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But to get these cars on the road, the country needs a system capable of refueling them, Schneider said Thursday.
To move that effort forward, Schneider has visited 12 campuses in Iowa and Wisconsin in the past month, and on Earth Day will give the first 2008 Green Education Award.
“I don’t think that there’s enough communication of this technology to motivate the infrastructure without significant efforts like this,” Schneider said.
One campus will receive the award in the form of a 6-month lease of a compressed natural gas vehicle for a dollar a month — plus a Phill home refueling station to make the vehicle go.
Schneider said he hopes the award exposes college communities to the benefits of this mode of transportation, and that eventually Kwik Trip or other gas stations will sell this fuel.
“The railroad had to crisscross the nation 140 years ago to provide that infrastructure for transportation in that area,” Schneider said. “Now we have the challenge of doing that with a new system — compressed natural gas.”
Schneider visited Viterbo University on Thursday to give rides and discuss hybrid electric vehicles, compressed natural gas vehicles, ultraclean diesel and other environmental transportation technology.
“The reason we like to paint with the entire pallet is that it allows people with different driving circumstances to be able to select the best alternative for them,” Schneider said. “And by having more alternatives, it gives the marketplace more time to adjust to the potentially ultimate transportation solution.”
And that ultimate solution, for Schneider is fuel-cell vehicles, which run off hydrogen and could be fueled with a combination of water and a renewable energy source, such as sun or wind.
If you go
WHAT: The Early Earth Day Ride and Drive Event, in which people can learn about alternative driving technology and take rides in electric and compressed natural gas vehicles
WHEN:8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today
WHERE: Honda Motorwerks, 500 Fourth St.
Joe Orso can be reached at (608) 791-8429 or jorso@lacrossetribune.com.
