Field Trip! To the CNG Fueling Station

Ed took me along to fuel up our CNG truck the other to show me JUST how simple it was to fill up!

First, we drove to the AOG CNG station on Waldron Road just across from the mall.

We selected the yellow 3600 pump.  There are two different pumps depending on how much CNG your vehicle takes, one for 3000 and one for 3600.

Ed paid for the fuel.  He was so fast, he was blurry in my picture!

He connected the hose..which took like 2 seconds.  I almost missed it!

Then he switched the valve to "fuel" and let the fueling begin!

We simply waited for the tank to fill and then unhooked the line and got our receipt and drove off!  Easy as 1-2-3!

Alternative Fuels Technician Certification

At our last employee day on June 23, Big Mike (our service manager) presented Matthew Carmack and Tony Williams with the Alternative Fuels Technician Certificate.  The state of Oklahoma requires that technicians be certified in order to install CNG conversions. (Arkansas does not have a certification.)  Our guys not only passed the test, but passed it on the first try (which we were told is rare!)  We want to congratulate them on this big accomplishment!  We officially have licensed installers for our CNG conversions!

Fuel Price Comparison

Look at today's fuel prices according to arkansasgasprices.com and cngprices.com

This is the map showing the two CNG filling stations on Rogers Avenue in Fort Smith and in Arkoma.

CNG is $1.07 and $1.39 respectively.

 This is the list of gas stations (for regular gas....midgrade, premium and diesel are higher)...the cheapest in Fort Smith is $3.25!

You can see how by today's comparison, that CNG is MUCH cheaper than regular gasoline.  One of our commercial customers did the math and they could pay for their CNG conversion in just 9 months by the change in price of their fuel alone!  What a difference!  After those 9 months, they were saving money with CNG!

To learn more about switching your vehicle to CNG, contact Ed Flaherty at 479-646-7301 or eflaherty@smithchevyworld.com

"The City Wire" Reports on CNG in the River Valley

From here:


Mike Callan and John Robben are optimistic that the admittedly small shift in demand in the Fort Smith region for compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles will blossom into a more robust market.
Fort Smith-based Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corp. on Tuesday (June 7) held a formal grand opening of their CNG fueling station located in the AOG operations center (5030 S. S St.). It is the first public CNG fueling station in Arkansas. The public station is open open 24 hours, 7 days a week and is self-serve with a credit/debit card reader.

The event, which included smoked ribs for lunch, attracted a large crowd of elected officials, utility representatives, the media and area business owners interested in learning more about CNG use.

AOG workers, the media and others gather around the only public CNG fueling station in Arkansas. AOG officials held a formal opening Tuesday (June 4) to publicize the station.

AOG received permission in November 2008 from the Arkansas Public Service Commission to sell natural gas for vehicles. In approving the facility, the PSC praised AOG “for its efforts to facilitate and encourage the use of natural gas as an alternative to fueling vehicles by gasoline and diesel.”

Callan, president of AOG, said about 1,300 gasoline equivalent gallons have been sold during April and May.

“That’s not a lot, but it’s certainly more than just one vehicle. ... I’m happy with that start,” Callan said Tuesday.

The gasoline equivalent cost of compressed natural gas, based on recent natural gas commodity costs, is about $1.07 a gallon. Fuel mileage is equivalent, Callan said.

A CNG user buying 200 gallons of fuel a month will spend $214, while a gasoline vehicle owner with the same amount of fuel will spend — at $3.50 per gallon — $740. Annualized, that comes to a savings of $6,312, and CNG proponents also claim that natural gas motors require less maintenance.
Robben, general manager of Smith Chevrolet in Fort Smith, said in recent months he is hearing “a ton of interest” in CNG vehicles. With little to no marketing, he estimates about 20 potential customers interested in converting a light duty truck to CNG use.
“We’re sitting on go,” Robben said of the dealerships ability to convert vehicles.

News from US Department of Energy

Check out this news from the US Dept of Energy: 

Compared with vehicles fueled with conventional diesel and gasoline, natural gas vehicles can produce significantly lower amounts of harmful emissions such as nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and toxic and carcinogenic pollutants as well as the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Testing has been performed to compare the emissions of light-duty CNG vehicles versus light-duty gasoline vehicles.

Compressed Natural Gas:

-reduces carbon monoxide emissions 90%-97%

-reduces carbon dioxide emissions 25%

-reduces nitrogen oxide emissions 35%-60%

-potentially reduces non-methane hydrocarbon emissions 50%-75%

-emits fewer toxis and carcinogenic pollutants

-emits little or no particulate matter

-eliminates evaporative emissions

This study has demonstrated how much cleaner compressed natural gas vehicles are compared to traditional gasoline vehicles.  We can convert your vehicle to CNG today.  Just call us at 479-646-7301 or email Ed at eflaherty@smithchevyworld.com 

CNG Safety

See these dramatic tests of the CNG cylinders.





