NGVAmerica News Week in Review: January 4, 2016

 

• Trucking Company Launches Natural Gas Fleet in Florida
• P&G Completes Large Natural Gas Truck Deployment
• Advanced Disposal Begins Service in Georgia with New CNG Trucks
• Nebraska Waste Hauler Adds CNG Trucks to Omaha Fleet
• Transit Authority Partners with Waste Hauler for CNG Deployment
• IMPCO Receives EPA Certification for Bi-Fuel Ford F150 Truck Engine
• Metro Debuts New CNG Buses in Washington D.C.
• McNeilus Provides CNG System for Chicago Transport Company
• Cavagna Group Finalizes Acquisition of Florence-Based Bigas
• Wärtsilä Natural Gas Fuel Systems Chosen for 15 LNG Vessels

 

Trucking Company Launches Natural Gas Fleet in Florida

December 22, 2015

NFI, a leading supply chain solutions provider, launched a dedicated natural gas-powered fleet in central Florida. The new fleet consists of 12 CNG trucks, which will serve transportation operations for a national home improvement retailer in the region.

The natural gas operation in Florida expands NFI’s natural gas footprint to the southeast, which currently includes natural gas operations in California, Texas, and Pennsylvania. NFI deployed its first natural gas fleet in Los Angeles, California, in 2012. Since then, the company has been committed to adding sustainable fleets across the country and applying its findings to improve supply chain sustainability.

In partnership with NFI, GAIN Clean Fuel has opened a new CNG station strategically located in Kissimmee, Florida, to support the carrier’s operational needs.

“Even with fuel prices dropping, natural gas remains a sustainable, cost effective alternative to diesel,” said Bill Bliem, SVP Fleet Services at NFI. “NFI remains committed to lowering its emissions and impact on the environment.”

NFI is an EPA Smartway Transport Partner and continuously explores opportunities to utilize alternative fuels and develop sustainable best practices. Its trucks make use of AirTabs, trailer skirts, and speed limiters to decrease fuel usage, and they have pioneered the use of battery powered Auxiliary Powered Units (APUs). The EPA has awarded NFI the SmartWay Excellence award three times in recognition of its sustainability efforts.

 

P&G Completes Large Natural Gas Truck Deployment

December 30, 2015

Proctor & Gamble (P&G) has achieved its goal, first set out in 2013, of converting 20 percent of its North America truck transportation to cleaner-burning natural gas within two years. The achievement was announced as part of its 17^th annual Sustainability Report that outlines the company’s sustainable operations and the progress made to achieve its long-term sustainability goals.

“Sustainability is a responsibility and a business opportunity,” said P&G Vice President of Sustainability Len Sauers. “Since 2010, we have realized a cost savings of more than US$1.6 billion and have reduced our environmental impact. It is exciting to see the changes we are making in our operations, the benefits created for the business and the progress we are making against our sustainability goals

P&G’s broader intent was to spur innovation and additional infrastructure that would benefit both P&G and other users of natural gas-powered vehicles. P&G has more than tripled its amount of active CNG distribution lanes since last year and has realized several million dollars in fuel savings. In 2015, P&G logged more than 14 million miles and has contracts in place that will enable the company to move 25 percent of its North America truck transportation to natural gas by next year.

P&G is installing onsite CNG filling stations at some of our high-volume sites or, in most other cases, working with external CNG companies as an anchor tenant for new stations along key shipping lanes. The new CNG filling station at our Mehoopany, Pennsylvania, facility, which is now fully operational, is one such station. The onsite filling station enables over 60 trucks per day to use lower-emissions natural gas to deliver Bounty, Charmin, Pampers and other P&G products to the Northeast market.

To view the entire report, visit pg.com/sustainability.

 

Advanced Disposal Begins Service in Georgia with New CNG Trucks

January 2, 2015

Advanced Disposal will begin providing residential garbage and yard waste collection services to the former incorporated Macon, Georgia, communities on January 4, 2016. Advanced Disposal will provide weekly garbage and yard waste service to over 25,000 homes within the former Macon city limits with 18 trucks, 13 of which are fueled by cleaner burning CNG.

