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This couple fuels up Honda at home Medford residents' 1999 Civic runs on natural gas, but the scarcity of fueling stations can become a handicap on road trips By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune When hospice nurse Barbara Thornson wants to fill up her car, she doesn't turn into the nearest gas station. Instead, she pulls into her Medford driveway and hooks up her 1999 Honda Civic to a natural gas compressor attached to their domestic gas line. "I plug it in about every other day, maybe every third day, depending on how much I drive," the registered nurse said. "I've gone to Glendale and Cave Junction in this." She and her husband, Neil, a financial analyst for Avista Utilities, own what they believe is the only private vehicle of its type in the region: a natural-gas-powered car they can refuel at home. "We're sort of pioneers," he said. But being on the front line can be a challenge, he acknowledged. "There isn't a gas station on every street corner for this," he said. "We can get fuel in Roseburg and Klamath (Falls). Going farther north we can get it in Salem and Portland. "Going south is a little more difficult," he added. "We have to go clear to Redding." That is a concern, his wife agreed. "My only complaint is that I wish I could go farther,' she said. "I'd like to go down to Reno in it sometime." She first drove one while attending a conference in Washington, D.C., about three years ago. She was hooked. So was her husband, who has been involved with the Rogue Valley Clean Cities Coalition, which promotes energy independence and alternative fuel vehicles. Eighteen months and 27,000 miles ago they bought the car in Portland. With various rebates, they figure they paid about $4,000 less than a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle. The vehicle, which runs exclusively on natural gas, has a pressurized tank that holds the equivalent of eight gallons of regular gasoline. The compressor in their driveway fills it at the rate of about a gallon and a half an hour. The fuel hose has a typical connector found on most compressors. The cylinder fuel tank can be filled to 3,600 pounds but the home compressor can only fill to about 3,000 pounds. "It takes a few hours but if we need a quick fill we can go over to the bus station or to the Jackson County facility," he said. The vehicle gets the equivalent of roughly 33 miles per gallon. That's about 33 miles per 126 cubic feet of gas. "The cost right now is about even with gasoline - about $1.15 per gallon equivalent," he said, although noting the natural gas price has been less than gasoline. According to his research, the Honda Civic GX powered by natural gas is the lowest polluting internal combustion car in existence. "Look at the tailpipe," he said as he stuck his forefinger into the pipe. "Look a that. Nothing in there." His finger came out without the usual black smudge. Clean as a whistle. "One thing you have to watch on natural gas rigs are the spark plugs," he said. "You have to keep the ignition system in good condition because natural gas has a higher ignition temperature. "If your spark plugs begin to fail, you'll notice it," he said of a power loss. Yet the oil remains much cleaner than that found in a comparable gasoline engine with similar mileage, he said. As evidence, he pulled up the dipstick to reveal oil the color of golden syrup. "That's after 3,000 miles since the last oil change," he said. "It doesn't carbon up because there isn't much carbon in the fuel." Thornson, 43, who has been driving regular gas guzzlers for a quarter of a century, has had a lifelong love of tinkering with cars. The Thornsons own a couple of other vehicles, including a motorcycle, that are all powered by traditional gasoline. "But I know we need to get in a position so we're not so dependent on fossil fuel," he said. "I know we will go through some hybrids and other alternative fuels. "They haven't gotten there yet but I think the next thing they are going to make is a hybrid between gasoline and natural gas," he added. "Not only would you get the incredible mileage but also the low emissions and the other advantages." In the meantime, the Thornsons will keep filling up in their driveway. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.