NGVAmerica News Week in Review: February 20, 2017
- Miami Signs Contract with New Flyer to Build 300 Xcelsior Natural Gas Transit Buses
- California Energy Commission Approves Transportation Projects
- NGVAmerica Supports Upcoming NGV Global 2017 Conference and Exhibition
- Nassau Inter-County Express Exercises Options for 28 Xcelsior CNG Buses
- Pro-Natural Gas “Texas Fuels” Bill Introduced in Texas House
- Composites Institute Launches CNG Storage Collaboration Project
- SoCalGas to Feature RNG Technology and CNG Trucks at 50th Annual World Ag Expo
- IVECO Signs Agreement with Lannutti Group for 610 New Stralis trucks
Miami Signs Contract with New Flyer to Build 300 Xcelsior Natural Gas Transit Buses
February 16, 2017
New Flyer of America has been awarded a contract to build 300 40-foot Xcelsior CNG-powered buses for Miami-Dade Transit. The contract is part of a project launched by Miami-Dade County to replace 300 old diesel buses with new CNG vehicles. New Flyer was selected to manufacture the heavy duty transit buses and to provide aftermarket support to Miami-Dade County as part of an innovative turn-key competition awarded to Trillium CNG to design, build, operate and maintain CNG fuel service stations, upgrade maintenance facilities, and supply CNG fuel to Miami-Dade Transit, as reported last week. While there are no options as part of this initial contract, Miami-Dade County may elect to add additional CNG buses in the future as part of the larger initiative.
“Our Miami-Dade County Mayor, Carlos A. Gimenez , and our County Commissioners have directed the Department of Transportation and Public Works to upgrade our Metrobus fleet with buses that are more sustainable and use greener fuel sources,” said Alice N. Bravo , Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works Director. “By upgrading our fleet with CNG buses, we’re implementing a cost-effective approach to the reduction of our dependency on petroleum-based fuel and lowering our maintenance costs.”
Miami-Dade Transit is the 15th largest public transit system in the US, and the largest transit agency in the state of Florida who provides service from Miami Beach and Key Biscayne to West Miami-Dade, as far north as Broward County and as far south as Homestead, Florida City and the Middle Keys.
The contract is valued at approximately $159 million and will be used to replace some of Miami-Dade’s transit buses that have reached the end of their useful life. Delivery of these buses is planned throughout 2017 and 2018.
California Energy Commission Approves Transportation Projects
February 15, 2017
The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved a major report assessing energy trends and issues facing the state’s electricity, natural gas, and transportation fuel sectors during its recent business meeting.
The 2016 Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) Update highlights the state’s recent slate of legislative efforts – such as Senate Bills 32 and 1383 and Assembly Bills 197 and 1613 – which are designed, respectively, to enhance California’s nation-leading greenhouse gas reduction goals and to ensure they are implemented in a transparent and equitable way with benefits reaching disadvantaged communities.
Commissioners also approved several transportation-related projects during the meeting. The Kings Canyon Unified School District, Lemoore Union High School District and the Exeter Unified School District received $500,000 each to construct or expand their compressed natural gas fueling facilities.
In addition, a contract with the San Diego Community College District’s Advanced Transportation Technology Energy Center was increased from $2 million to $3 million. The center provides support for specialized training in clean fuels and advanced vehicle technologies to community college students throughout the state.
For more details on the actions taken at the recent meeting, visit the business meeting agenda.
NGVAmerica Supports Upcoming NGV Global 2017 Conference and Exhibition
February 17, 2016
NGVAmerica is a proud supporter of the upcoming NGV Global Conference and Exhibition being held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, March 21 – 23, 2017. Natural gas—whether CNG, LNG or RNG—continues to broaden its appeal and range of applications as a fuel for transportation. For thirty years, the NGV Global Conference and Exhibition has been the global meeting place for those with a stake in natural gas powered transport, gathering to chart the future of the industry.
In 2017, the 15th NGV GLOBAL Conference and Exhibition will be hosted in Rotterdam, Europe’s transportation hub, an ideal showcase for innovations in natural gas fueled land and marine transport technologies.
An event two years in the planning, it has a comprehensive conference program targeted at a global audience, covering policy, technology and implementation across the spectrum of NGV applications.
Exhibition sales are underway and the conference program is now available. For more information, visit the event website at www.ngv.global.
