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News from the roadway:
The Current 'Clean Car' Scorecard
Our 'clean car' road tester, Alan Richardson, decided to purchase and drive a Honda Civic
GX fueled by natural gas to lessen his impact on the environment. These scorecards track
the running total of the economic and environmental consequences of his decision.
The current scorecard
By Alan Richardson
Summer 2008
Period covered: Purchase date (18 October 2000) to
18 June 2008
| Distance driven: |
113,539 miles |
| Fuel purchased: |
3459 gallons gasoline equivalent (GGE) |
| Fuel economy: |
32.8 miles/GGE |
| Fuel cost of CNG used: |
$4263 |
| Average fuel cost: |
$1.23 per GGE |
| Cost economy: |
26.6 miles per dollar |
| Savings over gasoline: |
$2,633 |
| Economic payback mileage*: |
79,268 miles |
| Economic payback date*: |
11 June 2006 (Payback complete!) |
* Payback of $4500 purchase premium for natural gas fuel option reduced by $2000 Clean Cities rebate and $2000 federal income deduction at 28% marginal tax rate.
The environmental impact:
Estimated exhaust emissions of different passenger vehicles driven 91,029 miles (in pounds)
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Average car |
California LEV** |
Civic GX |
| Hydrocarbons |
700 |
18.8 |
0.75 |
| Carbon Monoxide |
5227 |
850 |
40.00 |
| Oxides of nitrogen |
348 |
50.0 |
5.00 |
| Total |
6275 |
918 |
45.75 |
** This estimate is based on the standards for a 'Low
Emission Vehicle' passenger car required by California starting in 2001.
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