Civic GX and Phill
The Dream: Make Alternative Fuel an Easy Alternative
"I think that the history of development of technologies which make engines cleaner and cleaner is itself the history of Honda's engine development."
--Hiroyuki Yoshino, Former President and CEO, Honda Motor Co., Ltd
Developing vehicles powered by alternative fuels is a major focus of Honda's new technology development efforts. But creating a customer friendly alternative fuel vehicle that uses a truly viable alternative to petroleum is easier said than done.
For years, we have been determined to advance a near-zero emissions Natural Gas Vehicle that meets the performance expectations of our customers. In fact, back in 1998, we introduced our first generation Civic GX, a low-emission, fuel-efficient sedan powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG), a North American based fuel.
Unlike traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, the Civic GX runs on an alternative fuel that is virtually pollution-free. In fact, during testing of the Civic GX,, hydrocarbon emissions were found to be so low that new techniques had to be developed to measure them. The EPA even called the Civic GX the cleanest internal-combustion vehicle it had ever tested.
But that wasn't enough. So we aimed even higher with subsequent generations of the GX. When we were done, the California Air Resouces Board certified it as the first ever "Advanced Technology PZEV" vehicle.
Phill
To make natural gas an even more convenient and practical alternative for our customers, we went beyond the development of the car itself. We partnered with Fuelmaker, one of the leading producers of fueling devices, to create Phill, the first home refueling appliance available to owners of natural gas-powered vehicles.
Phill is compact, easy to install and as safe and quiet as your clothes dryer - connected to the very same gas line you use to fuel appliances like your gas stove. It can be installed either inside or outside your garage, and it's equipped with several built-in features that monitor and detect minute leaks, automatically shutting down the system if necessary. With Phill, your Civic GX can be conveniently filled overnight, with fuel that often costs as little as half as much as gasoline.
The GX satisfies three of our most important environmental goals: reducing emissions, reducing CO2 emissions that contribute to global climate change and advancing alternatives to gasoline. Someday soon, the idea of going to a gas station might just be a thing of the past.