Honda Begins Production of Civic GX Natural Gas Vehicles at Indiana Plant
15 May 2009
Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, LLC (HMIN) began production of the natural gas-powered 2009 Civic GX at its plant in Greensburg, Indiana. The Civic GX was formerly produced at Honda’s East Liberty, Ohio plant and has ten years of proven performance as a natural gas powered vehicle. The Civic GX is the only natural gas vehicle built by a major automaker in the US.
First introduced in 1998, the Civic GX is the cleanest internal combustion vehicle certified by the EPA—90% cleaner than the average gasoline-powered car on the road today. As a result, the GX is certified by the EPA as an Inherently Low Emissions Vehicle (ILEV). It is the only natural gas powered passenger car available for sale in all 50 states, and is eligible for a $4,000 federal tax credit as a qualified alternative fuel vehicle.
It is powered by a 113-hp (84 kW), 1.8-liter, 16-valve, SOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine built at Honda’s engine plant in Anna, Ohio, and it is designed with a higher compression ratio—12.5:1—to maximize performance from natural gas fuel. The engine develops 109 lb-ft (148 N·m) of torque at 4,300 rpm, and is coupled with a five speed automatic transmission. It has an average range of more than 220 miles, and has fuel economy of 24 mpg (city) and 36 mpg (highway).
Honda Manufacturing of Indiana began Civic GX production just seven months after starting mass production of the 4-cylinder Honda Civic sedan at its new plant in Greensburg, Indiana. The $550 million plant currently employs approximately 1,000 associates and is designed as a zero waste-to-landfill facility.
Assembling the Civic GX brings flexibility and new capabilities at the plant. HMIN is a comprehensive production facility that includes metal stamping, plastic injection molding, subassembly, and final assembly. Producing the GX on the same assembly line with other vehicles required the addition of unique production processes, including fuel tank sub-assembly and installation, and a fueling center for compressed natural gas.
The Honda Civic sedan being built in Indiana features the fuel-efficient 140-hp, 1.8-liter, 16-valve SOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder gasoline engine also produced by Honda associates in Anna, Ohio. As in all new 2009 model Honda and Acura automobiles, the engine meets or exceeds US EPA Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions standards. The Civic sedan also qualifies as an Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV) as rated by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
I could not find mention of the Phill compressor company bankruptcy. FuelMaker was a key element in selling the GX as far as I could see.
Posted by: SJC | 15 May 2009 at 10:08 AM
The only thing keeping me from buying one of these is the compressor. Phil, at several thousand $, seemed too expensive. Compressing a gas into a storage container is not rocket science. A scuba air compressor goes for a few hundred$. Can anyone explain why compressing NG costs so much more?
Could these Civics be converted to run on LP? Most towns have an LP station already.
Posted by: creativforce | 17 May 2009 at 08:58 AM
I would say that the Phill costs a lot because CNG goes boom! They have to have multi stage magnetically coupled compressors that are radically expensive. Just the local gas pump at the filling station costs a ton for safety reasons.
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Posted by: Account Deleted | 24 February 2010 at 12:16 AM
I recently read that the new pure-electric Honda actually emits air with less pollution than the air has when it takes it in. I hope places like certified Hondas keep up the good work.
Posted by: Hillsidehonda.com | 20 October 2010 at 07:41 AM
Happy to see the Civic performing so well both on the road and with the general public. Wish they would have continued with the Honda Fit EV, but Honda knows what they are doing and how important EV's will be in the future. Either way, we're happy the Civic is a favorite and look forward to its future as a fuel efficient car.
Posted by: Huntington Honda | 29 January 2015 at 03:53 PM