NGVAmerica News Week in Review: January 8, 2018

• Cummins Westport Receives 2018 Emissions Certifications for ISX12N Natural Gas Engine
• NGVAmerica Update on Available Funding and Public Comment Opportunities
• Colorado City Awarded $1M for Project to Convert Sewage Treatment Gas to Fuel
• Southern California School District Opens CNG Fueling Station
• Waste Management to Invest $23 Million in Southern California Facility
• Clean Energy Names Stephen Scully Chairman of Board of Directors
• S. Gain Hires New Marketing Manager Stephanie Lowney
• Westport Fuel Systems Announces Agreement with Tata Motors in India
• Ireland to Develop EU-Funded Natural Gas ‘Causeway’ to Greener Transportation
• TOTAL Newbuild Orders X Carrier Series of LNG ships

 

Cummins Westport Receives 2018 Emissions Certifications for ISX12N Natural Gas Engine

January 4, 2018

Cummins Westport has received certifications from both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for its 2018 ISX12N natural gas engine. Like the Cummins Westport L9N engine, the ISX12N meets CARB optional Low NOx standard of 0.02 g/bhp-hr, a 90 percent reduction from engines operating at the current EPA NOx limit of 0.2 g/bhp-hr.

The ISX12N is the first Class 8 truck engine for larger heavy-duty vehicles to certify to the 0.02 g/bhp-hr optional standard, providing the trucking industry with a near-zero emissions solution today.

“This official certification confirms that CWI natural gas engines are among the cleanest commercially-available engines today for truck and bus vehicle use,” said NGVAmerica President Daniel Gage.  “With 6.7, 9, and 12 liter options, Cummins Westport has a certified, commercially-available natural gas engine for virtually every medium- and heavy-duty application.”

Based on the ISX12 G, first introduced in 2013, the ISX12N natural gas engine will be available with ratings from 320 to 400 hp and up to 1,450 lb-ft. of peak torque. The ISX12N is designed for line haul, regional haul, refuse, and vocational trucks, as well as motorcoach and commuter buses. Like Cummins Westport’s new L9N and B6.7N engines, the ISX12N will feature a new engine control module with improved durability, on-board diagnostics, an enhanced, maintenance-free three-way catalyst, and a closed crankcase ventilation system.

“Cummins Westport’s 2018 product line offers customers ultra low emissions with reliable performance,” said Bart van Aerle, President of Cummins Westport. “The ISX12N near-zero emissions natural gas engine provides truck and bus customers with an industry-leading alternative fuel option for demanding applications.”

All CWI engines offer customers the choice of using CNG, LNG or renewable natural gas (RNG) as a fuel. RNG is pipeline-quality natural gas produced from the decomposition of organic waste, which can come from a variety of sources such as dairy farms, landfills, and urban waste treatment plants. Combining Cummins Westport’s ultra low emission engines with RNG fuel provides additional and significant GHG reductions.

Natural gas vehicles (NGVs) have long been the choice of fleet managers interested in escaping the volatility of ever-changing gasoline and diesel prices.  NGVs are powered by American fuel, American technology, and American innovation.  Vehicles powered by these new engines have the cleanest emissions profile of any fuel on the market today, and NGVs make a difference through a variety of applications – trucks, trash, transit, marine and rail.  No commercially-available heavy-duty powertrain solution today runs cleaner than natural gas.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), SoCalGas, California Energy Commission (CEC), and Clean Energy Fuels provided engine development funding support. Production will begin in February of 2018.

 

NGVAmerica Update on Available Funding and Public Comment Opportunities

January 8, 2017

NGVAmerica tracks available funding and business opportunities that are significant to the NGV industry. Below is information on current funding and public comment opportunities.

NJ Board of Public Utilities Modifies CNG Grant Program, Extends Opportunity

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has issued a decision amending the grant program for CNG vehicles to increase the dollar amounts provided to $25,000 per vehicle and to increase the maximum allowed per application to $50,000. The program also has been extended to include all counties in the state.

This funding opportunity is open to Class 5 – 8 OEM CNG-powered vehicles.  Initially the opportunity was set to close on December 20, 2017, but is now open from January 2, 2018 to April 2, 2018, on a first come first serve basis. Information on this program and updated applications forms should be posted here. As of January 6, this information does not appear to have been updated.

