Intrepid commuters find gas alternative.

Hal Harley no longer dreads his 100-mile round-trip commute to downtown Los Angeles from his home in Newport Beach.

Though he doesn't pick up any other passengers, Harley drives his 2000 Ford Crown Victoria in the carpool lane, shaving an hour off his daily commute.

And he doesn't get a ticket. By choosing a car that's powered by natural gas, Harley is one of 3,122 Los Angeles-area drivers who operate cars that can legally use the carpool lane. The perk was allowed under a 2000 law designed to encourage the use of alternative-fuel vehicles, including electric and fuel-cell powered.

"I'm always looking for a way to be more efficient, to get ahead and to do my job faster," said Harley, a private wealth manager. "I estimate that it's shaved three to four weeks a year off the time I spend in traffic."

But Harley and other users of alternative-fuel vehicles may soon have plenty of unwanted company.

Last month, the state Assembly passed legislation that would offer so-called hybrid vehicles, such as the hot-selling Toyota Prius, the same access to carpool lanes. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is supporting the measure as it awaits consideration in the state Senate, although federal transportation officials must also approve it. There is also pending federal legislation that would allow states to set their own carpool lane policies.

The prospect of sharing their carpool lane with hybrid drivers rankles some natural gas drivers. "I want the hybrids to stay out of my lane," said Tony Orme, senior vice president and national sales manager at City National Bank.

Orme commutes 120 miles from Laguna Beach to Beverly Hills with a 2002 Honda Civic GX that burns natural gas. "If the law passes I would get rid of my natural gas vehicle and would probably have to buy a hybrid for the better gas mileage," he said.

Natural gas has its drawbacks, most especially the limited number of fuel stations in Los Angeles--and for those who care, the cars' pedestrian-looking design. But what natural gas vehicles do offer is the commuter's trifecta: Easy on the pocketbook, good for the environment, and a significant reduction in the time spent sitting in traffic.

"The benefits really make owning a natural gas car worth it," said Gina Phillips, a loan specialist at First Republic Bank in Corona del Mar. She bought a 2001 Honda Civic GX last year for $13,000 and has slashed her two-hour commute from Riverside in half, zipping through toll lanes for free during rush hour. She keeps her second car, a 1996 BMW Z3, in her garage.

Natural gas vehicles have been around since the early 1990s, when Dodge introduced a natural gas-powered Caravan minivan. At one time, all the major manufacturers produced a limited volume of natural gas-powered vehicles to meet federal clean-air standards. Because of incentives, most of these ended up in government fleets, such as Santa Monica's Big Blue Buses.

Tanks too small

But they were never mass-produced. In recent years, automakers have turned their attention to hybrids and hydrogen-powered cars that are being developed for mass-market use in the future. Ford Motor Co., for example, has dropped production of all natural gas-and propane-powered vehicles.

From a consumer's standpoint, the tanks in natural gas vehicles are too small. Harley's Crown Victoria, for example, came with an 8.8-gallon fuel tank. (He has since upgraded.)

The cars also don't get fuel economy as good as traditional gasoline engines, because the slower-burning fuel provides less torque.

There are roughly 100 natural gas stations in Southern California, many of them in out-of-the-way locations, including one in downtown Los Angeles and another at LAX. Pump prices are a relative bargain: about $1.89 last week, despite a dramatic spike this year in the cost of natural gas.

A big problem, though, is that natural gas vehicles tend to have smaller gas tanks that must be refilled every 200 miles or so, forcing long-distance commuters to keep aware of refueling options. (A home refueling kit that can be hooked up to a gas line is expected to be on the market later this year.)

By comparison, gasoline-electric hybrid cars have an electric motor and an energy-recovery system powered by a large battery, the main source of the hybrid's efficiency and long range. Its main drawback: the $2,000 cost of replacing the battery packs, a contentious issue between consumers and manufacturers, particularly in determining a resale price for hybrids.

Natural gas-powered vehicles work the same as any other internal combustion engine, with the exception being that the fuel delivery system, from the tank to the injectors, is under high pressure. While tanks have been known to split apart like a hot dog left on the grill too long, they do not explode into flames because the fuel is lighter than air and evaporates quickly. By contrast, propane is heavier than air and has more danger of pooling and exploding.

As is typical with pioneers of new technology, there are no shortage of believers.

"I don't care how ugly this car is, I just didn't want to spend that much time on the freeway," said Harley, who paid $15.000 for his Crown Victoria three years and spent $5,000 adding two natural gas tanks to increase the car's range. He also invested in an enhanced sound system with satellite radio. "Now on my ride home, I'm having the time of my life."

The question is how long it might last. This week, the California Air Resources Board is expected to come out with draft regulations that would force automakers to cut greenhouse gas emission by 30 percent over the next decade--a move that could alter the complexion of pollution standards in the slate. At the least, it changes the definition of an alternative fuel vehicle.

And even if hybrids can be kept from the carpool lanes--one of the key reasons behind their popularity--natural gas drivers may yet lose their advantage.

While most alternative fuel vehicles in Calf fornia can still use carpool lanes, the California Air Resources Board enacted more stringent regulations that went into effect Jan. 1. Those ended the perk for some low-emission vehicles.

Finding the cars

Cars that already have permits have been grandfathered into the new regulations. For new cars, only the Honda Civic GX meets the new requirements.

Tami Larsen, marketing director at EV Rental Cars LLC, which operates a fleet of 250 natural gas and hybrid rental cars, said the regulatory change "has messed everybody up because now you can't get a decal to drive in the carpool lane."

That might put to rest another challenge: finding the cars. EV Rental Cars, the largest reseller in Southern California, sells about 10 used natural gas and hybrid vehicles a month to consumers, typically after they've spent 12 to 18 months in their rental fleet and have racked up 25,000 miles.

Bruce Eikelberger, owner of Alternate Fuel Technologies, a restorer of specialty and racing vehicles in Huntington Beach, said the new regulations will discourage commuters from purchasing alternative vehicles.

"It's really sad, because this was the first incentive that would make people buy natural gas vehicles," he said. "If you take that away, the market will dry up."