NGVAmerica News Week in Review: March 7, 2016

• South Jersey Gas and Wawa Team up on New Jersey’s 13^th CNG Station
• $10 Million Transit Deal Won by Clean Energy in New Jersey
• Ford Van and Wagon Models to Include CNG Options in 2017
• Clean Energy Continues to Grow with New and Existing Customers
• Agility Fuel Systems Unveils New 160 DGE Behind-The-Cab CNG Fuel System
• Researchers Work to Further Improve Natural Gas Vehicle Emissions
• Iveco Signs Agreement with Italian Biogas Consortium on Environmental Sustainability
• German Utility Takes Delivery of 12 CNG-Powered Mercedes-Benz Buses

South Jersey Gas and Wawa Team up on New Jersey’s 13^th CNG Station

March 7, 2016

Wawa convenience stores and South Jersey Gas have partnered to open a new fast-fill CNG station in Paulsboro, New Jersey. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was well attended by representatives of the two partners as well as local representatives. The new CNG station is located just off the I-295 and is open to both fleet and public vehicles powered by natural gas.

South Jersey Industries, which owns South Jersey Gas, has now purchased its 100^th vehicle powered by CNG and is on its way to converting its entire fleet to run on natural gas. “We’ve lowered our greenhouse gas emissions by about 700 tons per year,” said South Jersey Gas President Jeff Dubois.

Wawa build its first gasoline station 20 years ago, and now owns and operates 500 fueling locations. The station is the first in a pilot program that will allow South Jersey to analyze its demand for the fuel. The utility plans to invest in additional public access stations to fuel its growing fleet.

$10 Million Transit Deal Won by Clean Energy in New Jersey

March 4, 2016

Clean Energy has won a $10 million, multi-year procurement from New Jersey Transit, the nation’s third largest provider of bus, rail and light rail transit, which links major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia and provides close to 223 million passenger trips each year.

The procurement includes rebuilding a large CNG fueling station, as well as additional garage modifications and the repair and maintenance of facilities through 2020. New Jersey Transit is expected to operate a fleet of 147 CNG commuter buses estimated to consume approximately 2 million GGE each year.

Clean Energy also announced several other transit deals. In February, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) opened its Division 13 facility, a $6 million private CNG fueling station built by Clean Energy. The new facility, which will be maintained by Clean Energy for the next 10 years, will fuel approximately 175 buses that are expected to consume a total of 2 million GGEs of CNG annually.

Clean Energy extended its maintenance contract with Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (Santa Cruz Metro) in Santa Cruz, California, for an additional 5 years. The maintenance services support a station that fuels Santa Cruz Metro’s 100 CNG buses used throughout the county.

SP+, a provider of professional parking management, has signed a 5-year fueling agreement with Clean Energy to fuel 16 CNG buses for a new Consolidated Rent-A-Car facility located at the San Diego International Airport. The buses, owned by the San Diego Airport Authority, are anticipated to consume approximately 27,000 GGEs per month and will fuel with Redeem, Clean Energy’s RNG fuel.

Lastly, Clean Energy customer MV Transportation was awarded a CNG bus contract with Los Angeles World Airports. The 14 CNG buses will fuel exclusively at Clean Energy stations.

Ford Van and Wagon Models to Include CNG Options in 2017

March 1, 2016

Ford announced its 3.7L engine will now be standard on dual-rear wheel van and wagon models of the 2017 Transit Connect, lowering the base price and providing the option for CNG fuel systems. Ford is also introducing a number of enhancements across its van lineup for the 2017 model year, offering a choice of 64 configurations, up from 58 in the previous model year.

A low-profile center console option is available on all Transit variants for delivery drivers and others who want easier access to walk from the cab into the back of the vehicle. The feature also makes it easier for fleets to install computer equipment in the center console area.

“Walk-through center consoles are just one enhancement we are adding in response to real-world driver input,” says Yaro Hetman, brand manager, Ford Transit, Transit Connect and E-Series. “Fleet customers tell us they love Transit, and we are making it even better for the 2017 model year.”

Customers can begin ordering their 2017 Transit online starting April 4, with availability at Ford dealerships in September. Ordering for the 2017 Transit Connect cargo van and Transit Connect Wagon begins online March 14, with vehicles available at Ford dealerships in September.

Ford E-Series stripped chassis and cutaway get a new engine for 2017. The 6.2L V8 engine proven in Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks will be available midyear for 2017 E-Series cutaway. Customers can choose from the new 6.2L V8 or the standard 6.8L V10. A gaseous engine prep package is available for conversion to CNG, and an E-Series cutaway with the CNG package can be upgraded with aftermarket upfits to bi-fuel capability.

Clean Energy Continues to Grow with New and Existing Customers

March 4, 2016

This week, Clean Energy announced numerous agreements across the refuse and trucking markets, including the construction of new stations and extended maintenance and fueling contracts. In trucking, long-time customer Dillon Transportation signed a new agreement with Clean Energy to fuel its heavy duty trucks in Texas with Redeem, Clean Energy’s RNG fuel. Dillon currently operates 72 CNG and LNG trucks out of Dallas, San Antonio, Midland and Houston, which now fuel with Redeem to meet its customers’ sustainability goals. In 2015, Dillon’s fleet consumed 1.1 million GGEs of natural gas in Texas.

