Honda is just starting to make the Civic NGV available in California and New York, and given its environmental and economical superiority, it should be a success. Based on the Civic LX, the natural gas-powered Civic NGV comes standard with an automatic transmission. The EPA has already rated the NGV as getting the equivalent of 28mpg city/39mpg highway, which is only a little inferior to the standard Civic's 30mpg city/40mpg highway. Because natural gas refueling stations aren't common, Honda also displays Phill, a home natural gas refueling station made by Fuelmaker Corporation. This unit taps into residential natural gas lines and automatically shuts off when it senses a full tank. Currently, natural gas is much less expensive than gasoline, so why doesn't everyone have a natural gas car? Honda has been pioneering alternative fuels, even leasing out its FCX fuel-cell vehicle to private parties. Other carmakers may follow in Honda's steps if it is successful. However, natural gas is cheap only because it's not in high demand. Prices have been known to spike during harsh winters because it's also used for home heating. Although the Natural Gas Supply Association claims North America has more than a 100 years' supply at current rates of consumption, that number would go down drastically if all cars ran on natural gas.