Privatization continues to grow across the U.S., as municipalities realize the potential benefits of a public-private partnership. These benefits can include cost savings, quality of service, management efficiency and risk mitigation. In many cases, a solid waste public-private partnership such as between Advanced Disposal and Macon-Bibb County can stabilize government tax rates.

“We provide our municipal clients with solutions to their needs that includes cost containment, service guarantees, risk protection, environmental stewardship and economic sustainability,” stated Charlie Gray, Advanced Disposal’s region vice president.

Advanced Disposal has also invested locally in Macon-Bibb County this September, building a $1.6 million CNG fueling station at its hauling facility.

“We’re proud of the fact that as of the end of 2015, approximately 15 percent of our company-wide fleet is running on CNG,” said Advanced Disposal CEO Richard Burke. “We continue to invest in CNG to not only keep our fleet running cleaner and to create a more sustainable Earth, but this cleaner fuel source also reduces operations costs thereby enhancing stakeholder returns.”

 

Nebraska Waste Hauler Adds CNG Trucks to Omaha Fleet

December 21, 2015

Papillion Sanitation, a local provider of trash and recycling services, has deployed a new CNG truck to serve the Omaha, Nebraska, area. Papillion will be getting three more CNG waste trucks in the next six months thanks to the help of Metropolitan Utilities District (M.U.D.).

“Metropolitan Utilities District is proud to be a partner in this project by providing financial assistance through our Compressed Natural Gas Fleet Fund,” stated Kyle Bowman, Natural Gas Vehicle Specialist at M.U.D.

Papillion Sanitation is making a positive impact on the environment and also on the company’s overall operations.  Besides the obvious fuel savings and environmental benefits, one of the largest advantages of running CNG is the noise reduction. The average natural gas engine runs 10 decibels quieter than a comparable diesel engine. This is especially beneficial to refuse trucks that service residential and downtown areas.

Papillion Sanitation is currently doing a Pay-As-You-Throw pilot program with the city of Bellevue, which is another program that is eco-friendly and increases awareness of recycling.

 

Transit Authority Partners with Waste Hauler for CNG Deployment

December 22, 2015

Rabbittransit, a transit services provider in Pennsylvania, launched its first CNG vehicle early this month to provide service between York and Harrisburg in a public-private partnership with waste hauler Republic Services.

The partnership with Republic Services allows rabbittransit the opportunity to fuel its new vehicle and begin the immediate benefits of CNG while the authority waits for the completion of its own infrastructure. Republic Services’ facility can fuel up to 65 vehicles including the 40-foot rabbittransit MCI coach, which carries up to 49 passengers. It takes approximately 20 minutes to fill the MCI bus through the CNG fueling system.

“We are grateful for the partnership that Republic Services has extended to us in allowing us to utilize their existing fueling station,” said Richard Farr, rabbittransit executive director. “It really is a great example of how private capital can work for public good.”

With more than 74 percent of its fleet past its useful life, rabbittransit’s vehicle replacement plan includes the transition to a predominantly CNG fleet. It will move its central operations and maintenance to a facility that is fully CNG compliant in the summer of 2016.

 

IMPCO Receives EPA Certification for Bi-Fuel Ford F150 Truck Engine

December 16, 2015

IMPCO Automotive has received certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its 2016 Ford F-150 (half ton) pickup truck. The truck features the 5.0L TI-VCT V8 engine. As a QVM Alternative Fuel partner with Ford, IMPCO Automotive uses its OEM experience to deliver an integrated and durable fuel system.

IMPCO Automotive’ s 5.0L Bi-Fuel CNG F-150 conversion can be purchased through any Ford Commercial Dealership with a ship-thru option for IMPCO’s Indiana Conversion Center. This product expands IMPCO Automotive’ s working class pick-up truck offering to include Dedicated & Bi-Fuel CNG F-250/F-350, Bi-Fuel CNG F-150 and Dedicated CNG Ford F-650/F-750.
Green Car Journal recently named the Ford F-150 as the 2016 Green Truck of the Year at the San Antonio Auto & Truck Show in Texas.

 

Metro Debuts New CNG Buses in Washington D.C.

December 21, 2015

Metro placed in service the first five new 40-foot CNG buses under a large order of nearly 300 buses to replace Metro’s oldest vehicles and improve customer convenience.

