CNG cars? If not now, when?

How much tribute did it take to satisfy the petroleum demigods last time you filled the belly of your steel horse?  $60, $80 or more like $100?  With the media blasting about new oil price hikes, it's painful every time, all the time.  With those crazy gasoline prices, why not pay more attention to the sweet and cheap compressed natural gas aka CNG?  According to Natural Gas Vehicles for America: 

Almost all – more than 98 percent -- of the natural gas consumed in the United States comes from North America. The vast majority of this – more than 85 percent – is produced in the United States, and the remaining supplies come by pipeline from Canada. A very small percentage – less than one percent – is imported from outside of North America.

In Europe alone, at the end of 2011, there were 1.6 million natural gas vehicles and 4,000 CNG refueling stations.  Even Pakistan beats US with its 2.74 million NGVs.  Not to mention South America and Asia. Compare that to very few CNG personal vehicles and stations in US.  Example: only 3 public CNG stations in Chicagoland.  

Source: http://www.ngvaeurope.eu

So far, the only dedicated CNG sedan available in USA is 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas.  The specs are great and the price is not unreachable (MSRP: $26,155 - $27,655).  See how it compares to 2012 Toyota Prius, the most successful hybrid ride.

Source: http://www.fueleconomy.gov

So why not convert your car into gasoline/CNG hybrid?  In Poland, you can convert your family sedan for about $1,600.  It takes a day and you receive an extra switch on your dashboard to toggle between gasoline and CNG.  

After contacting one of the very few conversion shops in Illinois, I was quoted $12,000 with $2,000 tax credit to convert Ford Fusion.  For that money, I could buy 2,469 gallons of gasoline ($4.05/gal) or drive 54,318 miles or 4 years (13,000 miles/year).  Wow.

With the gasoline prices eating up our wallets, prepare for the great battle of the oil and natural gas lobbies.  I wonder what our esteemed Congress Representatives will do to simplify our current laws to allow more CNG vehicles to hit the market.