ONALASKA, Wis. -- Kwik Trip Inc. has jumped on the compressed natural gas (CNG) bandwagon. Yesterday, more than 50 people gathered at the convenience store chain's headquarters as it pumped its first public car full of CNG, WXOW.com reported .

The unveiling of the CNG gas pump, which also pumps liquefied natural gas (LNG), is the result of a six-month project that cost more than $2 million, the television network reported.

Among those in attendance was Kwik Trip's owner Don Zietlow, who has also used the natural gas pump -- one of the first in the state of Wisconsin -- to fuel up his CNG-compatible Chevrolet truck, according to the report.

CNG offers several advantages compared to traditional petroleum, including being cleaner burning, locally produced, readily available and much cheaper, experts have said. The price difference was evident at Kwik Trip's CNG pump, which sold the fuel alternative for $1.59 per gallon, compared to its $3.79 price for a regular gallon of gasoline.

"With the cost of fuel constantly going up… we see this as a very viable option, not only for creating jobs in the United States, but saving people money and really helping people feel patriotic about purchasing something from the United States," Ruanna Hayes, Kwik Trip's alternative fuel specialist, told the news outlet.

Zietlow added that the opening of the CNG pump represents a changing world with changing technologies. "[H]ow we live yesterday is going to be different than how we live tomorrow," he told WXOW.com. "We've got to find a better way to do it and with natural gas, I think it's a better way."

According to the report, Kwik Trip will open another pump offering CNG in the La Crosse, Wis., area by the end of May.