The new buses will run on routes that originate out of Metro’s Bladensburg Division, which primarily serves Northeast DC and parts of Prince George’s County, Maryland. The CNG buses being replaced have been in service for 15 years and are at the end of their useful life.

Metro is replacing 295 buses this year: 274 standard buses that are 40 feet in length, plus an additional 21 60-foot articulated buses that began service last month.

 

McNeilus Provides CNG System for Chicago Transport Company

December 30, 2015

McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation company, has engineered and installed a custom NGEN CNG system for over-the-road trucks owned by Gold Standard Transportation in Chicago, Illinois. The project included the addition of behind-the-cab vertical tanks that increased fuel capacity and traveling distance between fuel stops.

“McNeilus has installed complete CNG systems on four of my trucks, and also provided a custom installation to add 19 DGE capacity on two others,” said Gino Fortuna, president of Gold Standard Transportation. “I believe CNG is the future—primarily due to reduced fuel costs, cleaner running engines and extended longevity.”

The Gold Standard vertical tank installations were completed at McNeilus’ Chicago branch where certified technicians added 20 percent more fuel capacity for vehicles traveling to and from St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland and other locations in the Midwest. By integrating vertically mounted fuel tanks, the tractor-trailers are able to maintain the required swing clearance needed for operation.

“We engineered a custom solution to meet the unique requirements of Gold Standard Transportation – that’s an important component of our NGEN CNG systems initiatives,” said Brad Nelson, Oshkosh Corporation senior vice president and president of the commercial business segment.

McNeilus now has more than 5,000 NGEN CNG vehicles on the road across the U.S. McNeilus engineers a variety of mounting options and fuel capacities to meet customer needs, with new configurations constantly in development. NGEN CNG systems are installed on heavy-duty vehicles through the company’s national network of installation centers.

 

Cavagna Group Finalizes Acquisition of Florence-Based Bigas

December 21, 2015

Last November the Cavagna Group finalized the acquisition of Bigas, a company specialized in the production of fuel system technologies (reducers, injectors, control units) for engines powered by CNG and LPG. The Cavagna Group had already held 45 percent of the Florence-based company’s shares. The decision to take over Bigas is coherent with the development strategies of the Cavagna Group, as it is increasingly interested in having more direct involvement in the field of engine conversion to CNG fuel.

The Cavagna Group offers a broad range of products in the field of technologies and systems for the control, regulation and storage of compressed gases. It employs over 900 people worldwide and it is made up of nine vertically integrated production companies in Italy, and nine other companies spread out across five continents. Thanks to its distribution network, the Cavagna Group is now selling its products in more than 140 countries worldwide. Bigas was founded in 1968 by the Biagiotti family, and it designs, develops and manufactures fuel components and complete systems for engines powered by CNG and LPG.

 

Wärtsilä Natural Gas Fuel Systems Chosen for 15 LNG Vessels

December 28, 2015

A series of 15 inland waterway barges being built for Belgium based Plouvier Transport N.V., and which will be chartered by Shell Trading Rotterdam (Shell), are to be powered by Wärtsilä dual-fuel main engines. The barges will operate primarily on LNG. Wärtsilä will also supply other propulsion equipment and its LNGPac fuel gas handling system. The ships’ hulls are under construction in Poland.

In optimizing the efficiency parameters for these 15 vessels, Wärtsilä was able to draw on its experience from the two latest dual-fuel powered inland waterway vessels with Wärtsilä DF engines. The company also recently introduced a combined engine and thruster package that is ideal for the specific demands of river and inland waterway operation.

Shell will use these 360 ft. long barges to support its growing operations in the ARA (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp) and Rhinetrack (Germany/Switzerland) regions. The specified requirements were for environmental compliance, reliability, fuel flexibility, low operational costs, and a proven concept. The development of LNG as a cleaner fuel for shipping is supported by Shell, and these innovative new vessels represent an important endorsement of this support. They will also enhance the safety and efficiency performance of the company’s fleet.

For each barge, the full Wärtsilä scope of supply comprises a 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel main engine, a gearbox, an LNGPac fuel gas handling system (developed in close cooperation with Cryonorm), and a Wärtsilä propeller with an HR nozzle. The equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yards commencing in June 2016.