Ohio Finalizes Rules and Announces Alternative Fuel Vehicle Funding Availability

The Ohio EPA has issued final regulations providing the requirements for the Alternative Fuel Transportation Fund. This program was first authorized by HB 390 and is funded at $5 million for CNG, LNG and propane projects involving vehicles that weigh 26,000 lb. or more.  OEM and conversions qualify for grants worth 50 percent of the incremental cost or $25,000 whichever is less. The program limits grants for persons to no more than $400,000.

Grants are awarded on a first come first basis and applicant must demonstrate that half the miles of vehicles will be operated in the state. This program does not require the destruction of the engine of the vehicle being replaced.

A Public Information Session about the grant opportunity will be offered on Thursday January 25, 2018 at the Ohio Department of Transportation in Columbus, Ohio. Two conference calls are scheduled on February 8 and February 27 to take questions from prospective applicants. Dial-in information for the calls is included in the Grant Application Guidelines posted below. Ohio EPA will post a summary of questions and answers from these sessions on its website.

The earliest date that grant applications may be submitted is March 6, 2018. Applications submitted prior to this time will not be considered. Applications must be submitted by e-mail to derg@epa.ohio.gov. Applications will be considered in the order received, and grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to applicants whose proposals are deemed complete and eligible, until all available funds have been allocated. More information on this funding opportunity is available here.

U.S. EIA Requests Comments on Alternative Fueled Vehicles Survey Form (EIA-886)

In December, EIA issued a notice requesting comments on proposed changes to EIA-886, Annual Survey of Alternative Fueled Vehicles (AFV).  Comments should be sent by February 20, 2018.

This form is used to collect information from manufacturers on the types and quantity of AFVs they made available in the previous year and plan to make available in the next year. It also is used to collect information from fleets operated by federal agencies, state governments, and fuel providers on the types of AFVs they operate and the quantity of alternative fuel their vehicles consume. The notice indicates the agency is interested in understanding whether EIA should expand the information that is collected and also asked whether there are other ways to identify the information that is collected.

EIA is proposing making changes to the classification of vehicles to more closely align with EPA vehicle categories used in the MOVES model. The notice is available here, and the proposed form here.

 

Colorado City Awarded $1M for Project to Convert Sewage Treatment Gas to Fuel

January 3, 2018

The City of Longmont recently announced it will begin construction of a project at its Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) to make fuel from gas produced in the treatment of Longmont’s sewage. The project will convert biogas (generated through anaerobic digestion) into clean renewable natural gas (RNG) that will be used to power the city’s trash trucks. Longmont will be the first city on Colorado’s eastern slope to convert biogas to vehicle fuel.

The project will require new biogas cleaning equipment at the WWTP and fueling infrastructure. To support this effort, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs recently awarded the City with a $1 million grant to offset a portion of the capital costs required. Upon completion of the RNG fueling station in 2019, 11 of the City’s 16 diesel trash trucks will be replaced with trucks capable of using the cleaner-burning. The remaining five diesel trucks will be replaced in 2021. The Colorado Regional Air Quality Council awarded the City with a grant for $35,000 per truck ($385,000 total) to cover 80 percent of the incremental cost.

When the project is complete, it is estimated that the City will be offsetting over 60,000 gallons of fossil fuels annually, reducing greenhouse gases by nearly 800 metric tons of CO2-equivalent per year. The project will also eliminate the variability in fuel costs for trash services and provide a revenue stream to fund future WWTP projects through the sale of federal renewable fuel credits.

The RNG fueling station is an example of the city pursuing an innovative project that provides economic value to the community while also aligning with multiple goals in its Envision Longmont & Sustainability Plans.

 

Southern California School District Opens CNG Fueling Station

January 4, 2017

The Fullerton Joint Union High School District (FJUHSD) recently hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the school district’s new CNG fueling station in La Habra, California.

Currently, 19 district buses run on natural gas and fill up at the FJUHSD bus yard through both time-fill and fast-fill dispensers. The majority of the buses were acquired through the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (SCAQMD) incentive program where environmentally friendly CNG buses are offered as replacements for older diesel and gas burning buses. FJUHSD expects to replace most of its diesel and gas burning bus fleet with CNG vehicles in the coming years.

