Honda is offering a new sweetener to US customers of the 2012 Civic Natural Gas model. Buyers of the CNG model will be offered a debit card pre-loaded with US$3,000 that can be used at Clean Energy CNG fuelling stations across the country to purchase fuel. California customers have the added benefit of using the High Occupancy Vehicle ‘carpool’ lanes even when driven by a single occupant, through 1 January 2015.
The Civic Natural Gas has a combined EPA fuel economy rating of 31mpg and Honda claims its can save up to 40% in fuel costs compared to a traditional gasoline compact car. The average price of natural gas fuel for vehicles in the US in July was US$2.05 per equivalent gasoline gallon, according to the Department of Energy, Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price report on fuel prices.
“Drivers have increasingly seen a greater percentage of their dollars going down their car’s gasoline tanks,” said Peter Grace, Senior Vice President of Clean Energy for sales. “For the average driver, the US$3,000 Clean Energy fuel card provided by Honda will translate into two to three years of not paying for fuel. The significant cost savings, positive environmental benefits and access to car pool lanes will make new Civic Natural Gas Vehicle owners the envy of the road.”
CNG has attracted support in the US in part because it is sourced locally – 98% of the natural gas used in North America comes from North America. Honda’s Civic Natural Gas Vehicle is currently the only OEM produced natural-gas powered passenger car in the US. It is made at Honda’s Greensburg, Indiana plant. The 2012 model arrived on the market in October 2011 and has been well received. However, competition is heating up. Chrysler is launching the Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG, its first compressed natural gas model in the US, and GM will introduce the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra models with bi-fuel engines capable of operating on either gasoline or CNG before the end of the year.
“With gas prices spiking in California, Civic Natural Gas vehicles sales at an all time high, and the public gaining greater awareness of the benefits of using natural gas, we believe this a great time to launch our fuel card promotion with our partner Clean Energy,” commented Steve Center, Vice President of the American Honda Environmental Business Development Office.
