NGVAmerica News Week in Review: January 30, 2017

 

• NGVAmerica’s Governmental Affairs Director Paul Kerkhoven Retires
• NGVAmerica Hosts Stakeholder Meeting to Discuss Key Safety and Technical Issues
• Simple-Fill Fuels Regional Fleet with Innovative Approach to Natural Gas Compression
• Several Major U.S. Cities Are Using Greenkraft Alternative Fuel Trucks
• Muncie Sanitary District Recognized by Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition
• London Mayor Urged to Back Natural Gas Vehicles
• IVECO Stralis NP Voted Project of the Year at European Gas Awards of Excellence
• ABS Publishes LNG Bunkering Guide for Marine and Offshore Industries

 

NGVAmerica’s Governmental Affairs Director Paul Kerkhoven Retires

January 30, 2017

NGVAmerica’s long-time Director of Federal Government Affairs retired last week after nearly 20 years of dedicated service to the natural gas vehicle industry.  Paul Kerkhoven said goodbye to colleagues at a reception in his honor hosted by NGVAmerica’s Board of Directors and UPS in Washington.

“It’s been an honor to be a part of a great industry filled with wonderful people,” Kerkhoven said at the event.  “I have great memories of working with so many NGVAmerica members and feel a strong sense of accomplishment on all that we did together to help grow the industry.”

Over 100 NGVAmerica members, legislative staff, association allies, and family members of Paul attended the reception which was held at the UPS Townhouse on Capitol Hill.

“Paul’s work has made a real difference in putting more NGVs on the road and improving air quality for millions of Americans,” said NGVAmerica Chair Gordon Exel.

Paul plans to travel extensively and pursue his creative passions in the months ahead.

NGVAmerica members who wish to send their regards to Paul should call or email any of the NGVAmerica staff who can provide his new contact information.

 

NGVAmerica Hosts Stakeholder Meeting to Discuss Key Safety and Technical Issues       

January 30, 2017

The NGVAmerica Technology & Development Committee held its quarterly meeting this past week in Washington, DC.  The meeting demonstrated great collaboration between industry and government with representation from over 50 NGVAmerica member companies, the US Department of Transportation (DOT), the US Department of Energy (DOE), and national laboratories.  The meeting was an excellent occasion for the open discussion of issues and opportunities impacting the natural gas vehicle industry.

The DOT had participants from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).  NHTSA stated that the agency is in the process of going through its internal review of recommended changes to FMVSS 304 from the NGVAmerica Technology & Development Committee’s petition, which would take the inspection label requirements from three years / 36,000 miles to every twelve months.

The US DOT Office of Defects and Investigations presented a desire to continue working side by side with NGVAmerica and industry on investigations involving natural gas vehicles.  The NGVAmerica Incident Investigation and Root Cause Analysis Working Group will continue working with the US DOT Office of Defects and Investigations on incidents involving natural gas vehicles.

The DOE discussed upcoming funding opportunities and activities within DOE relating to natural gas vehicles. This meeting was also a great opportunity for NGVAmerica Technology & Development Committee members to learn about the work that many of the national laboratories are doing in the natural gas vehicle space—Sandia National Laboratory modeling indoor gas releases for maintenance facilities, National Renewable Energy Laboratory testing out of service CNG tanks, and Argonne National Laboratory developing tools to calculate greenhouse gas emissions of various conventional and alternative fuels.  The US DOE also informed the committee of current and upcoming funding opportunities for natural gas vehicles.  The US DOE and NGVAmerica will continue its long relationship of working together on opportunities to grow the natural gas vehicle industry.

There was a brief presentation of the Committee accomplishments from 2016.  These accomplishments include:  successful maintenance facility proposals to the International Fire Code Committee, the publication of Fleets Run Cleaner on Natural Gas White Paper and Infographic, the publication of Natural Gas >> A Clean, Safe, and Smart Choice for the Waste and Recycling Industry, hosting of an LNG in High Horsepower Symposium, a draft Recommended Practice with the American Trucking Association’s Technology Maintenance Council on natural gas fuel system inspections, and a petition to the US Department of Transportation to modify the inspection interval label recommendation from 3 years / 36,000 miles to every twelve months.

