IR-2007-181, Oct. 31, 2007
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has acknowledged the certification by American Honda Motor Company, Inc., that its Honda Civic GX Model Year 2008 vehicle meets the requirements of the Qualified Alternative Fuel Motor Vehicle Credit.
The Qualified Alternative Fuel Motor Vehicle Credit was enacted by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. To qualify these vehicles can operate only on alternative fuels or mixed fuels (a combination of alternative fuel and petroleum based fuel). The 2008 Honda Civic GX is an alternative fueled vehicle that operates on compressed natural gas. This vehicle should not be confused with hybrid vehicles.
The Qualified Alternative Fuel Motor Vehicle Credit amount for the Honda Civic GX Model Year 2008 is $4,000.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Greenest and meanest vehicles
| Make and Model | Specifications¹ | Fuel Econ. City | Fuel Econ. Highway | Green Score |
| Honda Civic GX | 1.8L 4, auto [CNG]2 | 28 | 39 | 57 |
| Toyota Prius | 1.5L 4, auto CVT | 60 | 51 | 55 |
| Honda Civic Hybrid | 1.3L 4, auto CVT | 49 | 51 | 53 |
| Nissan Altima Hybrid | 2.5L 4, auto CVT | 42 | 36 | 48 |
| Toyota Yaris | 1.5L 4, manual | 34 | 40 | 47 |
| Toyota Corolla | 1.8L 4, manual | 32 | 41 | 46 |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid | 2.4L 4, auto CVT | 40 | 38 | 46 |
| Honda Fit | 1.5L 4, manual | 33 | 38 | 45 |
| Kia Rio | 1.6L 4, manual | 32 | 35 | 45 |
| Hyundai Accent | 1.6L 4, manual | 32 | 35 | 45 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 2.0L 4, auto | 28 | 36 | 45 |
| Honda Civic | 1.8L 4, auto | 30 | 40 | 44 |
How Green is Your Machine?
Are you thinking about buying a new car? Check out the rankings of the greenest and meanest cars on MSNBC.com. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy ranked the "greenest" and "meanest" 2007 cars based on fuel economy and emissions -- as well as the estimated impact of those emissions on health and global warming. Surprisingly, the Toyota Prius did not come in first. The Honda Civic GX came in first and the Volkswagon Touareg came in last as the meanest car on the road, even meaner than a Lamborghini Murcielago, a Maybach, and a Bentley (according to this study.)
The Civic GX NGV: looks like a Civic, drives like a Civic, and runs on clean, domestic natural gas.
The Civic GX NGV: looks like a Civic, drives like a Civic, and runs on clean, domestic natural gas.
GNG Civic: Dealers Sold Out as Gasoline Prices Rise
NGV sticker on the rear flank tells world the Honda Givic GX uses natural gas.
It's been a step-child of the green car movement for a decade now, but Honda's Civic GX is finally getting some notice.
As gasoline prices soar, demand for the company's natural-gas powered emissions fighter is soaring too.
Dealers are actually building waiting lists in California and New York, the two states where the car is sold to regular consumers.
Allocations are sold out through June, and Honda is considering nearly doubling production to 2,000 a year, with the possibility of an even bigger boost if market demand continues to build, a company insider said.
Those aren't earth-shaking numbers, but they reflect quite a jump from the GX's first eight years on the market, when sales averaged a mere 698 cars a year.
They're even more impressive when you consider that the GX gets the same mileage as the comparable base Civic LX with the gasoline version of the 1.8-liter engine yet has less power; fewer amenities,and costs almost $7,500 more.
While federal and local tax credits and incentives can drop the cost by as much as $6,000, only major aftermarket work – and expense –can make the GX more luxurious or give it more oomph – it is rated at 113 horsepower and 109 pound-feet of torque, versus the standard gas engine's 140 horses and 128 lb.-ft. rating.
The GX magic is that its compressed natural gas fuel costs substantially less per gallon than that other stuff . It's about 50 cents cheaper in California and sells for as low as 63 cents a gallon-equivalent in Utah, where natural gas is heavily subsidized. (Honda sells the GX to fleets but not individual consumers in Utah but may be eyeing the state for expanded sales soon.)
The cars also qualify in California and several other states for single-occupancy carpool lane stickers.
And – although Honda says this is not the principal reason people buy them – GXs are the cleanest internal combustion passenger cars sold in the U.S., thanks to CNG's lower carbon content
While its not all that easy to find – there are only 180 CNG stations in all of California, the main market for the Civic GX -- natural gas is relatively plentiful in major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, where the GX makes sense as a commuter car.
GX owners who want to spend the money – about $6,000 before any applicable local and federal incentives, can also buy home natural gas units that can mount in the garage and provide about half a tank of compressed fuel overnight as a price of about $2 per gallon. That's good for about 110 miles of travel.
