Apr
19

Trip prep continues… one month to go!

2 Comments

Part of planning a CNG road trip involves lots of time on the phone, calling CNG stations along my route to verify I will be able to refuel there, hanging up and then calling again a week later to verify the same thing all over again. While calling gas stations ahead of time is certainly not your your typical road trip planning exercise, I am hearing great stories and making friends already! Everyone has been so helpful, and I really appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm and support.

In addition to calling stations, I have been reaching out to various individuals, companies and facilities along my route who would be willing to chat with me about their experiences, good and bad. One of the great stories I have come across so far comes from two self-proclaimed “knuckleheads” in Birmingham, AL. To learn more about their decision to convert their airport shuttle business to run on CNG and their later decision to plan a road trip of their own on Route 66 check out their website. And make sure to follow my blog when the trip starts as I will be telling their story and many others!

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2 Comments Posted by Castlen

2 Responses to "Trip prep continues… one month to go!"

  • Melissa Lott says:
    April 19, 2010 at 9:25 pm

    Is this just a matter of verifying that these aren't private pumps (for instance, only for city-owned buses)? Or do they require special permits for you to fill-up at their station? I imagine that safety concerns with filling your car with natural gas are similar (or less?) than for gasoline. Are any of the CNG stations home to 24-hour pumps (where you can just swipe your credit card if you roll up at 1am and the attendant isn't there)?

    Good luck with your planning!

  • Castlen says:
    April 19, 2010 at 9:49 pm

    Yes, some stations are private. The other concern I have is wanting to make absolutely certain they accept MC/Visa. Some only take certain forms of payment, like a Fuelman card or a specific card issued by the operator. My decision to annoy the station operators by calling multiple times is also a matter of me just being overly cautious! And to answer your other question, some are 24 hours. The Clean Energy station in Houston for example is an unmanned facility with a credit card pump, and you can fill up whenever you like. There are, however, several stations with specific hours. This is particularly common for city-run stations. Some of those are only open M-F during business hours. I have been using a great website, http://www.cngprices.com, which has a great map application for finding stations. It also allows users to post comments about the stations such as the current price, their hours, form of payment accepted and pump pressure. It's great.

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