Guest Blog: Jay Marks Fuels Up with CNG
My second compressed natural gas fill-up allowed me to do some preliminary figuring in my alternative fuel test.
The price was right once again as I filled up Tuesday at the OnCue Express near the Capitol. My purchase of more than 6 gallons of CNG totaled only $8.85.
There is no way to complain about that, but I was a little puzzled when I started figuring our my gas mileage.
I didn’t write down the exact mileage number when I got a CNG fueling lesson Monday in Kingfisher, but I know about what it was.
I drove about 85 miles after leaving Kingfisher, meaning the 5.749 gallons of gasoline equivalent I bought at Love’s Country Store (for $8.04) got me about 14.8 miles a gallon.
That’s seemed a little low, given that the folks at Carter Chevrolet and OEM Systems in Okarche who loaned me the 2010 Tahoe I’m driving for the next two weeks told me CNG performs about the same as gasoline.
The Tahoe is supposed to get somewhere between 16 and 21 miles a gallon, so I was a little disappointed to get less than that in my first CNG-fueled outing.
It’s still too early to say how CNG stacks up against gasoline, as I’ve got about 10 days of driving left to do before my test is over.
I’ve heard a lot of questions about the cost of CNG vehicles, which is something I’m researching for a story in The Oklahoman on Sunday.
Please keep reading and sharing your questions on natural gas as a vehicle fuel.
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Comments
How much would the CNG cost if you filled up @ your House compared to the station and is there State and Federal Taxes in the Station CNG ?
Thanks Doug
I am curious how you would fill up at home. Residential gas lines operate at such a low pressure they would never work without substantial modification.
If the CNG does not do better than the gasoline version at least as to the cost per mile driven then I would consider it a complete waste.
I am only concerned about the cost savings, the green applications are of no consequence to me.
You can’t accurately figure fuel mileage with one tankful of cng. Temperature, pump pressure, altitude and other factors determine how much fuel you can get when you fill an empty tank. Also, how empty the tank was when you filled is a factor. You should keep a log and average the mileage over many fills to determine mileage.
Since I’ve concluded that electric vehicles won’t be practicle for a long while, I’m following you with great interest. I’d like more details on your vehicle. Does it run on both natural gas and gasoline? “Range” is an important topic. You’ve “filled up” twice in just a few days. That’s not a good sign. As you drive around are you always fretting about where you’ll find your next “fill up”? Do you have a list of filling stations you carry with you? Cost and convenience are foremost in my mind. Please give us more!
Thanks, Jim
Your gas mileage will vary depending on how you drive. I get 19 MPG in my Excursion and my husband is much less in his Expedition because of how he drives… Just sayin’ 
Trying to get the exact mileage on the CNG vehicle is a bit difficult due to the variation in fueling. For example, you may not have gotten a “full fill” (3600 psi) on your first filling, and you may have gotten the full fill on your second filling, which would appear you had used more fuel than you actually did. If you have a gauge available on your CNG tank to check your fill, it’s a better indicator than the CNG station. I think if you keep up with it over a week’s period, you should get a pretty accurate mpg over several fills. Also, there are several suppliers of CNG systems (and I admit my company is one of them)and you may not have the most quality system available which would affect your mileage.