Committee members discussed Working Group priorities for 2017:

The NGVAmerica Emissions & Environmental Working Group is looking for opportunities to strengthen its messaging by reaching out to third parties, such as academic institutions and corporate sustainability associations, to collaborate on upcoming studies and publications.  The Research & Development Working Group has been tasked with identifying the R&D needs of the natural gas vehicle industry that would help move the industry forward.

The CNG Fuel System Inspection Working Group will continue leading the effort with the American Trucking Association’s Technology Maintenance Council on natural gas fuel inspection recommendations.  The Group will also continue to support the DOT on any supporting material to move the Committee’s petition forward.

The Gas Quality Working Group continues to support efforts from ASTM and SAE on the development of a gas quality standard.  The Working Group is also working with American Gas Association’s Building Energy Codes & Standards Committee on a survey of utilities throughout the US to get an understanding of the natural gas makeup.

The LNG Working Group is focused on identifying and removing technical barriers for the growth of the LNG market across vehicle segments. The Group is looking into various opportunities including personal protection equipment requirements during LNG fueling and upstream emissions for liquefaction and delivery. The Working Group will work closely with the Emissions and Environmental Working Group on upcoming studies and reports.

The Maintenance Facility Modification Working Group will be working on educational materials for authorities having jurisdiction to provide them with the appropriate materials to make a judgement on facility designs.

The Codes & Standards Working Group continues to seek input from Committee members as codes and standards are being developed.  The Working Group will continue to provide feedback to standard and code development organizations while keeping the Technology & Development Committee up to date on CNG and LNG standards being developed.

The Incident Investigation and Root Cause Analysis Working Group will continue to lead NGV incident investigations with the DOT, industry representatives, and national laboratories.  The overarching goal of the working group is to educate the industry as to root cause of the incident and ensure that there is proper coverage in NGV codes and standards to reduce the risk of occurrence in the future.

The committee is always looking to increase participation and asks that anyone interested in providing input should contact Dan Bowerson, NGVAmerica Director of Technology & Development, at dbowerson@www.ngvamerica.org.

 

Simple-Fill Fuels Regional Fleet with Innovative Approach to Natural Gas Compression

January 24, 2017

Simple-Fill, a developer of natural gas compression technology, announced it will be fueling fleet vehicles for the Safelite AutoGlass facility in Worthington, Ohio. Safelite AutoGlass is the largest vehicle glass repair and replacement company in the U.S., and the company aims to reduce operating expense with a more predictable and environmentally friendly fuel to power their commercial fleet.

“Safelite AutoGlass is committed to innovation in all aspects of our business, including exploration of alternative methods for fueling our fleet of vehicles,” said Doug Herron, EVP & CFO of Safelite AutoGlass. “We’ve searched for a partner in our quest for fuel efficiency as well as carbon footprint reduction, and we are excited to partner with Simple-Fill to finally make it happen.”

Simple-Fill uses liquid to compress, cool and dehydrate natural gas, while eliminating methane leakage. The technology was originally conceived in 2012 at The Ohio State University’s Center for Automotive Research.

In 2014, Simple-Fill signed an exclusive technology license with Ohio State and has been developing the technology since. Simple-Fill is now working with the CNG industry, including Worthington Industries and Parker Hannifin Corporation to bring this new approach to the mass market.

 

Several Major U.S. Cities Are Using Greenkraft Alternative Fuel Trucks

January 26, 2017

Greenkraft (GKIT) announced that many major U.S. cities are now using Greenkraft trucks for their daily operations. Greenkraft says they are regularly winning bids throughout the country and has already filled many of these truck orders with even more orders currently in the pipeline.

“GKIT is able to offer these trucks in sizes ranging from 14,500 lbs. to 33,000 lbs. which makes them viable in almost facet of the truck industry,” said George Gemayel, CEO of Greenkraft. “The increased demand and national recognition of our CNG truck line is set to dramatically increase GKIT’s revenue in the 2017 fiscal year.”

Greenkraft, Inc. continues to work diligently to provide long-term value and execute its clearly defined expansion plan.

 

Muncie Sanitary District Recognized by Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition

January 20, 2017

The City of Muncie and the Muncie Sanitary District were recognized for its GreenLine CNG Station by the Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition at the recently held 14^th Annual Indiana Legislator’s Luncheon.

