CRANBERRY TWP — The alternative fuel movement is picking up steam, and a group of enthusiasts at a restaurant Monday afternoon are a testament to that.

Those people drove vehicles of all shapes, sizes, colors and fuel sources to the Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant. They came to showcase their electric cars, hybrid vehicles and motors that run on compressed natural gas (CNG).

Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association, those gathered in the restaurant’s parking lot could barely hear other cars arriving to be showcased. That’s because many ran on electricity or other forms of cleaner, less expensive fuels.

The alternative fuel movement is picking up locally as demonstrated by the fact that the Get-Go gas station along Route 228 last month opened the first CNG gas pump open to the public in the area.

And, according to Bruce Jenkins, who drove his electric Tesla from Franklin in Venango County, the trend isn’t likely to cool soon.

Many businesses have already begun converting standard gasoline engines in their vehicle fleets, if only for the reason that it saves a great deal on fuel costs.

Indeed, Vogel Disposal in Adams Township last year converted 300 of its garbage trucks to CNG fuel, a move that is expected to pay for itself within years.

According to Jenkins, the trend hasn’t quite caught on fully with the public yet because of the high costs associated with buying alternative fuel vehicles.

While certainly costly to buy, it doesn’t take long before the vehicles start putting more money into your wallet.

“I save about $12,000 on gas,” Jenkins said. “But for me, it’s not about the cost of gas. It’s about not using gas at all. It’s about traveling conscience-free. That’s the main reason I do it.”

It also cuts down on stops to fill up a gas tank. Jenkins said he simply plugs his car in at night and it’s fully charged within hours. One full charge can carry his car more than 200 miles.

It also allows for another trunk that is, contrary to its name, in the front of the car where an engine normally would be.

While some people have to wait to buy an alternative fuel vehicle, others are finding services that will convert their car to a duel fuel/natural gas system.

Jeff Cornetti is the president of a Shippenville company that will do just that. He showed an example at the event Monday of a bi-fuel vehicle, or one that runs on both.

It’s not every day you see a large truck with two gas tanks. It’s also not every day you see a big button in the cab of the truck, a button that switches the engine between gas and natural gas when pushed.

When asked, Cornetti said he could name the locations of at least 10 public alternative fuel pumps in the area. Proof, he said, that more people are realizing the benefits of alternative fuel.

“It is without a doubt gaining momentum,” he said.

He said even more people will catch on once the costs of buying alternative fuel vehicles go down. Much like flat screen televisions more than a decade ago that cost exorbitant amounts of money, the cost of alternative fuel vehicles should go down once the market becomes more saturated, Cornetti said.

The time is certainly right, according to gas and oil association spokesman Joyce Turkaly.

That’s because the region is at the forefront of the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry, meaning the fuel to power these new vehicles is right under us, she said.

“Five years ago, we were importing 75 percent of the demand we had here for natural gas,” she said. “Now, we’re a net exporter of natural gas.”