Enhancements to the DOE Alternative Fueling Station Locator

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) Station Locator was recently updated to include new options that will improve the way you search for and update natural gas station information.

Previously, Station Locator users could select “more search options” to look for stations with a certain access type, owner type, and payment method. The Station Locator now also allows users to search by fuel-specific fields corresponding to each alternative fuel, including natural gas.

To view the natural gas fuel-specific fields, first select CNG or LNG from the “All Fuels” drop-down menu, and then click on “more search options” to choose from the following filters:

CNG and LNG:

• Vehicle accessibility – the maximum vehicle size that can physically access the fueling station (e.g., light-, medium-, heavy-duty vehicles), keeping canopy height in mind.

CNG only:

• Fill type – the type of dispensing capability available at the station (e.g., fast-fill, time-fill).
• Fill pressure – the service pressure, in pounds per square inch (PSI), available at the station (e.g., 3,000, 3,600).

DOE will continue to make improvements to the Station Locator in the coming months. Upcoming changes include additional fields and search options, updates to the iPhone app, and a new app for the Android platform.

The Alternative Fueling Station Locator is a widely used tool, with over 140,000 users searching for natural gas stations on the AFDC last year alone. You can help keep the data up-to-date with planned and new stations using the “Submit New Station” in the top right corner of the Station Locator map or by emailing TechnicalResponse@icfi.com.

NGVAmerica members should also watch for monthly Natural Gas Station Report emails, which summarize station growth over time and recent station updates. These reports are compiled based on data from DOE’s Alternative Fueling Station Locator.