"Affordable home refueling is the missing link to public adoption of natural gas vehicles in far greater numbers," said Curtis Martin, program director of the government-funded Clean Cities Coalition in Antelope Valley, California.
That may soon change. As the U.S. natural as drilling boom pushes output to record highs and promises sustained lower prices,General Electric Co,Whirlpool Corp,Eaton Corp and others are developing more affordable home refueling systems. For about a tenth of the price of current models, plus installation, they aim to sell the new units to the millions of homes across America already hooked up to natural gas supplies.
At the same time, energy providers in Georgia, California and Utah are in talks about distributing new refueling units when they become available in the next two years, according to interviews with industry executives, aiming to stimulate natural gas demand. Honda Motor Co Ltd, which makes one of the only natural gas passenger cars sold in the United States, has also expressed interest .
Still home filling units are to expensive,held back by the upfront expense of buying and installing new units, and a lack of natural gas cars. The cars themselves generally cost about $10,000 more than comparable conventional vehicles.
"Affordable home refueling is the missing link to public adoption of natural gas vehicles in far greater numbers," said Curtis Martin, program director of the government-funded Clean Cities Coalition in Antelope Valley, California.
That may soon change. As the U.S. natural gas drilling boom pushes output to record highs and promises sustained lower prices, General Electric Corp,Whirlpool Corp., Eaton Corp and others are developing more affordable home refueling systems. For about a tenth of the price of current models, plus installation, they aim to sell the new units to the millions of homes across America already hooked up to natural gas supplies.
Source: Reuters
