NGVAmerica News Week in Review: April 6, 2015

 This week’s articles include: 

• UPS to Build 15 CNG Stations to Support Additional 1,400 NGVs
• Raven Transport to Deploy 115 Additional Heavy-Duty LNG Trucks
• Progressive Waste Solutions Deploys CNG Trucks in St. Louis
• WCA Expands CNG Fleet in Houston Market
• Colorado City Expanding Fleet of CNG Vehicles
• Shell Opens LNG Fueling Lanes at Two TA Locations
• TruStar Energy Celebrates Opening Public CNG Station in Arkansas
• BRC FuelMaker Launches Improved Product Line
• Agility and Quantum Receive Large Orders from UPS
• Italian Shipbuilder Complete First LNG Ferry to Operate in Canada

UPS to Build 15 CNG Stations to Support Additional 1,400 NGVs
April 1, 2015

UPS announced plans to build 15 CNG fueling stations to support the purchase and planned deployment of 1,400 new CNG vehicles over the next year.  Twelve of the CNG stations will be in new natural gas vehicle deployment areas, and three will replace existing CNG stations with larger, higher capacity equipment.

The purchase represents a nearly 30 percent increase to UPS’s current alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet of 5,088 vehicles worldwide. The CNG fueling stations and vehicle purchases are part of UPS’s ongoing commitment to diversify its fuel sources, implement a fleet infrastructure that can utilize lower carbon intensity fuel sources and increase experience using alternative fuels in freight transport applications.

“UPS’s investment in a large scale alternative energy fleet has enabled the company to avoid more than 34 million gallons of conventional fuels since 2000,” said Mitch Nichols, UPS senior vice president of transportation and engineering. “Today’s CNG announcement demonstrates UPS’s plans to expand use of widely available natural gas. CNG is an important building block in our long-term fleet strategy and offers environmental and economic advantages.”

When the deployments are completed, UPS anticipates its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet will continue to log more than 350 million miles per year, supporting the company’s goal of driving one billion miles in this fleet by the end of 2017. This will displace approximately 54 million gallons of conventional diesel and gasoline annually while reducing total vehicle emissions.

UPS plans to deploy new CNG vehicles in 15 cities. The cities are:

• Atlanta, Georgia
• Charleston, West Virginia
• Dallas, Texas
• Denver, Colorado
• Doraville, Georgia
• Lenexa, Kansas
• Lexington, Kentucky
• Montgomery, Alabama
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• New Stanton, Pennsylvania
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Port Allen, Louisiana
• Shreveport, Louisiana
• Richmond, Virginia
• Roanoke, Virginia

UPS already has a total of eight CNG fueling stations in California, Colorado, Georgia and Oklahoma and also operates CNG vehicles internationally.

Using a “Rolling Laboratory” approach, UPS is one of the leaders in the industry developing the cleanest, most effective pathways to support the company’s effort to reduce emissions and dependence on fossil fuels while improving efficiency. For more information, please view the company’s most recent Corporate Sustainability Report here.

 

Raven Transport to Deploy 115 Additional Heavy-Duty LNG Trucks
March 31, 2015

Clean Energy announced longtime customer Raven Transport is expanding its natural gas fleet with 115 LNG-powered Peterbilt Model 579 sleepers to haul goods for a packaged goods company.  Clean Energy will support this fleet by opening truck-friendly natural gas fueling stations in Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham and Theodore, Alabama; and Pearl, Mississippi. The fleet will also fuel at Clean Energy’s other existing stations in the area. Mobile LNG fueling units will also be deployed in various locations to enable LNG refueling throughout the Southeast.

“Industry-leading shippers continue to set the standard in sustainable logistics, and today’s announcement enables Raven to accommodate these high standards,” said Stephen Silverman, chief operating officer for Raven Transport.

Raven purchased its expanded natural gas truck fleet from Rush Truck Center in Jacksonville, Florida. Custom Vehicle Solutions, another Rush Enterprises company, then completed the installation of Chart LNG fuel systems purchased through Clean Energy’s tank pricing program.  The fleet will operate on irregular routes originating from production plants and distribution centers in the Southeast and is forecasted to consume approximately 2.4 million additional DGEs of LNG annually.

