Top Spots For Greener Driving

For those who want a more eco-conscious fuel than gasoline for their automobiles, there are plenty of options. The most commonly available are: B20 or biofuel; CNG, or compressed natural gas; E85 or ethanol; LPG or propane; electric; hydrogen; and LNG or liqueified natural gas. But how easy is it to refuel, especially when you're traveling?Well, it's definitely not as simple as refueling with plain old gasoline. According to the most recent count of stations* across the country, there are 162,350 gasoline stations nationwide. By comparison, there are just 6,568 alternative-fuel stations** across the country. On average, drivers can find a gas station every 23.36 square miles and alt-fuel stations every 1,496 square miles. That's a big difference and certainly something to keep in mind when considering a switch to an alt-fuel-only vehicle.So where is it easiest around the country to find alt-fueling stations, and which kinds of fuel are most readily available? Click ahead to see the country's top 15 states for alt-fuel convenience.Posted: April 15, 2010By Constance Parten*National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report**US Department of Energy

Fergus O'Brien | Taxi | Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/296.49Total alt-fuel stations: 184State area: 54,555 sq. milesStation Breakdown:B20: 13CNG: 99E85: 41Electric: 2Hydrogen: 9LNG: 0LPG: 17Gasoline stations: 6,500Source: US Department of Energy,National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

VisionsofAmerica | Joe Sohm | Photodisc | Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/277.35State area: 52,419 sq. milesTotal alt-fuel stations: 189Station Breakdown:B20: 10CNG: 5 E85: 16Electric: 0Hydrogen: 0LNG: 0LPG: 158Gasoline stations: 6,300Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Donovan Reese | Stone | Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/271.66State area: 44,825 sq. milesTotal alt-fuel stations: 165Station Breakdown:B20: 21CNG: 10E85: 62Electric: 2Hydrogen: 1LNG: 0LPG: 69Gasoline stations: 4,764Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/269.72State area: 12,407 sq. milesTotal alt-fuel stations: 46Station Breakdown:B20: 9CNG: 5E85: 14Electric: 0Hydrogen: 0LNG: 0LPG: 18Gasoline stations: 2,150Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Anne Rippy | Photographer's Choice | Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/226.41State area: 86,943 sq. milesTotal alt-fuel stations: 384Station Breakdown:B20: 0CNG: 1E85: 354Electric: 2Hydrogen: 0LNG: 0LPG: 27Gasoline stations: 3,125Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Don Klumpp | Photographer's Choice | Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/224.43State area: 53,865 sq. milesTotal alt-fuel stations: 240Station Breakdown:B20: 145CNG: 16E85: 20Electric: 4Hydrogen: 0LNG: 0LPG: 54Gasoline stations: 6,784Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Cameron Davidson | Photograher's Choice | Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/223.82State area: 8,729 sq. milesTotal alt-fuel stations: 39Station Breakdown:B20: 4CNG: 20E85: 3Electric: 2Hydrogen: 0LNG: 0LPG: 10Gasoline stations: 3,178Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Adam Jones | The Image Bank | Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/219.31State area: 32,020 sq. milesTotal alt-fuel stations: 146Station Breakdown:B20: 30CNG: 3E85: 87Electric: 0Hydrogen: 2LNG: 0LPG: 20Gasoline stations: 3,805Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Thinkstock | Comstock Images | Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 214.22State area: 36,418 sq. milesAlt-fuel stations: 170Station Breakdown:B20: 7CNG: 8 E85: 112Electric: 0Hydrogen: 0LNG: 0LPG: 43Gasoline stations: 3,028Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Hisham Ibrahim | Photographer's Choice | Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/191.91State area: 10,555 sq. milesTotal alt-fuel stations: 55Station Breakdown:B20: 6CNG: 21E85: 2Electric: 3 Hydrogen: 1LNG: 0LPG: 22Gasoline stations: 3,221Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Porter Gifford | Liaison Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/191.13State area: 5,543 sq. milesTotal alt-fuel stations: 29Station Breakdown:B20: 1CNG: 13E85: 1Electric: 0Hydrogen: 2LNG: 0LPG: 12Gasoline stations: 1,520Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Karen Bleier | AFP | Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/183.86State area: 57,918 sq. milesTotal alt-fuel stations: 315Station Breakdown:B20: 5CNG: 25E85: 203Electric: 8Hydrogen: 1LNG: 0LPG: 73Gasoline stations: 4,406Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/169.63State area: 163,696 sq. milesAlt-fuel stations: 965Station Breakdown:B20: 40 CNG: 202E85: 44Electric: 419Hydrogen: 22LNG: 27LPG: 211Gasoline stations: 10,400Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/128.75State area: 1,545 sq. milesAlt-fuel stations: 12Station Breakdown:B20: 2CNG: 5E85: 0Electric: 0Hydrogen: 0LNG: 0LPG: 5Gasoline stations: 401Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

Jeff Spielman | Iconica | Getty Images Alt-fuel stations/sq. mile: 1/9.75DC area: 68.3 sq. milesAlt-fuel stations: 7Station Breakdown:B20: 1CNG: 2E85: 3Electric: 0Hydrogen: 1LNG: 0LPG: 0Gasoline stations: 114Source: US Department of Energy, National Petroleum News Magazine's 2009 MarketFacts report

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