Phill: The Way to Fill Up the Natural Gas Vehicle at Home

With gasoline costs rising, seemingly, every week in the United States, many consumers are searching and searching for alternative ways to cut fuelling costs. While bio-diesel is definitely making itself known across the country currently, bio-fuel is not readily available year round in the United States, especially in the cold winter months as lower temperatures limit supplies. Many are looking to the hybrid electric/gasoline vehicles that are more efficient but still rely on gasoline to charge their fuel cells, accelerate, and do much of their in-city driving. A technology that is emerging in popularity, especially in California, is the option of using natural gas to power energy efficient vehicles such as Honda’s Civic GX. Natural gas fueling stations are more prevalent throughout California than in the rest of the United States, but many consumers look to yet more efficient and dependable ways of refueling their automobiles. An innovative company, FuelMaker, has filled this niche by developing a home appliance with the ability to refuel environmentally minded consumers’ vehicles in the comfort of their own garages. This product is Phill.

FuelMaker is not new to the manufacturing of vehicle refueling appliances as they have been designing and producing such innovations marketed mainly to natural gas powered private fleet vehicles since 1989. In 2002, FuelMaker debuted a prototype of their at-home unit at the World Natural Gas Vehicle Conference in Washington, D.C. “Phill” is the world’s first relatively low-cost, home-based fueling appliance that can be mounted inside or outside the consumer’s garage, allowing him or her to refuel their natural gas powered automobile overnight, extracting the fuel from the homeowner’s existing natural gas supply line. In an eight hour refueling cycle, most vehicles have a 100 mile radius of driving, and a full fueling cycle provides about 220 miles of driving. Phill is easy to use, with simply designed stop and start buttons, and even having the added safety feature of stopping automatically when the automobile’s tank is full. Southern California Honda dealers signed an agreement with FuelMaker in 2005 offering a free Phill with every purchase of a Honda Civic GX. The benefits of Phill and natural gas powered cars do not stop there. Many states and localities offer tax incentives for using these alternative vehicles, and some even allow single drivers to use the HOV lanes to commute because of their fuel efficiency. As innovations like the Phill gain in popularity, natural gas distribution companies such as Triple Diamond Energy Corp and others will rise to the occasion, providing sufficient fuel supplies to meet consumer demand.

About the Author: Robert Jent is the president of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.