Grants from SCAQMD, Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC), and the California Energy Commission (CEC) helped fund the necessary $3.2 million upgrades to the CNG infrastructure. These upgrades also include a public fast-fill CNG station where commuters, businesses, municipalities, and local educational agencies can fill vehicles.

Consumers can use credit, debit, or fleet cards to fuel vehicles 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The school district expects to use the additional revenue from the public CNG station to fund further vehicle replacement.

 

Waste Management to Invest $23 Million in Southern California Facility

December 27, 2017

Waste Management is expanding its operations by constructing a new, cutting-edge facility featuring CNG refueling at RiverPort Business Park in Hardeeville, South Carolina. The company will invest $23 million at the new 25,000 square-foot facility that will be located on Highway 17, off I-95 in Jasper County.

Waste Management’s Hardeeville facility will feature a CNG fueling station that will support a fleet of new trucks powered by natural gas instead of diesel fuel. Waste Management’s Hardeeville project received funding in partnership with the Center for Transportation and the Environment in Atlanta and as part of a competitively selected U.S. Department of Energy cost-shared award for its focus on using CNG.

“This state of the art facility is a very exciting project for Waste Management, the Lowcountry, our employees, and our customers,” said Tracey Shrader, the Area President for Waste Management. “We continue to be a leader in our industry by investing in CNG infrastructure and trucks fueled by CNG, a win for our customers, the environment, and Waste Management.”

Waste Management says the new trucks are expected to reduce the use of diesel fuel by an average of 8,000 gallons per truck per year along with a reduction of 14 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.  The vehicles also emit nearly zero particulate emissions, cut greenhouse gas emissions by over 20 percent, and are quieter than diesel trucks.

Construction for the project began in December 2017.

 

Clean Energy Names Stephen Scully Chairman of Board of Directors

January 5, 2018

Clean Energy Fuels has appointed Stephen Scully as Chairman of its board of directors. The election of Mr. Scully, who has been a member of the board since 2014, took place at the board’s meeting in December and is effective immediately. Mr. Scully will replace Warren Mitchell, who will remain on the board.

“Steve’s years of experience in the transportation industry as well as his solid managerial skills have proven invaluable to the board, to me and to other Clean Energy executives,” said Andrew J. Littlefair, CEO and president of Clean Energy. “I’m confident that Steve’s elevation to Chairman will give us the continuity we need as the company continues to grow and particularly as the trucking industry, which Steve is so steeped in, continues its transition to the clean alternative of natural gas fuel.”

Mr. Scully, 58 years old, was founder and president of the Scully Companies, a California-based truck leasing and specialized contract carriage provider. He started the company immediately after graduating from college in 1981 and subsequently sold it to Ryder System in 2011. The Scully Companies was the largest independent asset based logistics provider in the western U.S. Mr. Scully is a past chairman and director of the National Truck Leasing System, board member of the Truck Rental and Leasing Association, board member of Ameriquest Transportation and Logistics Resources and member of the California Trucking Association.

“My optimism continues to grow for Clean Energy’s future,” said Mr. Scully. “The world is waking up to the harmful impact diesel is having on our environment and there is no better alternative for fleets than natural gas.”

Mr. Scully holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California and serves on the advisory board of USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies.

 

U.S. Gain Hires New Marketing Manager Stephanie Lowney

January 4, 2018

U.S. Gain, a division of U.S. Venture, has hired Stephanie Lowney as the division’s marketing manager.

In the position, Lowney will focus on helping customers achieve their sustainability objectives by communicating the environmental and economic benefits of implementing GAIN Clean Fuels within customers’ operations, and sharing the value propositions of GAIN through a variety of strategic marketing initiatives.

“The breadth of Stephanie’s strategic thinking and business-to-business marketing expertise will bring positive growth, brand recognition and a renewed sustainability focus for the business,” says U.S. Gain President Mike Koel. “We’re excited and energized to have join our team.”

Lowney previously worked for Miller Electric Mfg. Co. for 10 years in a variety of marketing, sales and product management roles, most recently as senior product manager. In that position, she led strategic new product development and marketing efforts for one of the company’s key growth divisions, delivering increased market share and revenue.

“What excites me the most about working for U.S. Gain is the ability to make an impact,” Lowney says. “I have the unique opportunity to market a portfolio of products that can reduce a company’s carbon footprint and create a better environment for tomorrow.”

