Renewable Natural Gas Breaking Motor Fuel Usage Records
RNG Accounted for 69 Percent of On-Road NGV Fuel Use in 2022
Washington, DC – Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVAmerica) and Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) today announced that 69 percent of all on-road fuel used in natural gas vehicles in calendar year 2022 was renewable natural gas (RNG), surpassing the previous year’s record-breaking level.
Captured above ground from organic material in agricultural, wastewater, landfill, or food waste, RNG can produce carbon-negative results when fueling on-road vehicles like short- and long-haul trucks, transit buses, and refuse and recycling collection vehicles. California Air Resources Board data confirms that the annual average carbon intensity (CI) value of California’s bio-CNG vehicle fuel portfolio in its Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program is carbon negative and below zero at -92.26 gCO2e/MJ.1
RNG use as a transportation fuel grew 17 percent over 2021 volumes, up 218 percent from 2018 levels. NGVAmerica and RNG Coalition report that in 2022 a total of 663 million gallons (GGE)2 of natural gas were used as motor fuel. Of that, 457 million gallons (GGE) were from renewable sources.3
“RNG-fueled heavy-duty vehicles are a scalable, affordable, and carbon-free-today solution for freight and transit fleets of all sizes,” said Dan Gage, President of NGVAmerica. “And with the upcoming availability of a 15-liter engine option, commercial fleet applications with the biggest torque and horsepower needs will also be able to transition to ultra-clean renewable natural gas motor fuel and displace diesel, saving on fueling costs and slashing their greenhouse gas emissions.”
“Renewable Natural Gas supply is growing,” said Johannes Escudero, Founder & CEO of Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas. “With 281 RNG facilities transforming waste into fuel, and another 476 planned or under construction, we are increasingly able to affordably offer consumers the opportunity to decarbonize with RNG – the cleanest of any fuel available today.”
RNG use as a motor fuel in 2022 displaced 5.63 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Put into perspective, RNG motor fuel use last year:4
- Lowered greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to removing the GHG from almost 14 billion miles driven by the average passenger car;
- Eliminated CO2 emissions, equivalent to removing CO2 emissions from almost 633 million gallons of gasoline consumed; and
- Sequestered carbon, equal to growing over 93 million tree seedlings for ten years, or 6.66 million acres of U.S. forests for one year.
Details of today’s report – including graphics – can be accessed at: NGVAmerica’s website HERE and RNG Coalition’s website HERE.
1 California Air Resources Board, Low Carbon Fuel Standard Program, Certified Fuel Pathways. Full year figure an average of data from Q4 2021 and Q1, Q2, Q3 2022. Available at: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/documents/lcfs-pathway-certified-carbon-intensities.
2 GGE = gasoline gallon equivalent.
3Total Natural Gas in Transportation Figure derived from U.S. EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook (2023) and RNG numbers derived from U.S. EPA Renewable Fuel Standard Program reporting with adjustments made based on fueler member reporting.
4 5,625,001 metric tons of CO2e eliminated in 2022 through RNG usage calculated using CARB’s LCFS carbon intensity (CI) numbers.
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NGVAmerica is a national trade association of sustainability solutionists and experts in the clean transportation field. Our roughly 200 members are dedicated to the development of a growing, profitable, and sustainable market for vehicles, ships and carriers powered by natural gas and biomethane. NGVAmerica member companies produce, distribute, and market natural gas and biomethane across North America, manufacture and service natural gas vehicles, engines, and equipment, and operate fleets powered by clean-burning gaseous fuels. Find out more at: www.ngvamerica.org.
Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas is the non-profit association providing public policy advocacy and education for the sustainable development, deployment, and utilization of renewable natural gas in North America. RNG Coalition membership is comprised of 380+ leading companies, municipalities, ports and airports, colleges, and universities throughout the United States and Canada. Find out more at www.rngcoalition.com.
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