new to cng

[danderson]

Many questions before deciding on my next vehicle.

I want to go total electric, but availablility is probally 18-24 months away.

CNG looks like will suit my immediate need.

I live 25 miles from a CNG refuel station at 1.14 per gallon. Gas cost 3.39 around here.

Is it more economical to convert a 1995 subaru Impreza with over 200k miles on it, or find a used car?

Are there any extra taxes I will have to pay here in SW Missouri?
Any tax incentives for a used car purchase or a conversion?

Is the PHIL or equivalent legal in missouri? And how does the cost of refueling this way compare to 1.14 at a gas station?

Are refurbished vehicles reliable?.

Are mpg simulare to gasoline?

[afvman]

Re: new to cng

Dear danderson,

You're right...a lot of questions.

Here's a lot of answers:

Is it more economical to convert a 1995 subaru Impreza with over 200k miles on it, or find a used car?

pre. '96 you can pretty much do what ever you want. Hey if the engine's in half way decent shape go for it. I converted my first NGV at 70k and proceed to put 250k on it. You'll get more life out of any engine on CNG.

Are there any extra taxes I will have to pay here in SW Missouri?

I'm not a tax guy, you'll have to check the local situation, but I can't imagine there'd be MORE taxes!

Any tax incentives for a used car purchase or a conversion?

Again check the local situation but here's a good resource:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/prog...summary.php/MO

Is the PHIL or equivalent legal in missouri? And how does the cost of refueling this way compare to 1.14 at a gas station?

PHIL's aren't cheap and there is limited distributorships. None currently in MO. Here's their website:
http://www.myphill.com/

Are refurbished vehicles reliable?.

Yes. The gov't. auctions are a good place to check:
http://www.autoauctions.gsa.gov/ Find the closest auction to you and then sort on fuels to see if there are any CNG vehicles.

Are mpg simulare to gasoline?

Yes, with today's technology, it'll come very close to gasoline MPG's. There may be a little less because of the lower BTU value but not much.

Hope this helps,

afvman/Bill

[Highmarker]

Re: new to cng

Is it more economical to convert a 1995 subaru Impreza with over 200k miles on it, or find a used car?

Economical? That is for you to do the math. A typical conversion will run between $5k and $10k. You will have to do the math and factor how long it would take to pay it back. Legal? No. There is no EPA certified conversion kit for a Subaru. AFVman is right about pre '96 vehicle not requiring an EPA certification.

Are there any extra taxes I will have to pay here in SW Missouri?
Any tax incentives for a used car purchase or a conversion?

You will have to check with the state of Missouri. I don't believe there would be extra taxes that you would have to pay. There might be some tax incentives for converting a car to CNG.

Is the PHIL or equivalent legal in missouri? And how does the cost of refueling this way compare to 1.14 at a gas station?

The Phill is legal in the United States. It has been approved by the Appliance Association. You can contact Fuelmaker to find the nearest dealer to you. www.fuelmaker.com
Typically natural gas from the home is cheaper than natural gas at the pump (with exception of Utah and possibly Oklahoma). It takes about 8.3 GGEs to equal 1 decatherm. You can do the math to determine if it is cost effective to put in a refueling appliance at home.

Are refurbished vehicles reliable?.

Yes, check ebay, craigslist, cngmotors.com, and several other websites for used CNG vehicles. The most popular vehicles are the Honda Civic GX (CNG only), Chevy Cavalier, Ford Crown Vic, Ford Contour, Ford F-150.

Are mpg simulare to gasoline?

On a bi-fuel vehicle, typically the mpg is a little less on CNG. Only by a couple of miles per gallon. For example, I typically get 30 mpg on gasoline and 27 mpg on CNG in my Cavalier.

[danderson]

Re: new to cng

Thanks for the quick answers. This is a great forum.

My next question is size of tanks. My work is 40 miles one way in the opposite direction of my source for fuel in Miami OK.
At 32 present mPG on the Sub I would have to refill twice in a week.
Are there tanks that would hold enough fuel for refilling just once per week? (400 plus miles). I assume it would have to go in the trunk of the Impreza.

Since it seems to be legal to convert my 95 vehicle w/o ep certification, can someone give me some contacts for doing the conversion?

Thanks much.

[CNG MOTORS]

Re: new to cng

You can add as many tanks as you want for added range keep in mind you will be losing storage and adding weight to the car. I do believe DOT limits passenger vehicles to no more than 100 gallons on board of any type of fuel.

[danderson]

Re: new to cng

I asked a question a couple days ago and got no response. To elaborate
On my 95 Subaru Impreza: Can I buy a coversion kit and have it installed locally? Since it is pre OBDII this is legal, right. Any sources please share.

Thx