Lowney earned a Master of Business Administration from Lakeland University and has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. She’s currently enrolled in the Center for Exceptional Leadership at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin.

 

Westport Fuel Systems Announces Agreement with Tata Motors in India

January 2, 2018

Westport Fuel Systems has entered into a development and supply agreement with Tata Motors for their 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder natural gas spark-ignited commercial vehicle engine family to meet the Indian Government’s new Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission standards, scheduled to take effect in April of 2020.

Westport Fuel Systems has been working with Tata Motors since 2012 and has partnered to develop and launch their current BS-IV certified natural gas spark-ignited engines for commercial vehicles. Under this new program, since spring 2017, Westport Fuel Systems has been developing their next generation of natural gas spark-ignited engines to meet the BS-VI emission standards. Upon completion of the program, Westport Fuel Systems will be supplying the critical natural gas components to Tata Motors, including advanced gas injection systems and controls, featuring the new Westport WP582 Engine Management System, built to optimize the overall engine performance and fuel efficiency.

“Tata Motors values the partnership with Westport Fuel Systems on this important engine development program,” said Rajendra Petkar, VP & Head (Power Systems Engineering, ERC) of Tata Motors. “We have worked hard to build a leadership position in the market by providing our customers with economical, best-in-class natural gas engine and vehicle products. By partnering with Westport Fuel Systems, we are enhancing our portfolio of natural gas engines so we can focus on increasing our market share even further.”

BS-VI standards, which are equivalent to Euro-VI standards, are two steps ahead of the BS-IV standards currently in effect due to a heightened concern on India’s air quality levels. Recent rules enacted in Delhi and the National Capital Region place limits on diesel and petrol vehicles while mandating natural gas for commercial vehicles such as taxis and city buses. Significant environmental benefits of the BS-VI over BS-IV include about an 87 perecnt reduction in tail pipe NOx emissions and 55 percent reduction in methane emissions beside stringency required by on-board diagnostics standard.

India is one of the world’s largest commercial vehicles markets. According to NGV Global statistics, India currently has more than 3 million natural gas powered vehicles, up 69 percent since last year, with over 1,200 CNG fueling stations. In addition, recently the Ministry for Road Transportation and Highways approved plans to develop LNG fueling stations across the country.

 

Ireland to Develop EU-Funded Natural Gas ‘Causeway’ to Greener Transportation

January 3, 2018

NUI Galway and Gas Networks Ireland are leading the introduction of CNG and renewable natural gas for trucks, vans and buses in Ireland. The project will support an overall nationwide roll-out of 70 CNG filling stations. In addition to this, a renewable gas injection facility will be built in 2018. This will introduce renewable gas into the natural gas network for the first time.

The work which is undertaken in Ireland will be monitored and documented by NUI Galway. This research will then be fed back to gas operators all over Europe and will assist in the development of similar projects across the continent.

“Transport accounts for over one third of all energy used in Ireland,” said Denis O’Sullivan, Head of Commercial at Gas Networks Ireland. “The development of a natural gas transport network will significantly de-carbonise Ireland’s commercial fleet. CNG, and the soon to be introduced renewable gas, will play a major role in making transport in Ireland cleaner.”

The Causeway project, which is funded under the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), will deliver a clean energy project for Ireland’s transport sector, and in doing so, provide a template for the rest of Europe. NUI Galway is leading the dissemination element of the nearly $30 million project. Its work will facilitate new green energy developments across Europe.

 

TOTAL Newbuild Orders X Carrier Series of LNG ships

January 4, 2018

TMS Cardiff Gas has signed a contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries of Korea (HHI) for the construction of an LNG carrier with XDF propulsion, with the option for a second vessel. This order is the first in the Company’s X Carrier Series of orders, which expands the Company’s fleet of managed vessels to ten. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2020, when she will enter into a seven year time charter contract with TOTAL Gas & Power Chartering.

This order marks the company’s further expansion into the LNG sector. The company maintains its interest for further growth in the sector, which is reflected by the additional capacity made available with optional vessels for delivery in 2020 and 2021.

“TOTAL is an important customer for TMS Cardiff Gas and we look forward to providing them with first class LNG shipping services as they continue to expand their LNG activities,” said Christos Economou, Founder of TMS Cardiff Gas.