 

Progressive Waste Solutions Deploys CNG Trucks in St. Louis
March 31, 2015

Progressive Waste Solutions has officially launched its new fleet of CNG waste and recycling collection vehicles in the St. Louis market that have replaced its diesel vehicles. Along with its own fueling station, Progressive’s St. Louis District now has 25 CNG vehicles in operation, and by the end of 2015 expects to increase that number to 40 CNG trucks on the road, representing about 50 percent of its fleet.

“With our CNG fleet, we are able to provide our customers in the communities we serve a more environmentally friendly approach to collecting their waste and recyclable materials, as well as helping the community meet targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution,” said Progressive Waste Solutions Area Manager, John Drier.

The CNG-powered collection vehicles are part of a corporate initiative announced in May 2013 to convert the company’s collection fleet to natural gas-powered vehicles from diesel-powered trucks.  Since the announcement, Progressive Waste Solutions has added nearly 250 natural gas-powered trucks to its waste and recycling collection fleet. Progressive now has close to 400 natural gas-powered vehicles on the road in 11 different markets throughout North America.

 

WCA Expands CNG Fleet in Houston Market
April 1, 2015

WCA Waste Corporation (WCA), a vertically integrated, non-hazardous solid-waste services company, announced it has continued converting its collection fleet to automated CNG trucks following several acquisitions in its core markets. In the first quarter of 2015, WCA has added 35 CNG front-load trucks to its Houston operations and commenced operation of a CNG fueling station at its Houston South facility in West Houston.

In the coming months, WCA will also be opening a public CNG station at its hauling operation in Gainesville, Florida. “We continue to strive for opportunities to provide sustainable solutions that support our long-term strategy and will continue to deploy automated CNG trucks as a key component of WCA’s business plan,” said WCA CEO Bill Caesar.

 

Colorado City Expanding Fleet of CNG Vehicles

The City of Aurora, Colorado, has announced it will be adding seven new CNG vehicles to its fleet this year. The seven Ford Bi-Fuel Super Duty Pickups will be put into operation as follows: one for Aurora Water, two for the Parks, Recreation & Open Space department, and four for the Public Works Department. The city of Aurora is applying for a RAQC “Alt Fuels Colorado” grant to help supplement the additional cost of purchasing CNG vehicles versus gasoline fuel vehicles.

 

Shell Opens LNG Fueling Lanes at Two TravelCenters of America Locations
March 30, 2015

Shell announced the opening of new LNG lanes at two TravelCenters of America (TA) truck fueling stations in Baytown, Texas, and in Lafayette, Louisiana. The locations offer LNG fueling to trucks driving to the Port of Houston and through Louisiana. The two stations follow Ontario, California, which was the first site to open LNG lanes under the Shell-TA agreement last year.

“We are very happy to have opened our Baytown and Lafayette LNG lanes,” shared Tom O’Brien, President and CEO of TravelCenters. “All of our LNG lanes are ‘super lanes’ in that they are equipped to dispense LNG, diesel and DEF. Because super lanes are integrated with existing fuel lanes, we do not interrupt truck traffic flow, or reduce available truck parking spaces.”

TA now has six truck repair and maintenance facilities that perform repair and maintenance on LNG and CNG vehicles.

As customer demand grows in the U.S., Shell and TA plan to open additional truck fuelling lanes. “We see an opportunity in using LNG as a lower cost and cleaner fuel alternative to diesel, and expect the strengthening supply chain in North America to give customers reassurance that LNG is becoming a bigger part of the transport fuel mix,” said Shell’s Christian Buelow, General Manager Downstream LNG, Americas.

 

TruStar Energy Celebrates Opening Public CNG Station in Arkansas
April 2, 2015

TruStar Energy announced the grand opening of Krug Energy’s public fast-fill fueling station, located in Searcy, Arkansas, on Highway 67/167. The station, designed and constructed by TruStar Energy, has been dispensing fuel since late December—and serves to fuel Krug’s fleet of 20 Kenworth CNG-powered tractors, as well as trucks from several other local fleets. The station features three dispensers that are suited to fuel both smaller consumer vehicles as well as larger commercial tractors.

