How My CNG Car Saved My Pocketbook

By Melanie Henage

Have you noticed how gas prices keep going through a yo-yo effect, but the trend just keeps getting more expensive. If you remember 2008, gas prices were on average at $3 a gallon at the beginning of the year and jumped to over $4.5 a gallon through the summer. The increases in gas prices was taking a big toll on many of my friends and families wallets. But not mine, I purchased a CNG Car (compressed natural gas) that not only saves a load of money (only an average of $0.75 a gallon equivalent through 2008) but is far and beyond a cleaner solution for the environment.

While others were conserving their miles, my husband and I took several trips during the summer months. We traveled to Vegas, many national parks and even to LA from our home in the Utah area. Just about any direction we go, we can find inexpensive and clean natural gas for our CNG Car. One round trip was when we went from Provo, UT to Vegas which totaled 720 miles. If we took a regular gas car it would have cost us $120, but instead it only cost us $30. That's $90 that we saved, and who couldn't use an extra $90 on a trip to Vegas.

As the fall of 2008 approached, gas prices were still enormously high. Funds were looking slim as my husband and I started our semester of college. With my husband starting his own businesses, and me doing my student teaching and not working, neither one of us would be making much income for the upcoming semester. On top of everything else, gas prices were at their record high, and I would be driving 30 miles to and from my school for student teaching. Our saving grace at this time " our CNG car. It's not a Ferrari or Mercedes, but it became our star commuter car. While other classmates carpooled to their schools, having to wait for each other and coordinate schedules, I enjoyed driving myself and going where I wanted, whenever I wanted.

As everyone else griped and groaned about the outrageous gas prices I was celebrating my 79 cent gallon equivalent gas prices. Plus, with 2 easily accessible gas stations on my commute, it was easy to keep a full tank of gas. Instead of paying $200 a month for gas we were paying $40, which came in really nice considering our circumstances.

It's hard for us to pay for regular gas when it costs so much more than natural gas. I keep questioning " why don't more people look for and purchase natural gas vehicles so they can be saving so much money on gas prices? It's one less expense that we love not having to worry about. - 21393

About the Author:

I've owned a CNG car for a couple years now, my husband's family has owned them for much longer. There are many different ways to go about purchasing CNG cars. There are used and new cars, you can also get your current car converted (costs around $6K). Also, coming the alternative fuel market soon is the American Roadster, it get 70 mpg and runs on CNG. Reserve it soon though.