| With gasoline costs rising, seemingly, every week in the | | | | FuelMaker debuted a prototype of their at-home unit |
| United States, many consumers are searching and | | | | at the World Natural Gas Vehicle Conference in |
| searching for alternative ways to cut fuelling costs. | | | | Washington, D.C. "Phill" is the world's first relatively |
| While bio-diesel is definitely making itself known across | | | | low-cost, home-based fueling appliance that can be |
| the country currently, bio-fuel is not readily available | | | | mounted inside or outside the consumer's garage, |
| year round in the United States, especially in the cold | | | | allowing him or her to refuel their natural gas powered |
| winter months as lower temperatures limit supplies. | | | | automobile overnight, extracting the fuel from the |
| Many are looking to the hybrid electric/gasoline | | | | homeowner's existing natural gas supply line. In an eight |
| vehicles that are more efficient but still rely on gasoline | | | | hour refueling cycle, most vehicles have a 100 mile |
| to charge their fuel cells, accelerate, and do much of | | | | radius of driving, and a full fueling cycle provides about |
| their in-city driving. A technology that is emerging in | | | | 220 miles of driving. |
| popularity, especially in California, is the option of using | | | | Phill is easy to use, with simply designed stop and start |
| natural gas to power energy efficient vehicles such as | | | | buttons, and even having the added safety feature of |
| Honda's Civic GX. Natural gas fueling stations are | | | | stopping automatically when the automobile's tank is |
| more prevalent throughout California than in the rest of | | | | full. Southern California Honda dealers signed an |
| the United States, but many consumers look to yet | | | | agreement with FuelMaker in 2005 offering a free Phill |
| more efficient and dependable ways of refueling their | | | | with every purchase of a Honda Civic GX. The |
| automobiles. An innovative company, FuelMaker, has | | | | benefits of Phill and natural gas powered cars do not |
| filled this niche by developing a home appliance with | | | | stop there. Many states and localities offer tax |
| the ability to refuel environmentally minded consumers' | | | | incentives for using these alternative vehicles, and |
| vehicles in the comfort of their own garages. This | | | | some even allow single drivers to use the HOV lanes |
| product is Phill. | | | | to commute because of their fuel efficiency. As |
| FuelMaker is not new to the manufacturing of vehicle | | | | innovations like the Phill gain in popularity, natural gas |
| refueling appliances as they have been designing and | | | | distribution companies such as Triple Diamond Energy |
| producing such innovations marketed mainly to natural | | | | Corp and others will rise to the occasion, providing |
| gas powered private fleet vehicles since 1989. In 2002, | | | | sufficient fuel supplies to meet consumer demand. |