Raven Transport will deploy an additional 10 new LNG tractors out of Clean Energy’s Fort Worth, Texas, station starting in early March, which are expected to consume approximately 220,000 GGEs annually. The fueling contract runs through 2020.

Blackrock Logistics, based out of Pleasanton, California, has deployed 10 CNG trucks for its fleet and will be fueling at Clean Energy’s Fontana, California, station. The new three-year fueling agreement represents approximately 110,000 GGEs of CNG each year.

In refuse, Clean Energy will design, build, lease and operate a new station in Orange County, Florida, for FCC, a multi-national construction firm that was awarded a refuse collection contract with the county. FCC has deployed 46 CNG trucks for that contract and will be fueling at Clean Energy’s Orlando International Airport station until the new station is completed. FCC is anticipated to consume close to 410,000 GGEs per year.

Clean Energy has signed a contract to design and build two stations for Recology, one of the largest private refuse fleets in the country. In Brisbane, California, Clean Energy will design and build a time-fill and fast-fill station to support Recology’s current fleet of 64 CNG trucks, and be able to support their growth to 200 trucks in the future. At Recology’s Gilroy, California station, Clean Energy will design and build a time-fill station to support 50 CNG trucks.

Harrison Brothers Enterprises has signed a station design and build contract with Clean Energy to support their fleet of 13 CNG refuse trucks. The station will include 24 fueling hoses and have the capacity to fuel over 100 trucks, supporting the refuse haulers plans to expand their use of CNG as their fueling solution of choice.

Agility Fuel Systems Unveils New 160 DGE Behind-The-Cab CNG Fuel System

February 29, 2016

Agility Fuel Systems announced the launch of their new state-of-the-art 2016 160 DGE Behind-the-Cab CNG fuel system at the American Trucking Association’s Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) Exhibition in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Behind-the-Cab 160 DGE CNG fuel system from Agility delivers an efficient package for heavy-duty vehicle applications. This new CNG system from Agility boasts includes another of improvements, including a lighter weight and more compact design. The new system weighs 2,150 lbs and is mounted up to six inches closer to the cab, improving aerodynamics and available rail space. The CNG system also features Geomet coated fasteners for greater corrosion protection, and the system has been track-tested for one million miles.

Researchers Work to Further Improve Natural Gas Vehicle Emissions

March 4, 2016

Researchers at the University of Alberta are working on improving catalytic converters that will further reduce the emissions of natural gas vehicles. Chemical engineering professor Robert Hayes is one of six University of Alberta recipients of a three-year Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Strategic Partnership Grant. Hayes’ mission is to partner with industry and research collaborators to develop a more efficient catalytic converter to oxidize the small amounts of methane left over from the incomplete combustion of natural gas engines. One of the major hurdles is the challenge of the wet, low-temperature environment, which is needed to control other emissions.

“Making automobiles run on natural gas is a fad that has come and gone, but there is a huge interest in it again because methane releases the fewest amounts of greenhouse gases and it’s also incredibly cheap at the moment,” says Hayes.

And while natural gas engines are nothing new, Hayes says government regulations are now in place outlining how much methane, which has a greenhouse gas effect 23 times that of CO₂, comes out of a tailpipe. “This is an intensely challenging mission because none of the natural gas engine makers have a catalyst that is good enough to help,” said Hayes. “It is a huge prize if you can achieve it.”

Iveco Signs Agreement with Italian Biogas Consortium on Environmental Sustainability

​March 2, 2016

Iveco and the Italian Biogas Consortium, two of the biggest Italian companies engaged in the reduction of exhaust emissions, have revealed the details of their collaboration to promote the use of alternative fuels during a biogas event in Rome.

Among other things, this agreement covers the supply of Iveco natural gas and biomethane vehicles to Consortium-registered companies. This action marks the beginning of the collaborative effort of the two leading Italian players in the alternative fuels industry, united by the common goal of reducing CO₂ emissions.

Europe has acknowledged the strategic value of this biofuel for the transport sector and for its contribution to compliance with Directive 2009/28/EC on renewable energy sources. The Directive stipulates that a mandatory 10 percent minimum target must be achieved by all Member States for the share of biofuels in transport petrol and diesel consumption by 2020.

German Utility Takes Delivery of 12 CNG-Powered Mercedes-Benz Buses

March 4, 2016

Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses, handed over the symbolic key for twelve Mercedes-Benz Citaro NGT buses to Dr Walter Casazza, manager of the public utility Augsburger Stadtwerke.

For more than a year, Augsburg’s bus fleet has been using RNG, and it is the first city in Germany with an almost CO₂-neutral regular service. As the most important local public transportation company in the region, the Augsburger Stadtwerke currently run a bus fleet of 89 vehicles, all of which are powered by natural gas. The 12 Citaro NGT are a follow on delivery to the first Citaro NGT with new engine technology that was delivered in December 2015.