Honda has announced a new Civic for 2008 that runs on compressed natural gas, making it nearly free of harmful emissions. The California Air Resources Board calls the GX an Advanced Technology Partial-Zero- Emission Vehicle, while the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy gave the 2007 GX a high score as one of the 2007 Greenest Vehicles. Honda claims the technology and learning from the GX will help make fuel-cell technology available sooner.
Honda says the Civic GX NGV engine produces almost no emissions: “The amount of smog-forming emissions is near zero. In fact, the GX is the cleanest-burning internal-combustion vehicle in the world.”
Honda is also marketing the “Phill,” a compact unit manufactured by FuelMaker, that can be easily installed at one’s home, connected to the home natural gas line.
Honda says the GX can run 220-250 miles on a tank, which ought to be good enough for most commuters. (The EPA says the GX will run about 170 miles on a tank of natural gas, according to Honda’s website. The discrepancy isn’t explained, though it may be that EPA is looking at city-traffic mileage while Honda’s numbers reflect higher highway mileage.)
Refueling the GX may take up to 16 hours if the tank is virtually empty, which seems a little long if you get home at 6 p.m. and leave for work at 6 a.m. the next day - so Civic GX NGV drivers are advised to not let it get too close to empty before refilling.
Honda notes that there are “numerous fast-fill compressed natural gas stations throughout California” where a GX driver can “refuel in mere minutes.” Honda’s website notes that he California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition web site “has a complete list of locations.” I’m guessing from that information that the Honda Civic GX NGV is slated initially to be sold only inside California, although there are natural-gas refueling stations in many other parts of the country as well.