Contact us at 479-646-7301 or email Ed at eflaherty@smithchevyworld.com for more infor!

CNG Changes One Man's Life

Watch this video about this one man's experience with CNG



Call us at 479-646-7301 or email us to switch over to CNG today!

How to Fuel YOUR CNG vehicle

Fueling your CNG vehicle is easy!  Luckily for us in the River Valley, we have a CNG fueling station in Fort Smith at AOG. (Read more about that here).  To find a filling station near you, go here.

To fill your vehicle, you will go to the filling station.

You will insert your credit card

Then you will attach the hose and fill

You watch the fill gage, and when it reaches 100%, you are done!

Filling up your CNG vehicle is just as fast and easy as filling up at a traditional gas station, but its WAY cheaper!

Contact us today at 479-646-7301 or email at eflaherty@smithchevyworld.com for more info or to switch your vehicle over!

Converting a Vehicle

Converting your vehicle is as easy as one phone call to us!

Our team is certified and licensed to convert your vehicle to CNG technology.

We take certified conversion kits and install them on your vehicle, adhering to the stringent EPA requirements.  We are your local natural gas conversion specialists.  We can retrofit a number of existing gasoline-powered vehicles.  Contact us today to learn more and see if CNG is right for you! gasoline-powered vehicle.

Contact us at 479-646-7301 or email eflaherty@smithchevyworld.com

CNG is Cheaper!

From gonatgas.com:

Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) are less expensive to operate and maintain than gasoline-fueled vehicles.

Natural gas on average costs about one-third less than gasoline at the pump.  As for diesel fuel, the U.S. Energy Information Agency reports that natural gas, on average, costs 42% less than diesel fuel on an energy equivalent basis and is expected to cost 50% less by 2035.

The cost of gasoline and diesel fuels are high-and kept high-because of our dependence on foreign resources and supplies. We're all too familiar with the scenario: another crisis in the Middle East, and the price of gasoline climbs steadily at the pump. The U.S. currently imports almost 70% of the oil we use. That leaves us dependent on the whims and agendas of foreign governments to determine what we pay to drive our gasoline- and diesel-fueled cars and trucks.

Because virtually all of the natural gas we use comes from North America, we can control our own destinies in regard to fuel supply for vehicles. An NGV may cost slightly more initially, either to buy or to convert an existing gasoline-fueled vehicle, but overall savings on fuel and maintenance can more than make up for it. NGVs also cost less to maintain over the long haul. Because the fuel burns cleanly, natural gas vehicles show significantly less engine wear. Spark plugs also last longer than with gasoline engines, and oil changes are needed less often.

What are you waiting for?  Save money, switch to CNG vehicles today!  Contact us at 479-646-7301 or email Ed at eflaherty@smithchevyworld.com

Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles are Cleaner!

From gonatgas.com:

Natural gas is the cleanest burning alternative transportation fuel commercially available today. In fact, in 2011 the Honda Civic GX was named the "Cleanest Production Vehicle on Earth."

Natural gas contains less carbon per unit of energy than any other fossil fuel. Natural gas consists primarily of methane (around 90%), with small amounts of ethane, propane, and other gases. Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon molecule, made up of one atom of carbon and four of hydrogen (CH4) It is lighter than air and burns almost completely so that, when used as a transportation fuel, it produces dramatically lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per vehicle than gasoline or diesel powered vehicles. 

Replacing a typical older in-use vehicle with a new Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) provides the following reductions in exhaust emissions of:

• Carbon monoxide (CO) by 70 - 90%
• Non-methane organic gas (NMOG) by 50 - 75%
• Nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 75 - 95%
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) by 20 - 30%
  For instance, replacing one diesel-powered garbage truck with a natural gas-powered version of the same truck has the same benefit in reducing emissions as taking 325 cars off the road!

Research has shown that natural gas vehicles are cleaner for the environment.  Why don't you do your part and switch your vehicle over today?  Contact us at 479-646-7301 or email Ed at eflaherty@smithchevyworld.com

Your Arkansas Compressed Natural Gas Installer

Here at Smith Auto Group in Fort Smith, Arkansas, we are certified and licensed to install compressed natural gas, or CNG, systems in vehicles.

We are the only Impco Technologies certified dealer in the area and are excited to offer this service to our customers!

Contact us today at 479-646-7301 or eflaherty@smithchevyworld.com to discuss switching your vehicle over to CNG.