Eaton, GE Working On Affordable CNG Home Refueling Stations

America may be the world's up-and-c0ming natural gas producer, but if you have a car powered by CNG, good luck finding a station. CNG terminals are thin on the ground in certain parts of the country, and half of them are closed to the public. While Honda was formerly in partnership with a home refueling station company, the history of the unit, known as the "Phill" has been rocky, and the system has largely disappeared from the spotlight. Just-Auto is reporting that the Phill won't be the sole contender for much longer – Eaton, a major automotive supplier, is apparently working on a lower-cost home refueling station - with a target price of around $500 (versus $4,500 for the Phill). General Electric is also getting into the act, with their own low-cost charger program and a promising new technology, known as CNG In A Box, which takes natural gas from a pipeline and compresses it on-site at an industrial location or at a traditional automotive refilling station to then turns it into CNG, making it faster, easier and less expensive for users to fuel up natural gas vehicles. Natural gas prices may be the big variable here. Prices can't stay at record lows forever, but as long as they stay low enough to make it a viable fueling option, expect to see the disciples of T. Boone Pickens making a big push. Eaton's own system isn't expected to come out until 2015 – who knows what could happen in three years? from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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