Fueling a Natural Gas Vehicle

Learn how to refuel your natural gas vehicle at a public station or through a home refueling appliance.

Natural Gas Vehicles for Business

Learn how NGVs may help your business improve efficiency.

A primary concern for any potential NGV owner is where to refuel. There are two main ways to refuel your natural gas vehicle:
  • Refueling at a Public Station: Southern California has one of the best compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling networks in the U.S., and it continues to grow every year. Find a station near you.
  • Refueling at Home: Residential customers also have the option of using an NGV home refueling appliance to conveniently refuel at home.

Refueling Instructions

The process for refueling an NGV should be very familiar since it's almost identical to the process used at local gasoline stations. Most dispensers accept major credit cards and the filling time is similar to using a gasoline pump. Most stations have no attendants on duty. You'll first need to watch this short instruction and safety video on the dispenser before you can begin.

Press "Yes" after you've watched and understood the instructions in the video. A PIN number will be issued for fueling. This number will also be valid for future refueling as well.

Here are the instructions to operate most public CNG dispensers:

  1. Turn off your engine. Do not smoke.
  2. Remove the vehicle's dust cap and take the fueling nozzle off its holder.
  3. Align the arrows on the nozzle so they point to each other.
  4. Place the nozzle over the fuel receptacle push it on.
  5. Rotate the lever so that the arrows point away from each other to lock the nozzle on.
  6. Insert your fleet or credit card and follow the instructions on the screen.
  7. Once payment is authorized, lift the dispenser handle, and fueling will begin.
  8. When the fill is complete, lower the handle to turn the dispenser off.
  9. To disconnect the nozzle, slowly rotate the nozzle handle 180 degrees until the arrows are again pointing to each other.
  10. Remove the nozzle. You may hear a slight release of pressure.
  11. Return the nozzle to its holder and replace the dust cap.

CNG Prices

Generally, CNG purchased at SoCalGas® public stations costs about 30 to 50 percent less per gas gallon equivalent (GGE) than gasoline. The U.S. Government’s Energy Information Administration tracks gasoline and diesel costs * on a weekly basis. For your convenience, there are public SoCalGas CNG stations located across the SoCalGas service area.

Building a CNG Station

Information on building an on-site CNG fueling station is available here.