“Krug Energy is another perfect example of a company that understands the true long-term cost of energy—and the benefits that migrating to CNG has to offer,” said TruStar Energy President and CEO Adam Comora. “Krug Energy has aggressively migrated away from diesel because they see the opportunity presented by a stable, domestic fuel source.”

According to Krug, they have reduced their downtime by 75 percent by converting, adding that the diesel’s emission sensors were constantly downing their trucks. The station is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and accepts all major credit cards as well as major fleet fueling cards.

 

BRC FuelMaker Launches Improved Product Line
March 30, 2015

BRC FuelMaker, a manufacture of home and vehicle refueling appliances, announced the launch of the new line of its Phill and FMQ compressors. The new units feature technical improvements that ensure better reliability, efficiency and performance. The compressors now also come with a bright grey paint that makes them more attractive and recognizable.

“Last year we worked hard to improve the reliability of our product and offer a better quality,” says Francesco Donalisio, BRC FuelMaker North American Sales Manager. “The new Phill and FMQ units are the result of the company’s continuous commitment.”

The BRC FuelMaker appliances are the only CSA certified refueling systems in North America. The heart of the 230 volt, single phase unit is a four-stage, oil-free compressor suitable for time-fill and fast-fill applications. The units require no maintenance and enjoy a low cost of operation.

Currently, BRC FuelMaker has 23 Official Distributors that sell, install and service its product in the U.S. To find a local distributor and for more information, visit BRC Fuel Maker website at www.brcfuelmaker.com.

 

Agility and Quantum Receive Large Orders from UPS
April 2, 2015

Following UPS’s recent vehicle acquisition announcement, Agility Fuel Systems announced that UPS has ordered 445 of its new 160 DGE Behind-the-Cab CNG fuel systems for delivery in 2015.

UPS will be operating almost 1,600 heavy-duty trucks equipped with CNG or LNG fuel systems supplied by Agility. These trucks, once fully deployed, are projected to run more than 230 million miles annually, and will be supported by Agility’s comprehensive field support.

Agility has worked closely with UPS to develop and engineer custom specifications for their applications and has provided installation, training and in-servicing support to enable successful deployment and rapid expansion of natural gas in their heavy-duty truck fleet.

Agility has also supported the UPS natural gas rollout with its portable fueling solution, enabling new LNG trucks to be fueled at the production plant where they are built and quickly placed into service.

Quantum Fuel Systems also received an order from UPS for 319 fuel systems for UPS’s heavy-duty CNG vehicle program.  The issuance of purchase orders will be coordinated through two OEMs and their installation partners.

The delivery dates under this award are scheduled to begin in mid-2015 and will include the recently released versions of Quantum’s Q-Cab LITE and Q-Rail LITE storage systems, as well as delivery in the September time-frame of a version of Quantum’s soon to be released back-of-cab storage system.

 

Italian Shipbuilder Completes First LNG Ferry to Operate in Canada
April 1, 2015

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has successfully completed LNG sea trials for F.A. Gaunthier, its latest generation LNG ferry, which was built in its shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia (Naples). The delivery to Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ), a Québec crown corporation that operates in maritime passenger and vehicles transport, will take place when the ferry arrives in Canada. The vessel is the first LNG powered ferry ever built in Italy and the first of its kind to enter into service in North America.

The ship provides a major reduction in emissions of CO2, NOx (nitrogen oxides), and SOx (sulphur oxides) to near zero levels. The ship, which is equipped with a unique integrated diesel electric propulsion system, has four dual fuel diesel power generators installed that can run on either LNG or marine diesel oil (MDO). This propulsion system meets the ecological requirements of the ECA areas.

The 435 foot long and 72 foot wide ship will be able to reach a maximum service speed of 20 knots and will carry 800 passengers and 180 vehicles. The ferry will be used in the Province of Québec on the Matane–Baie-Comeau–Godbout route, which, with 1,600 sailings per year, provides transport for more than 180,000 passengers and over 85,000 vehicles, allowing them to reach the opposite side of the river in a two-hour navigation, instead of a 10-hour drive.