News for the natural gas vehicle industry worldwide
VERBIO biogas plant in Zörbig
Claus Sauter, CEO of VERBIO (Vereinigte BioEnergie AG), has called for a “real energy revolution on the roads” when speaking on the fringe of the 16th Euroforum Annual Conference of Public Utilities 2012 in Berlin. He declared that multi-utilities and local authorities were already active, highlighting that climate-friendly transport fuelled by sustainably produced biomethane is possible.
Natural gas vehicle (NGV ) drivers of Indore, the largest city and commercial capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India, will soon find the queues shorter at compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations, with one station due to open in a few days and three others planned for completion in about four months, reports the Daily Baskar. Together, the four outlets managed by Aavantika Gas Limited, the sole supplier of CNG in the city, will increase refuelling capacity from 13,000 to 30,000 vehicles.
As part of its 12th Five-Year Plan announced mid last year, China’s Anhui Province established a development program that included the construction of 172 natural gas filling stations. Fulfilling part of that requirement, SINOPEC Anhui Oil Products Company has now commissioned 22 stations in 11 cities - Huaibei, Chizhou, Wuhu, Hefei, Huainan, Suzhou, Anqing, Chizhou, Wuhu, Bengbu and Chuzhou, reports International Energy Network.
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Sinotruk HOWO LNG Tractors
Shang Hai Fucang Logistics Co. Ltd, a provider of warehousing, transportation and logistics services, has signed an agreement to purchase 100 heavy-duty HOWO LNG-powered tractors from China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Corp (Sinotruk). The first batch of 30 is currently in production; all the trucks are to be delivered by August 2012. Sinotruk says it will be the first manufacturer to enter the Shanghai market with this type of vehicle, describing it as “a milestone in the heavy truck industry in the Shanghai area”.
(This article compiled using information from a Sinotruk press releases)
Governors from 13 US States have sent a letter this week to the CEO’s of 19 auto companies encouraging them to manufacture vehicles that use natural gas. The letter is part of a multi-state agreement initiated last fall by Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin to promote the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel. Read more »
Clean Air Power, developer of dual-fuel combustion technology that enables heavy-duty diesel engines to operate on a combination of diesel and natural gas, has received an extension of order from Sainsbury’s, a major UK supermarket. The initial order, for 14 units of its Genesis Edge Dual-Fuel system [laced earlier this year, has been increased by 10 more units, planned for delivery during the current financial year. The 24 trucks will operate using biomethane gas produced from landfill waste. Read more »
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System’s (MTS) Board of Directors has approved the purchase of 53 new 40-foot low-floor compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. The New Flyer buses will cost USD22.3 million and will be delivered from May through August of 2012, replacing retired vehicles. New Flyer CNG buses are designed for a 350-400 mile (560-645 km) range and its CNG storage vessels are certified to 20 years instead of the standard 15 years. The Canada-United States manufacturer recently celebrated it’s 4,000 CNG-powered bus, delivered in December 2011.
CNG filling station in Ufa, capital of Bashkortostan
Gazprom’s Management Committee has met to discuss opening up the natural gas vehicle market in Russia. Chairperson for the committee, Alexey Miller, said at the opening of the meeting: “The time has come for a breakthrough in the Russian natural gas vehicle (NGV) market and Gazprom is the only domestic company that can do it. Our main goal is to expand the sales market of this type of fuel to the extent possible to serve the public interests.”
In Fuzhou, the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, plans are underway to build 60 liquefied-compressed natural gas (L-CNG) filling stations, radiating out to cover the Fuzhou area to meet the fuelling requirements of city buses, taxis and municipal fleets. 37 stations are expected to be completed in 2012, of which 12 will be built on high volume highways, for which 180,000 m3 has been allocated. Read more »
Kwik Trip, Inc., one of the largest convenience store chains in the US upper Midwest which operates in excess of 400 stores, has commenced a new initiative by introducing alternative fuels. Kwik Trip’s ownership and management holds a strong belief that Natural Gas is the vehicle fuel of the future. The company currently operates over twenty natural gas vehicles ( NGVs), from light duty vehicles to heavy duty class 8 vehicles. Read more »
Calgary-based Ferus Inc. introduced an LNG tractor to its fleet in March 2012
The Conference Board of Canada, an independent, not-for-profit applied research organization, estimates that converting fleets to natural gas could generate savings of approximately $150,000 per truck over a 10-year period. This saving is nearly twice the cost of installing a natural gas engine – estimated at $80,000 per vehicle.
Ford F 450/550/650 6.8L V10 Cutaway - dedicated CNG conversion by BAF
More than 5,000 CNG conversions expected in 2012
BAF, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clean Energy Fuels Corp., staged Open House ceremonies yesterday at its new Dallas production facility to mark the company’s 20th Anniversary and the completion of its 20,000th compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle conversion. The new 91,000-square-foot BAF headquarters site houses the company’s R&D, vehicle conversion, and service operations. Read more »
Isuzu FSR 700 CNG
Toll IPEC, provider of integrated logistics services and part of the Toll Group headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, has acquired more Isuzu CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)-powered medium duty trucks. Toll IPEC’s order of 42 Isuzu FSR 700 CNG models brings the total number of Isuzu CNG trucks in Toll’s fleet to more than 70. Isuzu has previously indicated its national fleet may include as many as 300 natural gas vehicles (NGVs).
BOC Ltd, a member of gases and engineering company The Linde Group, opened its AUD65 million (USD66 million) LNG project in Dandenong Victoria earlier this year, enhancing the security of low‐emissions fuel for the national heavy transport sector. More than 18 months in construction, the plant upgrade represents a vital link in BOC’s $200 million LNG highway being built along Australia’s eastern seaboard. Read more »
A Waste Management slow-fill facility for one of its CNG-fuelled fleets.
Waste Management of Illinois, Inc., a waste management services provider and subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc., has signaled its commitment to using trucks powered by clean-burning fuels in dedicating a commercial compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility in Stickney, Illinois. The facility is equipped with 55 “slow-fuel” stations for the Company’s growing CNG fleet of trucks.
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