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Living With Your Alternative-Fuel Vehicle

What it's like to drive an unconventional vehicle everyday

Back in the 1950s, drivers of tiny imported cars often encountered derisive glares from pilots of domestic V-8 land yachts. A few years ago, the buyer of an alternative-fuel vehicle might have faced similar reactions. Today, their owners are more likely to be viewed as sensible visionaries.

Why consider alternative fuels? Saving money is a major motivator. Some fuels yield greater economy than gasoline and they can reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Environmentally minded drivers like the potential for lowered emissions, combined with reduced fuel usage.

Driving Ease

Although most alternative-fuel vehicles drive much like conventional gasoline models, others demand changes in motoring habits and expectations. For alternative-fuel vehicles to gain widespread acceptance, the driver should be only minimally aware that it's not a conventional automobile.

"There's no user training" needed for a hybrid, says Stephen Ellis, manager of fuel cell vehicle marketing for Honda. Drivers of natural gas and fuel cell vehicles, however, must be re-educated.

Flex-fuel vehicles that run on ethanol blends differ the least from conventional combustion vehicles. In fact, many of their owners are probably unaware that an E85 blend can be used as a substitute for gasoline. Driving a diesel differs only slightly from gasoline engines, less than in the past. You're most likely to realize the differences in natural gas and propane vehicles at fill-up time, since they use gases rather than liquids.

Performance Shortfalls

Because some alternative fuels have less energy content than gasoline, performance might lag, but typically not by much. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, performance from a CNG (compressed natural gas) vehicle is "comparable" to a gasoline equivalent. The difference with ethanol is negligible. Some diesel engines produce higher torque than their gasoline counterparts, and could therefore be marginally quicker in acceleration.

Toyota and Lexus have been focusing on performance more than economy with their latest hybrid SUVs. They've "given the performance-oriented driver another option," said Ron Cogan, editor/publisher of Green Car Journal.

Range Limitations

Restricted range is what's kept electric vehicles from succeeding. Hybrid powertrains sell well because range on battery power isn't an issue with a gasoline engine on tap. Lower energy content of such fuels as propane however does translate to shorter range. Honda's natural gas Civic GX can travel only 200 to 225 miles before its tank must be refilled.

Savings and Costs

While basic fuel costs might beat those of gasoline, especially if prices of the latter start skyrocketing again, buying an alternative-fuel vehicle strictly as a money-saving measure could be wishful thinking. Even if the fuel itself costs less, don't expect to save enough to offset the additional cost of purchasing the vehicle, compared to a gas-engine model. Information on maintenance and operating costs for specific alternative fuels can be obtained from the U.S. Department of Energy (www.doe.gov).

Fuel Availability

No alternative fuel is as readily available as gasoline. Diesel fuel, mainly because trucks use it, is currently available at about one-third of stations nationwide, especially along highways. Natural gas may be found at several thousand stations. Availability is "very regional," said Honda's Ellis.

Somewhere between 200 and 500 stations, mainly in the Midwest, offer ethanol. Biodiesel is still scarce at this point. All states have publicly accessible propane fueling stations, but most sources emphasize refilling home tanks for barbecues and the like.

Vehicle Price and Resale Value

Alternative-fuel vehicles typically cost extra. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the natural gas Honda Civic GX has an incremental cost of $4,500. That's tough to overcome even with its EPA estimate of 30 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. Hybrids also cost more than comparable gasoline-engine models.

Hybrids promise high trade-in values. Some secondhand models have sold for more than they cost when new. For other vehicles, don't expect to recoup the extra cost when resale day rolls around. "Dedicated" alternative-fuel vehicles can bring up to 60 percent less than comparable gasoline models, according to the DOE. For flex-fuel vehicles, the difference is slight.

Tax Benefits

Starting January 1, 2006, a $4,500 tax credit (not a deduction) is available for natural gas vehicles. Final figures have not yet been established by the IRS, but credits for hybrids will run from about $1,700 to $3,000, based on the fuel savings they provide.

Foreseeing the Future

When Honda unveiled its FCX, no one knew when fuel-cell vehicles that operate from hydrogen would become reality for regular driving. They still don't. In a 2003 test-drive, the FCX drove much like any small wagon. If hydrogen wasn't mentioned, many drivers wouldn't even realize the FXC was radically different. Acceleration was surprisingly brisk, even on rather steep inclines. Only a mild whine during acceleration was noticeable. Since then, it's been given "more power output, greater efficiency, and greater range," said Honda's Ellis. Unlike early models, the FCX now has sub-freezing temperature capability. Honda currently has 20 FCX cars in day-to-day operation.

Honda's latest fuel-cell vehicle delivery went to a retail customer. Jon and Sandy Spallino, who leased their FCX, live in Torrance, California, near Honda's headquarters. Jon has a 35-mile daily commute and previously drove a natural gas Civic GX. Natural gas vehicle drivers are "like an apprentice for fuel-cell vehicles," Ellis said. They're accustomed to limited fuel networks, restricted ranges, and other limitations. After seven years of availability to fleets, the natural-gas Civic GX recently went on sale to retail customers in California. Honda also markets a wall-mounted home fueling station, dubbed Phill.

Looking Ahead

Could a completely different fuel source emerge one day? Or, could a breakthrough occur in one of the existing possibilities? "Never discount surprises," publisher Cogan advises. Even a viable full-electric vehicle is still possible "if we get a decent battery." There's "a lot of real effort by automakers."