At the event, Muncie Sanitary District was awarded the 2017 Natural Gas Award, recognizing GreenLine as East Central Indiana’s first municipally-owned CNG station. The award was accepted by Mayor Dennis Tyler—who saw the potential of the Muncie Sanitary District Board of Directors’ vision to create GreenLine—on behalf of the City of Muncie. GreenLine provides diesel alternatives for public and fleet vehicle use, contributing to Indiana’s efforts to reduce vehicle emissions.

“It is an honor for GreenLine to be recognized as the first CNG station of its kind in Indiana,” said Mayor Dennis Tyler. “The GreenLine CNG station represents our city’s commitment to be at the forefront of green initiatives in order to improve the quality of life for Muncie citizens.”

Public and private sector businesses in Indiana who make significant strides in the deployment and development of alternative fuels and technologies are recognized at the annual Indiana Legislator’s Luncheon. Award recipients have had a hand in creating green jobs, reducing mobile emissions, and creating energy security in Indiana.

The Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition sponsored the event to congratulate and thank those businesses contributing to the organization’s overall mission to reduce the United States’ dependence on foreign oil, generate green jobs, and improve air quality in Indiana.

 

London Mayor Urged to Back Natural Gas Vehicles

January 28, 2017

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been urged by former Development Minister Mike Foster to back natural gas-powered vehicles to improve air quality. Earlier this month, a Department of Transport backed study showed that gas engines gave significant improvements in air quality over their diesel counterparts.

Mr. Foster now runs a non-profit association working in the energy sector (the Energy and Utilities Alliance). Given the particular urgency around London air quality, the organization claims that this study provides the evidential base for the Mayor to signal that natural gas-powered vehicles should be used.

The report published by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, suggests that compared to a diesel Euro 6 engine, a gas equivalent reduces NOx by 41 percent and NO2 emissions by 74 percent.

You can read the letter in full here.

 

IVECO Stralis NP Voted Project of the Year at European Gas Awards of Excellence

January 26, 2017

IVECO Stralis NP has been voted “Project of the Year” at the European Gas Awards of Excellence 2017, during the European Gas Conference held in Vienna, Italy.

“We are very proud that IVECO has been again rewarded for its commitment to sustainability,” said Pierre Lahutte, IVECO Brand President. “IVECO saw very early that the future of transport was in sustainable alternatives solutions.”

IVECO created a market for natural gas powered transport vehicles, starting from refuse collection in 1996, followed by urban, then regional and inter-regional distribution, all the way to long-distance heavy-duty haulage with the launch in 2016 of the Stralis NP.

“IVECO introduced in the market natural gas versions of trucks, vans and buses, and as a result today more than 16,000 IVECO gas powered vehicles are running on European roads,” said Karl-Martin Studener, IVECO Business Director Austria, Central & Eastern Europe. “Our Natural Power technology is future-proof in that it provides a solution to polluting emissions with low Total Cost of Operation.”

 

ABS Publishes LNG Bunkering Guide for Marine and Offshore Industries

January 30, 2017

ABS, a provider of classification and technical services to the marine and offshore industries, has published the ABS Guide for LNG Bunkering. This new Guide provides standards for the design, construction and survey of LNG bunkering systems that are on board a vessel.

“This industry-leading Guide incorporates our expertise in the safety aspects of LNG storage and handling as well as LNG as fuel,” says ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki.

As LNG as fuel becomes more widely adopted in the marine industry, the infrastructure will continue to expand. ABS says LNG bunkering vessels are an example of that supply chain expansion and will provide a viable refueling option around the world. The ABS Guide for LNG Bunkering sets out standards for LNG bunkering systems fitted to vessels intended for ship-to-ship LNG transfer. The Guide also addresses bunkering station safety, lifting and hose handling equipment, control, monitoring and emergency shutdown safety systems and emergency release systems.

Recognizing the changing landscape and increased industry focus on gas, ABS launched its Global Gas Solutions team in 2013 to support industry in developing gas-related projects. ABS classed the world’s first LPG carrier conversion, the first LNG carrier conversion, the Methane Pioneer, in 1959, as well as the first newbuild LNG carrier, Methane Princess, in 1964, and has experience with the full scope of gas-related assets, including many of the most advanced carriers in service.

To download the ABS Guide for LNG Bunkering go to www.eagle.org.