With more and more big, fuel-eating SUVs roaming the roads and polluting the air today, it's refreshing to discuss a vehicle that doesn't even use standard gasoline, emits "almost zero" emissions, yet looks, drives and goes nearly as far on a tank of fuel as any other vehicle sharing the highway.

Honda, a pioneer in environmental "firsts," launched the Civic GX, the first natural gas-powered passenger car to be mass-produced and marketed, in April, 1998 at their East Liberty, Ohio plant. As we enter the 2000 model year, the Honda GX continues to be the cleanest vehicle ever made with an internal combustion engine. Not only are exhaust emissions reduced by 98.5 percent compared with current vehicle standards, the GX boasts a sealed fuel system which nearly eliminates evaporative and refueling emissions. Certified for the all-new "Super" ULEV (Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) standards, the 2000 Civic GX sedan boasts a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to an equivalent gasoline vehicle.

Shortly after it was introduced, the Honda GX received the DISCOVER magazine award for "Technological Innovation" in the automotive and transportation category. This fall, the GX was given another important honor. California's South Coast Air Quality Management District presented Honda's natural gas-powered Civic with a 1999 "Clean Air Award." The awards are presented annually to "individuals, organizations, communities and businesses who have made a significant contribution to cleaner air" in California's South Coast Air Basin. Designed primarily for fleet customers purchasing alternative fuel vehicles under the Energy Policy Act and Clean Air Act, many Southern California cities, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, have purchased hundreds of Civic GX models for use in their fleets. Obviously, it's paying off.

Also this fall, the opportunity to test drive a GX was presented to this writer, a driver on the streets of another city with serious air quality challenges. -- Phoenix, Arizona. While the vehicle's most viable use -- at the moment -- is not in the private sector, there is good reason to consider the vehicle for personal use. The only real problem for the everyday driver is finding a place to fuel up. Hopefully, a fuller understanding of the positive qualities of the GX will create a demand, which in turn, could fuel an expansion of the infrastructure to make natural gas more accessible for motorists.