The Honda Civic Goes All-Natural Gas

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Honda unveiled their all new 2012 Civic – it’s the first Honda to run on natural gas. The car has already reaped accolades. The EPA awarded it the 2012 green car of the year. Natural gas burns cleaner than gasoline.

I asked Monica Valerio, a employee at norm reeves Honda in Cerritos what is special about a natural gas car.

"Depending on how you drive, you can get up to about a 250 mile range and it’s a lot cheaper to fill up depending on where you go exactly. I've heard people say they spend between 12 and 17 dollars to fill up their tank.”

With a fuel economy of 48 miles per gallon, it blows past the competitors like the 2012 Toyota Camry in highway driving with 35 miles per gallon. Its drawback is that it can only be filled at a CNG (Civic Natural Gas) station and most drivers have no idea where they are.

When I asked some passerby what they thought about the natural gas civic, their reactions were not positive.

Among the responses I received:

“I have no idea where to buy natural gas.”

“I know a company who used to convert cars from gas to natural gas and they just didn't go very far so I wouldn't be interested in this.”

“Probably not i don't know enough about it and i want an electric car.”

“Uh I'd have to really understand the availability of it. I don't know enough about it.”

“Oh I'm totally interested in it that's why I'm looking at it. Then make sure there are enough rebates to make it worth your while.”

The cost of a Honda Civic is about $29,000 compared to the Toyota Prius which starts at about $23,500.

Another concern was about the size of the trunk.

"It's exactly like a Honda Civic. The only main difference is, well besides it's a natural gas vehicle, is that the trunk is way smaller to have the propane tank."

From the reaction so far at the auto show, Honda is going to have to do a lot more to market its new Civic – either that or create more CNG stations.