To CNG or not to CNG
AlternativesCompressed Natural Gas may be coming to a fuel pump next door

Will your next car be powered by natural gas?

That’s up to you.

More and more people are making that choice, proponents of using the fuel to power our nation’s transportation system say. "Business is booming,” said Tom Sewell, president of Tulsa Gas Technologies.

Before 2005 and the arrival of Hurricane Katrina, there was steady business for the company, particularly in parts of the world outside the U.S., where using natural gas to power vehicles is a way of life. Since then, though, "our phones have been ringing non-stop” from potential U.S. customers who worry about escalating prices for gasoline and diesel fuels, Sewell said.

"Even today, with those fuels getting cheaper, everyone still knows that something simple like a misspoken word in the news or a terrorist attack or a weather event can make fuel costs go up overnight,” he said.

"And natural gas is just not as volatile as the oil market can be. We have tremendous reserves, just look at what Chesapeake’s booked alone.”

Sewell’s Tulsa Gas Technologies has built fueling systems around the world, including one that handles 8,500 buses a day in New Delhi, India. The use of natural gas to power vehicles — even privately-owned ones — is widespread in Iran, in Venezuela, in Bolivia and in Columbia, he said.

"Those governments are making people go to natural gas. That’s because every gallon of gasoline they can’t use is a gallon of gasoline they can’t sell. Here, our government just offers incentives for you to go to using alternative fuels.”

Public access

There are seven public-access stations where Oklahoma City area motorists can fuel up on natural gas, and numerous others that are private but can be used if you call ahead and make arrangements.

Public stations in the city area are at Oklahoma Natural Gas offices in Guthrie, Mustang, Norman, Oklahoma City and Shawnee. A commercial station operated by Red Rock Petroleum is at 7 NE 50, and Clean Energy Fuels is building another station at Will Rogers World Airport. It should be open by the end of this year.

Statewide, there are 32 stations.

Fueling at home

Nearly everyone who is buying a natural gas powered car is putting a fueling station at their homes. Markwayne Mullin, owner of Mullin Plumbing in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, said his company puts in about two home fueling stations a month for Tulsa Gas Technologies customers. There was more work earlier this year, when gasoline prices were approaching $4 a gallon, Mullin said.

The cost to install a home fueling station can range from $250 to $2,000, depending on locations of home gas meters and where the fueling stations are located. The job typically can be done in less than a day, he said.

---

Leave a Comment

Business Photo Galleriesview all