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MichCon's Natural Gas Give Alternative Fuel Vehicles a Power Boost

14 January 1999

MichCon's New Natural Gas Stations Give Alternative Fuel Vehicles a Power Boost

               Company to Build Five New Stations by March 1999

    DETROIT, Jan. 13 -- Several alternative fuel vehicles were
unveiled this month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit,
many of which can run on compressed natural gas.  MichCon is giving those new
cars a boost by building five new natural gas refueling stations in Michigan
by March 1999.
    There are more than 100 natural gas refueling stations in Michigan, 31 of
which are available to the general public.  MichCon's five new natural gas
fuel pumps will be built on the property of existing public gas stations
located at:

    *  17230 Harper, Detroit
    *  8940 Fenkell, Detroit
    *  3825 Carpenter Road, Ypsilanti
    *  Airlines Parking Company, Romulus
    *  2277 East Broadway, Muskegon

    "MichCon is committed to the success of natural gas vehicles, and our new
stations demonstrate that to our customers and to the automakers," said
Stephen E. Ewing, president and CEO of MichCon.
    As chairman of the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition, Ewing is a strong
proponent for expansion of refueling stations nationwide.  MichCon works with
vehicle manufacturers, local governments and gas station owners to grow the
infrastructure needed to support natural gas as a vehicle fuel.  There are
more than 700 public natural gas refueling stations in the United States.
    Natural gas vehicles (NGVs) are environmentally friendly, have comparable
gas mileage to gasoline-powered cars and enjoy a low fuel cost at
approximately $.80 per gallon equivalent.
    As the infrastructure grows and new vehicles are introduced, NGVs are
increasing in popularity.  Many are used for company fleets, public
transportation, and delivery of mail and other goods.  In use since World
War II, more than 1 million natural gas vehicles exist worldwide.
    MichCon is one of the nation's largest natural gas distributors, with 1.2
million Michigan families and businesses relying on MichCon for their energy
needs.  MichCon is a wholly owned subsidiary of MCN Energy Group Inc.
.  Visit MichCon's Web site at http://www.michcon.com.