wonderful experience of home fueling(repairs, rebuilds when possible and long time for payback if ever) that we read about here. With the lower "buy in", payback would be possible. The operator would know he had customers and would maintain & run the pump/station. Perhaps the original "investor's would get a lower price/GGE? Operator wouldn't want to limit his customer base to them but they deserve something I think.

Another possibility would be a "community" pump. Imagine all the public vehicles in a city like Aurora. Police, fire, ambulance, postal(Rte. 25) etc.. Seems like a good investment but I've never read of this. Really got excited when I read that a guy(Jim Miller? Reagan admin. OMB?) who used to have something to do with the USPS was on the board of Clean Energy. Natural gas seems like a natural for all those postal vehicles but alas no mention of even an effort to have new postal vehicles use natural gas.
Or maybe the AUrora airport?
Oh well, for what it's worth I live near the Lowes.

[wheelhorse1962]

Re: Public access to CNG is Downtown Chicago available in August 2010

I received updated information from a representative of Clean Energy concerning the planned CNG refueling sites in Chicago. Construction has started on the 1st station in Chicago at Roosevelt and Clinton. They expect that it will be ready to fuel by the end of the year. The Chicago stations will take master card and visa.

I also heard from rumor central that all the Northwest Indiana NIPSCO CNG refuel stations, (Gary, Hammond, and Valparaiso) will be shut down very soon, (By years end). Why would NIPSCO shut down operational systems when now it appears that the CNG infrastructure in growing and more CNG type vehicles are being produced?

[cngacrossusa]

Re: Public access to CNG is Downtown Chicago available in August 2010

There is the NiSource connection . . . all those Indiana stations were owned or operated by NiSource.

Formerly there was fabulous public cng station in Columbus, OH that was run by Columbia Gas but they got bought out by NiSource. What did NiSource do . . . quickly sell off AROUND 400 cng vehicles in Columbus, OH alone and shutter the station!!! The Columbia Gas employee I was talking with during the last few months that Columbus site was open also said that NiSource management also did NOT let employees bid on those cng vehicles sold!!
The NiSource debacle closed the Columbus, OH site along with trying to shutter the Washington, PA site as that too was formerly run by Columbia Gas. I've heard rumors that Washington, PA site might come back to life?

Somebody research up-the-tree within NiSource and I'll bet you'll find BIG OIL meddling with public cng. What a shame . . . momentum was starting to turn in midwest for more states to get public cng.

Would be terrific if a COOPERATIVE would invest and buy these Indiana public cng sites . . . .like the cooperatives that own grain elevators . . . owned by the individual people who use the COOP and are tax free as for the benefit of the COOP. Maybe the real solution is form a nationwide CNGCHAT Cooperative and keep these cng sites alive . . . . before CE/GE gets their paws on them.