Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

[kenmcl]

My wife needs to drive to phoenix (from north san diego area) an I am encouraging her to drive the GX. The only problem is that there is a 240+ mile stretch between Indio and Phoenix along the 10.

I would go for it, but she is saying no way. Does anyone know of any CNG stations between those two points that are not listed on cng route planner?

It will drive me crazy to have her drive a full size minivan for an out and back trip.

Does anyone have any experience with this drive? Any suggestions are welcomed.

Ken.

[freedml]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

Suck it up and give her the minivan. It's not worth the fight.

[Green GX]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

Ken,

Here's a thread about a new station in Blythe, CA in the near future.

http://www.cngchat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2540&highlight=Blythe

Don't know if its progressing or not.

Bill

[jetboatjohnny]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

I dont know of this will help, but here is a number and address of the facility listed on cleancarmaps.com, Call em up and let us know if anything is happening.

County of Riverside - Fleet Services Yard (PRIVATE)
271 North Spring Street CA 92225 Blythe
(760) 921-7998

[kenmcl]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

Thanks. I have left a message at the number you provided. WHen i hear back, i will post the results. Ken.

[CNG MOTORS]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

Don't do it you won't make it, trust me, I've tried it several times, you will fall 10 miles short of the CE station at Sky Harbor, after filling up in Indio you will make it to the 101 and I-10 interchange when you run out of fuel. And for Blythe forget about it, I've tried they will not help. Prepay, cash, no matter they will not help you

[Curtis]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

Don't do it you won't make it, trust me, I've tried it several times, you will fall 10 miles short of the CE station at Sky Harbor, after filling up in Indio you will make it to the 101 and I-10 interchange when you run out of fuel.

Murphy, what year GX are you getting this result in? I know you can get about another 50 miles in the new GX. Does that bridge the gap? The Blythe station will be opening up in the near future, resolving this issue.

[CNG MOTORS]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

2005 and older

[Tom Stoflet]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

Hi:

I know I'm late with my response, but I agree with Curtis.

While I do not know your route from Carlsbad to Phoenix, I recently went to Phoenix via Highway 8, and it was over 260 miles from the last CNG stop in Palm Desert, and I made it using my Honda GX, with over 2 GGE (out of a full tank of 8 GGE) to spare.

It can be a challenge admittedly, but planning pays off. Suggest you use cngprices.com to find all the CNG stations before you go; to make sure you don't need a special fueling card; or to make sure the CNG stations are operational when you go.

Good luck next time.

Dedicated CNG vehicle user.

[freedml]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

I drove my 2006 GX from Phoenix to Thousand Palms with 2 bars left. I stayed behind a truck most of the way, AC off most of the time. A key is getting a good fill, then waiting for the tank to cool and topping it off. Sign up for AAA Premiere so they will tow you to a station if you don't make it.

[JMHINHB]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

Hello,

I am getting ready to drive my 2004 civic gx from Huntington Beach to Phoenix. It looks like I need to get from Indio to the Clean Energy station at 15th Avenue and Madison. I have noticed that getting a good fill makes all the difference in the range I get. Recently I got over 250 miles on a fill. I regulary get about 190 from the station nearest me. Any other tips in getting a good fill?

[freedml]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

Fill in Palm Springs and then fill again in Indio. This will give some time for the tank to cool so that Indio will be able to top it off as much as possible.

[KSneedsCNG]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

There was push by Curtis to get public cng pump in Blythe, CA but don't think that's materialized yet. Think it's in the works.

Looks like shortest path, and cheapest if you don't mind smaller highway is fill up as follows:
Carlsbad, CA - - - SDG&E at $1.98/gge
Hemet, CA - - - Riverside Transit $2.03/gge
Thousand Palms, CA - - Sunline Transit $2.02/gge
Indio, CA - - - Sunline Transit $2.02/gge (TOP OFF)
Phoenix, AZ - - - Washington USD $2.10/gge

All the detail addresses for above are at www.cngprices.com

Your longest leg is Indio to Phoenix which is 251 miles door-to-door for the above public cng refueling sites. Your 2004 Civic GX should be able to make that leg IF you keep your speed down to say 65 mph, and if necessary don't use A/C. Good luck, and let us know how the trip goes!

EDIT: Forgot to also add that return trip from Phoenix ought to be refilled in 2 steps. Fill up say at Washington USD (if convenient for your travels in town), then let some time pass for it to cool down (ie breakfast or lunch break). Then TOP OFF at the last Clean Energy public cng pump on your way out of Phoenix.

[CNGfamily]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

There was push by Curtis to get public cng pump in Blythe, CA but don't think that's materialized yet. Think it's in the works....
Your longest leg is Indio to Phoenix which is 251 miles door-to-door for the above public cng refueling sites. Your 2004 Civic GX should be able to make that leg IF you keep your speed down to say 65 mph, and if necessary don't use A/C. Good luck, and let us know how the trip goes!

I can hardly wait for the Blythe station!!

And I've done the long leg route several times with a 2008 Civic, even before the extra capacity. And the person I sold the 2000 GX to made the route once... she kept it under 55 and made it to Indio without the low fuel light even coming on (slow filled at my house, then topped off at the airport CE station, not Washington School District).

Indio has always been a good fill for me, but before the extra tanks I was always worried about what I'd do if the station was down.

[Andrew]

Re: Carlsbad, CA to Phoenix, AZ

I just did this trip this past weekend from Orange to Phoenix in my 2012 Civic NGV. The trip overall went well, but there are some things the casual driver should know that may not be very clear.

The first (western most) CNG station in Phoenix, Clean Energy on Madison, is well lit and sits pretty, but is gated shut unless it is M-F 6am-5pm. Do not rely on this station or waste time navigating to it if you are arriving after business hours or on the weekend. CNG Prices/Clean Energy website needs to be updated to reflect this.

The best alternate CNG station at Skyharbor (about 10-15 miles east of there) can be difficult to find for the first time, adding to a potentially stressful situation if you are running out of methane. I would not recommend relying on your GPS to get you there; navigation systems are notorious for getting confused when trying to navigate a three dimensional road system, such as at an airport, and in this case there was no exception. I had to pull over, let my girlfriend drive, and navigate to it manually. I think there are two ways to get to it, but the only one I know is exiting the 143 at washington (and going west), turning left on 44th, taking the airport exit (as 44th is basically a highway), and staying to to the right following the signs to the CNG station.

I made it back to Indio with a supposed 45 miles of range remaining. Drove 65mph for the first half and 70-75 mph for the second half, with the AC on. One benefit of going west vs. east is you go downhill instead of uphill.

Because the gap between Indio and the Skyharbor station exceeds 250 miles, I would not recommend any unmodified NGV Civic taking this trip in the summer, unless a new station pops up soon (Blythe?). The heat will undoubtedly limit the fill you would get in Phoenix.