Nassau Inter-County Express Exercises Options for 28 Xcelsior CNG Buses
February 16, 2017
New Flyer of America announced that Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) located in Garden City, New York, and operated by Transdev Services has exercised an option under its current contract for 28 heavy duty 40-foot Xcelsior CNG buses, and has also purchased five 60-foot Xcelsior CNG buses. Once completed, 30 buses will remain on the contract to be exercised at a later date.
The 28 40-foot buses replace existing buses in the NICE fleet that have reached the end of their useful life and are placed into immediate service, while the five 60-foot buses will be placed into service beginning April 2017.
Pro-Natural Gas “Texas Fuels” Bill Introduced in Texas House
February 16, 2017
Texas State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa), filed House Bill 1979, the “Texas Fuels” bill, to harness funds restricted exclusively for emissions reduction purposes to promote the use of natural gas-based fuels in state fleet vehicles.
“The Texas Fuels bill is good for Texas,” said Landgraf. “It will help create jobs in places like the Permian Basin that are blessed with an abundance of natural gas, but it will also provide a path for economic growth and cost-savings for Texas taxpayers.”
Among other provisions, the bill would authorize portions of the Texas Emissions Reduction Program (TERP) fund to convert state fleets to include vehicles with engines that run on natural gas-based fuels. The program envisioned in the Texas Fuels bill should lead to an increase in natural gas production across Texas.
“Texas is the largest natural gas producer in the nation, and the Permian Basin is the largest natural gas producer in the state,” Landgraf said. “These co-products come from natural resources should be used to their fullest extent.”
Composites Institute Launches CNG Storage Collaboration Project
February 15, 2017
The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Department of Energy driven consortium committed to increasing domestic production capacity and manufacturing jobs across the U.S. composites industry, has launched its first technical collaboration project in the area of CNG storage. The project will combine partnership efforts from DuPont Performance Materials (DuPont), the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI), Composite Prototyping Center (CPC), and Steelhead Composites. The target objective of the project is to provide unique advantages to the storage of CNG with the use of thermoplastic composite technologies to achieve better durability, weight reduction, and recyclability.
“Our project team members include the complete supply chain, from material suppliers to tank manufacturers. By leveraging the strength of all partners, we have the opportunity to develop a disruptive manufacturing route resulting in higher performing, lower cost methods of compressed gas storage,” said Jan Sawgle, DuPont Performance Materials, Project Manager.
The project plan will take advantage of several unique technologies combined with the expertise of each partner. DuPont will provide material science and pultrusion expertise; Composite Prototyping Center will leverage its world-class Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) capabilities; as the leader for IACMI’s CGS Technology Area, UDRI will contribute material evaluation and mechanical testing; and Steelhead will bring market-leading CGS design and testing. In addition to the innovation in manufacturing process, DuPont is providing a novel polyamide resin having superior toughness increased damage resistance, and an additional degree of safety compared with the current epoxy-based systems.
SoCalGas to Feature RNG Technology and CNG Trucks at 50th Annual World Ag Expo
February 13, 2017
Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) will highlight innovative natural gas technologies at the 50th Annual World Agricultural (Ag) Expo, February 14 – 16, at the International Agri-Center in Tulare, California. Also known as “The Farm Show,” the three-day event is the largest event of its kind.
SoCalGas’ booth will be located at H and Meridian streets at the event and will feature: a live renewable natural gas demonstration showing how dairy waste can be converted into usable energy; a long-haul semi-truck equipped with Cummins-Westport’s new 400 horsepower 11.9L engine shown to reduce harmful emissions by 90 percent; and information about how on-site distributed generation can use agricultural waste or excess heat to replace power from the electric utility.
“Clean, affordable natural gas can help farmers save money and will help California meet its clean air and renewable energy goals,” said Lisa Alexander, SoCalGas’ vice president of customer solutions and communications. “We’re proud to offer affordable, low-cost natural gas to farmers in our service territory, and it’s exciting to see how we can help this very important industry save money, energy, and water by using natural gas.”
IVECO Signs Agreement with Lannutti Group for 610 New Stralis trucks
February 15, 2017
IVECO has signed an agreement with the European integrated logistics group Lannutti for the supply of 610 New Stralis XP and NP trucks. These specific model types were chosen by Lannutti Group for their ability to reduce fuel consumption and maximize payload. The New Stralis NP model is equipped with an IVECO Cursor 9 engine, engineered by FPT Industrial, with a dual LNG tank.
Lannutti Group was established over 50 years ago and today has operations in seven European countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania and Spain. With this agreement Lannutti confirms its ambitions as a European logistics player in search of the most innovative green technologies thanks to the profitable and consolidated partnership with IVECO.
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