The price of gas has climbed to an average of $3.77 a gallon nationwide -- a tough break for an economy just starting to recover.

But there's another gas in the United States that's awfully cheap and in abundance: natural gas. In fact, new drilling technologies have made this country the largest natural-gas producer in the world. Why aren't automakers looking at more ways to use it?

As it turns out, some are. General Motors (GM) says it will start taking orders next month for pickups that can run on gasoline and natural gas. It will sell the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra 2500 HD with a natural-gas option. One executive said that because natural gas is so much cheaper than gasoline, the new trucks could save drivers as much as $10,000 over three years, Bloomberg reports.

Natural-gas trucks are more suited for fleets. There are only about 500 natural-gas fueling stations in the U.S. open to the public, Bloomberg reports, so at this point it's tough for consumers to jump on the technology.

But as demand for alternative fuels increases, automakers and fueling stations are starting to respond.

Chrysler is expected to announce Tuesday its first from-the-factory pickup that runs on natural gas and gasoline. It will build at least 2,000 specialized Ram trucks starting in June, The Wall Street Journal reports.

People have been able to get trucks retrofitted to handle natural gas, but that's complex and requires additional costs, the Journal reports. Building in the natural-gas option at the factory reduces the friction and the expense.

"If the opportunity presents itself, we wouldn't turn our back on a CNG-powered passenger car," Chrysler executive Peter Grady told the Journal. "We aren't working on it now, but we do have it in the back of our minds."

Honda Motor (HMC) sells a passenger car that can run on natural gas, the Civic NG, at about 200 dealers starting at $26,200, the Journal reports.

Some stocks were seeing a lift Monday from the news. Clean Energy Fuels (CLNE) was up nearly 5% to $19.60 in the early afternoon, while shares of Fuel Systems Solutions (FSYS) rose more than 5% to $27.47.

The price of natural-gas futures is at a decade low, CNBC reports, trading below $2.50 per million BTUs. One reason is because inventory is very high, at about 45% above the 5-year average.