Tanks For The Savings
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday August 9, 2008
AUSTRALIAN car buyers could soon be driving clean-burning cars that are cheap to run and can be refilled at home - and chances are it will sport a Honda badge.
The Japanese maker is investigating bringing a version of its Civic small sedan into Australia that is tuned to run on compressed natural gas.Australia's natural gas reserves are estimated at 4000 billion cubic metres. Last week, oil companies gained approval to develop a $1.4 billion gas field east of Melbourne, expected to yield 20 years' supply. Honda builds a gas-powered version of the Civic, called the GX, which is sold in the US. Its engine is a modified 1.8-litre four-cylinder that produces 84kW of power compared with the petrol engine's 104kW, and 148Nm of torque, down from 173Nm.The GX uses about 9.0 litres/100 kilometres on a city cycle, dropping to 6.5L/100km on a highway cycle - about the same as its petrol-engine equivalent. CNG is also cleaner-burning than petrol, meaning fewer harmful emissions.The big benefit to buyers, however, is in how much it costs to fuel the CNG-powered car, estimated by some US Government agencies to be up to 30 per cent lower than its petrol equivalent, making it cheaper to run than even the hybrid Civic (pictured).Honda Australia spokesman Mark Higgins says the Japanese maker's US arm has done all the research and there is no right-hand-drive version available yet.Another problem facing car makers is the quality of natural gas, he says. Gas from one field burns slightly differently to that from another, so a car's performance will vary. A car filling in Sydney would perform slightly differently once it travels to Melbourne and tops up its tank.Honda would also need to make sure a CNG-powered Civic complies with Australian design rules, he says.In the US, the GX attracts a $US2000 premium over the hybrid model, which is priced at $US32,990 ($36,150), making it the most expensive variant and a niche player. Higgins says it would be difficult to say whether the GX would be more expensive here. "You'd certainly get your benefit back in your refuelling costs."
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald