NGVAmerica News Week in Review: September 6, 2016

 

• Clean Energy Wins CNG Contract with Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
• California Legislature Sends Climate Change and Clean Air Bills to Governor
• Peterbilt Offers Cummins ISL-G Near Zero Emissions Engine
• California School District Expands CNG Refueling Infrastructure
• NATSO Calls on DOT to Work to Establish Alternative Fuel Corridors
• IMPCO Technologies Releases New GS2 High-Flow CNG Fuel Injector
• Two New Large LNG-Powered Ships for Carnival Cruise Line

 

Clean Energy Wins CNG Contract with Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

September 1, 2016

Clean Energy has been awarded a multi-year contract for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which provides transit services to more than 4 million people across the National Capital Region. The contract covers two transit stations that supply over 580 CNG transit vehicles and represents approximately 6 million GGEs per year.

Clean Energy has also signed additional agreements across multiple markets in the US. In transit, Akron Metro Regional Transportation Authority held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the public expansion of their CNG fueling station in Akron, Ohio. The private station, which is operated and maintained by Clean Energy to fuel Akron’s 60 full-sized CNG Transit buses, and 31 paratransit buses, will now offer CNG to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Clean Energy will handle the retail, operations and maintenance of the public facility as well.

Foothill Transit, the largest municipal operator in Los Angeles County, has awarded Clean Energy a $1.4 million contract to upgrade one of two Clean Energy natural gas fueling stations, which support 361 CNG transit vehicles. The stations, currently under a maintenance contract with Clean Energy until 2024, dispense approximately 6 million GGEs per year.

Clean Energy is completing an expansion of BC Transit’s Nanaimo Transit Center in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. The station, originally built by Clean Energy in 2013, can now accommodate 50 CNG transit buses and is part of BC Transit’s long term plan to expand the use of CNG buses at many of their transit facilities.

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority has contracted with Clean Energy to design & build a new CNG station at the Nashville airport. Clean Energy was also awarded a seven-year operation and maintenance agreement for the station, which is expected to initially fuel 28 natural gas shuttle buses and other airport vehicles with an anticipated 350,000 GGEs per year.

The Los Angeles World Airport’s Board of Directors has approved Clean Energy’s bid to supply CNG fuel for LAX’s offsite parking buses and service vehicle fleet. Clean Energy has three CNG fueling stations at the airport and expects to provide approximately 800,000 GGEs per year for the airport’s fleet.

In refuse, USA Hauling and Recycling has contracted with Clean Energy to design, build, operate and maintain a third natural gas station in Connecticut. The new station, located in East Windsor, will initially serve 40 natural gas refuse trucks with time-fill dispensers, representing an anticipated 600,000 GGEs per year.

Waste Connections, the third largest refuse hauler in the US, signed a contract for Clean Energy’s Redeem for its San Jose, California location. The station is expected to use approximately 660,000 GGEs of Redeem annually.

Burrtec Waste Industries, the largest private solid-waste company in California, has signed a contract to begin using Redeem at its Fontana station. Burrtec will also use Redeem at their Santa Clarita station, which is currently being built by Clean Energy. The two stations combined are anticipated to account for approximately 800,000 GGEs per year.

Clean Energy has completed construction of a time-fill CNG station in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for GFL (Green for Life) Environmental, one of Canada’s largest liquid and solid refuse companies.

In trucking, Mark W. Clemons Trucking, a USPS carrier, has named Clean Energy its preferred provider for fueling services in Arizona and California. Clemons currently has a CNG fleet of eight heavy-duty and 3 Class 7 box trucks, and is expected to consume approximately 120,000 GGEs per year.

In addition to these projects, Clean Energy Fuels secured $1.2 million in grant funding for 7 Clean Energy customers in the refuse, transit and trucking industries. The grants, awarded by four different states, provide funding for a total of 53 NGVs, including refuse vehicles for South San Francisco Scavenger, shuttle vehicles for Wally Park at the Denver International Airport, and CNG trucks for Testa Produce in Illinois.

 

California Legislature Sends Climate Change and Clean Air Bills to Governor

September 6, 2016

This past week, the California legislature sent several important climate change and clean air bills to Governor Brown. The use of natural gas as a transportation fuel could help achieve the emissions reductions set by legislators if industry continues to work with California.

SB32 ratchets up the state’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emission by codifying a target that emissions are reduced by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2030.  California currently is on track to meet an earlier target that greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to 1990 levels by 2020.  SB32 had faced stiff opposition in the legislature from business interests and republicans as well as legislators who felt that climate change legislation has not done enough to help poorer communities.

To shore up support for SB32, legislators and Governor Brown supported adoption of another bill, AB197, a measure that directs California Air Resources Board (CARB) to prioritize disadvantaged communities when adopting climate change regulations, and it also requires CARB to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of regulations.

While both bills extend CARB’s authorities and further underscore the states commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, neither measure specifically extended the states cap-and-trade program. That program currently is at issue in a lawsuit brought by the business community in California, which has argued the program is a tax. If the argument prevails, the legislature would have to authorize the program by two-third majority vote, which could be difficult to achieve. Neither SB32 nor AB197 achieved that level of support. The cap-and-trade program continues to be an important source of revenue for many clean air and climate change initiatives.

Another important bill that was sent to the Governor is AB1613, a bill that directs how discretionary revenue from the cap-and-trade program is to be spent in the next several years.  According to the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition (CNGVC), the bill includes $150 million in spending for heavy-duty vehicles and off-road equipment, including $23 million in incentives for new low-NOx trucks and buses. These initiatives are expected to help natural gas buses as are other spending provisions related to public transit vehicles and clean fuel vehicles.

The adoption of these bills would appear to be good news for natural gas vehicles.  The more stringent greenhouse gas targets in particular would appear to favor efforts to expand the use of renewable natural gas.  New low-emission engine entering the market also should help California with its effort to address local air pollution concerns.

 

Peterbilt Offers Cummins ISL-G Near Zero Emissions Engine

August 30, 2016

Peterbilt Motors is now offering the Cummins Westport ISL-G Near Zero NOx emissions natural gas engine for Peterbilt models 567, 520 and 320. The ISL-G Near Zero engine emissions are 90 percent lower than the current EPA NOx limit through the introduction of a unique three-way catalyst in the after-treatment, advanced engine calibration and a closed crankcase ventilation system.

“Peterbilt is producing increasingly efficient products,” said Scott Newhouse, Peterbilt Chief Engineer. “The addition of the ISL-G Near Zero emissions engine strengthens Peterbilt as an environmental leader.”

The new engine’s performance and efficiency match the current ISL-G, with 320 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft torque available. Customers with line-haul, vocational and refuse applications will benefit from the efficient option. The Cummins ISL-G Near Zero emissions engine will become available for production in Models 520 and 320 by year-end. The new engine will become available in the Model 567 in early 2017.

 

California School District Expands CNG Refueling Infrastructure

September 2, 2016

Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) in California has begun Kern Phase 2 of a CNG expansion that is being funded by $1.75 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the California Energy Commission.

This next phase will include an additional compressor, storage tanks, another fast-fill dispenser, eight new time-fill hoses, and a portable CNG refueling trailer. With their portable refueler, they will be able to station it out at school district sites to fill their buses. This will allow districts that would like to add CNG buses to their fleets but they are too far away from the facility to transition to CNG. The expansion is scheduled to be completed by February 2017.

KCSOS says sending students to school in buses that run cleaner and use less expensive fuel not only improves regional air quality, it puts the savings back into the classroom and helps school financial officials breathe a little easier as well.

The KCSOS office began transitioning its school bus fleet to CNG in 1999, and has taken advantage of grant opportunities to grow its fleet of 60 CNG buses and a fueling station. For phase one of its CNG expansion effort, completed in December 2015, KCSOS received $2 million in grants from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and the Rose Foundation. The phase one expansion included adding two new compressors, fast-fill CNG dispensers, shade canopies with LED lighting, and 46 time-fill hoses. KCSOS also operates a public CNG refueling station at its maintenance facility—one of only two public CNG stations in the entire Bakersfield area.

 

NATSO Calls on DOT to Work to Establish Alternative Fuel Corridors

September 1, 2016

NATSO called on the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to work with private, exit-based businesses within the confines of the existing law that prohibits the sale of fuel and other commercial services at rest areas as it seeks to identify and establish stretches of the National Highway System as alternative fuel corridors.

In comments filed last month, NATSO urged the agency to implement Section 1413 of the FAST Act in a manner that strengthened the incentive for private investment for infrastructure for alternate-fueled vehicles without preempting consumer demand.

Section 1413 of the FAST Act directed DOT to identify and establish fueling corridors to support alternative-fueling stations, including natural gas and other alternative fueling stations. DOT is further charged with identifying the near- and long-term need for, and locations of, alternative refueling infrastructure for both passenger and commercial vehicles.

In its comments, NATSO said that working with existing exit-based establishments to install the necessary infrastructure at privately run businesses, including truck stops and travel plazas, represents the best way for the Administration to accomplish its objectives of increasing alternative fueling infrastructure throughout the country. State governments should not provide transportation fuel paid for with tax dollars, NATSO said.

Building alternative fuel facilities at truck stops provides the opportunity for an incremental investment at an existing facility and is a very efficient way of accomplishing the Administration’s goals. NATSO says its members’ locations are well positioned to play a vital role in establishing alternative fuel corridors.

 

IMPCO Technologies Releases New GS2 High-Flow CNG Fuel Injector

August 29, 2016

IMPCO Technologies, a division of Westport Fuel Systems, has confirmed the release of a new GS2 high flow CNG fuel injector, available globally. The new injector provides a cost effective solution for high flow requirements as its flow capacity can reduce the total number of injectors required for many applications.

Designed and built to OEM standards, the Peak and Hold injector is compatible with CNG and LNG in either 12V or 24V systems. Other features include a compact cartridge style design and a side fuel feed and bottom discharge injector configuration. Following strict performance and durability validation requirements, the injector is certified to ECE R110, R10 and ISO 15500 standards.

 

Two New Large LNG-Powered Ships for Carnival Cruise Line

September 6, 2016

As part of a new multi-ship order from Carnival Corporation, Carnival Cruise Line is scheduled to take delivery of two new 180,000 gross-registered-ton cruise ships in 2020 and 2022 that will be the largest in its fleet. Both ships will be powered by LNG under Carnival’s exclusive “green cruising” design and will mark the first time an LNG-powered cruise ship is based in North America.

The two ships, with an approximate passenger capacity of 5,200 based on double occupancy, are being constructed by Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku at the company’s Turku, Finland shipyard. The company has 12 ships in its current fleet that were constructed in Finland, including its eight Fantasy-class ships and four Spirit-class ships.

“We are thrilled to be introducing Carnival Corporation’s ‘green cruising’ design platform to North America,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Both of these ships will be fully powered at sea and in port by Liquefied Natural Gas, which is the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel. These ships are being designed for maximum energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.”