PANAMA CITY — A local company will install and open a natural gas pump by March 1.
James Walker of CNG Technologies, 1607 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., said he hopes to appeal to personal vehicles, only having a capacity for about 200 gallons at his one pump. The market for individual vehicles is pretty small in Panama City — Walker estimated it was only about five in the city. However, Ford and Honda dealers offer natural gas burning vehicles to order, and he is hoping local UPS and Fed Ex trucks might use natural gas vehicles in the area if there is a station.
The shop is currently a car stereo and electronics store, although Walker said he is looking to move away from that business.
The pump will charge $1.99 per gallon for natural gas, with an automatic pump accessed by credit or debit card. While that is not much less than unleaded gasoline, the price for natural gas fluctuates far less often. Natural gas burns 60 percent cleaner and thus natural gas vehicles only need to have an oil change every 100,000 miles. CNG Technologies also will offer conversions, which for unleaded gas vehicles costs about $8,000. For diesel vehicles, it can be as much as $18,000.
Walker plans to continue living above his shop, which is in a mixed area with residences directly to the north. He said local concern over a proposed city station off Redwood Avenue north of 11th Street is overblown. Natural gas ignites at 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, twice as high as gasoline.
“People were saying it would level a city block; that’s just wrong,” Walker said. “If it could level a city block, the military would drop natural gas bombs. It’s cheap enough.”
Walker will bid to build the city gas station, which would service Panama City trash trucks and other large vehicles.
“The stations require monthly maintenance,” Walker said. “It would foolish not choose the local person to do that maintenance.”
