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Alternative fuels find Utah fans

Jim Lear of Stansbury Park stops at a gas station on the corner of Redwood Road and North Temple to fill up on compressed natural gas. His environment-friendly Chevy Cavalier, which takes both natural gas and gasoline, is one of two that he owns. There are an estimated 7,621 alternative-fuel vehicle users in Utah.

By Kathy Gurchiek
The Salt Lake Tribune

http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Apr/04012004/business/152954.asp

Jim Lear feels a little smug when he fuels one of his two Chevy Cavaliers. Despite gasoline prices that AAA Utah said averaged a near-record $1.79 per gallon in the Salt Lake City-Ogden area Wednesday, Lear pays the equivalent of 91 cents per gallon of gasoline to fill his tank with compressed natural gas.

Alternative-fuel vehicles such as Lear’s emit few or no pollutants and offer consumers savings at the pump and in maintenance while getting mileage equivalent to gasoline-fueled vehicles’. Also, owners are eligible for a state tax credit for buying or converting a vehicle to clean fuel usage.

"It’s important that the public believe there are options to high [gasoline] prices," said Beverly Miller, Salt Lake Clean Cities Coalition director. The coalition, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, will present information on alternative fuel trends and technology at the Salt Lake City Main Library, 210 E. 400 South. The public can attend free panel discussions on the latest alternative-fuel models, incentives and fuel-cost savings, and on how to convert a vehicle for alternative-fuel use.

Lear is among an estimated 7,621 alternative-fuel vehicle users in Utah, according to 2003 U.S. Department of Energy statistics. However, those numbers do not mean owners are using only alternative fuels, said Bernell Loveridge, the Utah Energy Office’s program manager for alternative fuels and transportation.

In addition to the traditional natural-gas, propane or electricity-powered vehicles, automakers are rolling out models that can use both an ethanol blend called E85 — gasoline 85 percent or more of which is alcohol — or ordinary gasoline, Loveridge said. While E85 is an alternative clean fuel, only a few stations in Utah offer it, he said.

Vehicles can be powered also by methanol, denatured ethanol, liquefied petroleum gas, hydrogen, coal-derived liquid fuels, fuel from biological materials and nonsolar electric power, according to the Utah Energy Office. Some alternative-fuel vehicles use flex fuel, which allows them to run on gasoline or ethanol contained in one tank; some have a dedicated engine using only one type of fuel such as propane or natural gas; and some have bi-fuel engines that automatically convert to gasoline use when the natural-gas tank runs empty.

Lear’s two cars have bi-fuel engines, allowing him to drive farther than 500 miles before he has to refuel. That’s a good thing for the Stansbury Park resident, who commutes every day to Tool Chex in Draper, because natural-gas pumps can be hard to find. Natural-gas users can either spend several thousand dollars for a unit that taps into their home’s natural gas line to fuel their vehicles or they can use one of 15 public-access stations across Utah.

Despite that hurdle, Lear remains an alternative-fuel fan. He finds the reduction in his cars’ power negligible, likes the state tax credit owners can get, the pump savings, low maintenance and cleaner fuel.

In addition, alternative fuels allow users to rely on fuel produced in the United States instead of in Iraq or Venezuela, Miller said.

"It’s a matter of energy security," she said. "It’s a matter of air quality for Utah, and it’s a matter of having a choice" at the pump.

© Copyright 2004, The Salt Lake Tribune.

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