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The Road to the Future?

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

With dozens of natural-gas-powered cars--including 70 added last week--a new Santa Ana taxi company has become the nation’s first to run only on the cleaner-burning fuel.

American Taxi says the move is in anticipation of proposed smog-fighting rules that would force public--and some private--fleets in the four-county area to use low-emission fuels such as natural gas.

Though natural-gas cars generally are more expensive and require frequent refueling, American Taxi recently bought the 70 Ford Crown Victorias to “be ahead of the environmental curve,” said Rick Schorling, president of American Livery Inc., which operates American Taxi.

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The move also puts the company in position to win a valuable exclusive contract to serve John Wayne Airport. If South Coast Air Quality Management District officials have their way, airport taxi fleets eventually would be required to use low-emission fuels.

“This is something that I saw as a trend a long time ago,” said Schorling, who says he quit last year as general manager of the company that has the current airport taxi contract to start his natural-gas-powered fleet.

Officials with Ford and the California Natural Gas Vehicle Assn. say the company is the nation’s only taxi fleet run entirely on natural gas. Many other businesses--including airport transportation company SuperShuttle, some garbage haulers and UPS--have some natural-gas vehicles in their fleets, district spokesman Sam Atwood said.

About 14,000 natural-gas vehicles are now on the road in California, says Bill Fairbairn of the Natural Gas Vehicle Assn. Of those, about 8,500 are in the Los Angeles basin, he said.

The AQMD estimates it offered subsidies--helping public and private organizations cover the higher cost of buying natural-gas vehicles--for 850 heavy-duty trucks and buses last year, an increase from 1998.

Natural gas “is catching on,” Atwood said.

Catching on would be compulsory if the AQMD board approves in April a proposed regulation that would transform public vehicle fleets and private fleets that serve airports. The agency decided to target fleets because experts say those vehicles--powered by gasoline or diesel fuel--are responsible for 90% of the cancer risk posed by the Los Angeles region’s air pollution. Experts blame diesel trucks for most of the risk.

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The current five-year taxi contract at John Wayne Airport expires March 31, shortly before the AQMD is scheduled to consider adopting the rule. But operating a low-emission fleet “definitely does offer an edge,” said Vicki Mathews, deputy airport director.

American Taxi is one of several cab companies bidding for the airport contract. The winner will be chosen by a formula considering factors that include what type of fuel its cars use, Mathews said. “The airport definitely wants to be friendly with the environment.”

Cindy Sullivan, manager of technology implementation at AQMD, described the company as a pioneer. “It takes a leader like that to force the other companies to step up to the plate. I don’t think they’re . . . too far ahead of the curve. They are showing foresight.”

With incentives from AQMD and Ford, American Taxi bought 70 natural-gas cars last week for about $21,000 each, a cost similar to that of conventional cars of the same model.

The cars look no different from their gasoline-powered counterparts and are similar to drive. Pressurized fuel tanks take up more room than gas tanks, however, reducing trunk space. And the driving range is reduced; between fueling stops, most can travel only 150 miles, compared with 280 for a conventional Crown Victoria.

Drivers, though, say they like the cars and that the limited range is a minor inconvenience. “In a normal gas car, an intelligent driver always keeps his car at least three-fourths of a tank full. You are filling up a lot anyway. You get used to . . . the natural gas,” said Rich Pressel, an American Taxi driver for three months.

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He believes customers prefer natural gas because they “feel like they are doing their part” for the environment, and they even tip better.

Schorling, of American Taxi, acknowledges he offers lower lease rates to drivers in part to make up for the need to refuel more often. The drivers, who are independent contractors, pay $400 a week rather than the standard rate of about $500.

Helping to compensate for this cost, however, is reduced maintenance costs of natural-gas cars and perhaps a public-relations benefit. “It’s a good publicity angle for them,” Sullivan said.

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