From the GX's launch in 1998 through the end of a shortened 2006 model year, Honda sold only 5,586 of the cars in the U.S.
Almost all the sales were to fleet operators – government agencies and private companies that got big tax benefits from using alternatively fueled vehicles.
But Honda sold 1,030 GX models in the 2007 model year, though, and halfway through the '08 model year almost 750 of the cars have been sold with the annual tally expected to hit 1,200, said company spokesman Todd Mittleman.
And while fleets are still big buyers, more than half the cars sold so far this model year have gone to individuals, he said.
"It used to be that the main reason people bought them was for the carpool sticker," said Mittleman. But Honda's consumer research shows that fuel prices are the top reason these days.
Whatever works, it's nice to see a clean, green car in demand.
It's been a step-child of the green car movement for a decade now, but Honda's Civic GX is finally getting some notice.
As gasoline prices soar, demand for the company's natural-gas powered emissions fighter is soaring too.
Dealers are actually building waiting lists in California and New York, the two states where the car is sold to regular consumers.
Allocations are sold out through June, and Honda is considering nearly doubling production to 2,000 a year, with the possibility of an even bigger boost if market demand continues to build, a company insider said.
Those aren't earth-shaking numbers, but they reflect quite a jump from the GX's first eight years on the market, when sales averaged a mere 698 cars a year.
They're even more impressive when you consider that the GX gets the same mileage as the comparable base Civic LX with the gasoline version of the 1.8-liter engine yet has less power; fewer amenities,and costs almost $7,500 more.
While federal and local tax credits and incentives can drop the cost by as much as $6,000, only major aftermarket work – and expense –can make the GX more luxurious or give it more oomph – it is rated at 113 horsepower and 109 pound-feet of torque, versus the standard gas engine's 140 horses and 128 lb.-ft. rating.
The GX magic is that its compressed natural gas fuel costs substantially less per gallon than that other stuff . It's about 50 cents cheaper in California and sells for as low as 63 cents a gallon-equivalent in Utah, where natural gas is heavily subsidized. (Honda sells the GX to fleets but not individual consumers in Utah but may be eyeing the state for expanded sales soon.)
The cars also qualify in California and several other states for single-occupancy carpool lane stickers.
And – although Honda says this is not the principal reason people buy them – GXs are the cleanest internal combustion passenger cars sold in the U.S., thanks to CNG's lower carbon content
While its not all that easy to find – there are only 180 CNG stations in all of California, the main market for the Civic GX -- natural gas is relatively plentiful in major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, where the GX makes sense as a commuter car.
GX owners who want to spend the money – about $6,000 before any applicable local and federal incentives, can also buy home natural gas units that can mount in the garage and provide about half a tank of compressed fuel overnight as a price of about $2 per gallon. That's good for about 110 miles of travel.
From the GX's launch in 1998 through the end of a shortened 2006 model year, Honda sold only 5,586 of the cars in the U.S.
Almost all the sales were to fleet operators – government agencies and private companies that got big tax benefits from using alternatively fueled vehicles.
But Honda sold 1,030 GX models in the 2007 model year, though, and halfway through the '08 model year almost 750 of the cars have been sold with the annual tally expected to hit 1,200, said company spokesman Todd Mittleman.
And while fleets are still big buyers, more than half the cars sold so far this model year have gone to individuals, he said.
"It used to be that the main reason people bought them was for the carpool sticker," said Mittleman. But Honda's consumer research shows that fuel prices are the top reason these days.
Whatever works, it's nice to see a clean, green car in demand.
Greenest Vehicle Not a Hybrid
If you want to drive the vehicle that is the best for the environment, don't buy a hybrid. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's list of green and mean vehicles put the Honda Civic GX natural gas-powered vehicle at the top of the list. The Civic GX has ranked highest several times before for burning cleaner than any non-electric vehicle on the road.
Honda Civic GX sold out at dealers until June
You might not know it, but the Honda Civic GX is immensely popular these days. You couldn’t get one of these compressed natural gas-powered cars is you wanted one, according to Green Car Advisor over at Edmonds. The best you could do is put their name on a waiting list that currently will get you a GX around June...
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Cevennes CNG Roadster, Oh My!
Cevennes CNG Roadster, Oh My!
By John O'Dell
We drive a Honda Civic GX on our daily commute most days. That's 58 miles one-way on jammed-up Southern California freeways. It's a pretty dull drive, in a pretty plain-vanilla car whose redeeming virtues are that it, so far, ...
Green Car Advisor - http://blogs.edmunds.com/GreenCarAdvisor/
The Natural Gas Option
By Geoffrey Styles(Geoffrey Styles)
Although the EPA estimates that the equivalent fuel economy of the Civic GX is about the same a gasoline-powered four-cylinder Civic, its calculated annual fuel cost comes in $658 lower. Unfortunately, it would take just over ten years ...
Energy Outlook - http://energyoutlook.blogspot.com/
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