NGV 2008 Conference and Exhibition, which will be held 3 - 5 June next year, at the RioCidade Nova Convention Center, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will welcome the main companies and professionals of the segment. Out of a total area of 5,000 m? of the convention center, the exhibition will occupy 3,995 m?, with stands that range from 16 m? to 150 m?. The trade fair will present the most modern equipment and products of NGV-related firms.

Brazil, Rio de Janeiro

The Julius Sim?es Group has won a contract for the supply and maintenance of 632 new natural gas vehicles to the police in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The contract is valued at R60 million ($US 34.5 million) and includes 578 VW Golfs and 54 Chevrolet Blazers. Fuel cost savings from using CNG for the vehicles on order are estimated at R1 million (SUS 575,000) per month.

Bulgaria has become home to what’s believed to be Europe’s largest dedicated compressed natural gas (CNG) public refuelling station. The station opened earlier this month with 6 dispensers servicing a total of 12 hoses, 8 for light vehicles and 4 for heavy vehicles. The station is owned by local gas company Samel90 and was built by Gas Systems Holland (GSH), a joint venture of two Dutch companies: Teesing and E.meurs.

Belgium, Brussels

Dr Jeffrey M. Seisler, the founding Executive Director of the European Natural Gas Vehicle Association (ENGVA) is opening a Brussels-based consultancy, Clean Fuels Consulting “to foster a more proactive advocacy effort with the European institutions, focusing on natural gas vehicles (NGVs), renewable biomethane, hydrogen and other clean fuels”.

Canada & Italy

Westport Innovations Inc. and OMVL SpA formed an equity joint venture to design, produce and sell alternative fuel engines in the sub-5 litre class for global applications. The new, jointly controlled company will be headquartered in Vancouver, Canada and will exploit the global engineering, production and distribution strengths of OMVL and its parent company, SIT Group, to deliver engines worldwide. Westport will support the new venture through supply of technology, design, testing and market development services.

UK

CompAir, a manufacturer of air and gas compressors, has recently launched a new reciprocating piston gas compressor. The Gazpack 42 watercooled compressor is a new addition to the Gazpack series of modular, ready-to-run CNG refuelling systems.

Peru, Lima

As many as 200,000 taxi drivers in Peru could end their reliance on rented cabs and become owners of their own vehicle, thanks to savings obtained by using compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of gasoline. livinginperu.com reports that the Mi Taxi program, which already has 150 vehicles on the road, allows drivers to buy a CNG fueled Chevrolet Corsa cab with a small deposit and use savings on fuel costs to pay the balance owing on their vehicle. Another 150 vehicles will be introduced under the program in the next month. They will join drivers who have already doubled their take home income. The CNG Corsa’s are factory built as taxis, with reinforced suspension to allow for the weight of the CNG cylinders.

UK

Dual-fuel conversion system developer, Clean Air Power has been granted a US Patent titled; "Method and Apparatus for Controlling Transition between Operating Modes in a Multimode Engine", which the company says “covers the future development of Dual-Fuel? technology,” and that “It is imperative that multi-mode engine transitions between various modes are smooth and controlled to allow for seamless engine power output, which is achieved by Clean Power’s technology.” Patent number 7,270,089 can be viewed online at freepatentsonline. A corresponding European patent application, published under EP1631739 is in progress.

The Mumbai Taximen’s Union (MTU) is to put 25 new compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelled Tata Indigo cabs on the road next week. Express India reports that the cabs will run as ‘cool cabs’ (air conditioned taxis) and that the MTU could have 500 of them running by the end of this year. MTU has also ordered 5 CNG fueled Maruti (Suzuki) WagonR’s for trials as taxis.

USA, California

10-Year Agreement to Help Supply Growing Transportation Fuel Demand in AZ and CA
 
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has entered into an LNG sales agreement with Spectrum Energy Services, LLC (SES), an Alaska limited liability company, to purchase, on a take-or-pay basis over a term of 10 years, 45,000 gallons per day of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a plant to be constructed by SES in Ehrenberg Arizona, which is near the California border. The plant is anticipated to be in full production in the summer of 2009.

USA, California

Sound Energy Solutions (SES) and  International Transportation Service, Inc. (ITS) have signed a Letter of Intent to jointly  develop a one-year demonstration  project to test the  operations of three  LNG-powered yard hostlers at the ITS  container terminal in the Port of Long  Beach.

Czech Republic

The Czech Gas Association, a professional association of gas businesses, both natural and juristic persons, operating in the Czech Republic and a member of IGU (International Gas Union), MARKOGAZ and ENGVA (European Natural Gas Vehicle Association), is preparing an international conference on Prospects for the Development and Use of CNG in Transport. The conference will take place at the Dorint Hotel Don Giovanni in Prague, Czech Republic, on 23rd and 24th January 2008.

Austria

At the risk of repeating ourselves , natural gas engines in sports applications continue to break down barriers, this time with the OMV CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) Rally Team taking out first place in the Ostarrichi-Rallye last weekend. Just 18 months after first entering competition in a CNG vehicle, Beppo Harrach and Andreas Schindlbacher finished the rally 47.7 seconds ahead of the second place vehicle. Making the win even sweeter, the OMV team was driving their older Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, rather than the current model Evo IX that the team has been using this season. The win is believed to be the first for a CNG vehicle in an international rally championship event.

USA, New York

Technology to be presented at ANGVA 2007 Conference and Exhibition

Energtek Inc.'s subsidiary, Angstore Technologies Ltd, has completed what’s believed to be the first ever reported set of road tests of one of the most widespread scooters in India converted to run on ANG (Adsorbed Natural Gas). Based upon these successful tests, the company expects to begin serial conversions of motorcycles during 2008. Angstore representatives will also be presenting a paper on the technology at the upcoming ANGVA 2007 Conference and Exhibition in Bangkok, Thailand, next month.

Korea, Chuncheon

Project to raise awareness and initiate fueling infrastructure

The IANGV Technical Committee will meet in Bangkok on the day preceding the ANGVA 2007 Conference and Exhibition, 26 Nov 2007 (time to be confirmed).  The meeting will be held at the head office of ANGVA 2007’s Host Sponsor, PTT and will be the first time the committee has met at an ANGVA Conference.  Meetings held at other regional association meetings in the past have been well attended and very useful and informative.

The ENGVA Board of Directors (BoD) has together with Jeff Seisler, who thirteen years ago became the founding Executive Director of ENGVA, this year explored how to best move forward in support of the fast growing European NGV business. In this discussion there has been a clear focus on the need for intensified lobbying actions in Brussels, Strasbourg and Geneva, but also on a rejuvenation of the association. The BoD is right now preparing the establishment of a new European NGV association in early 2008.

USA

By all accounts, the US National NGV Conference-Summit held at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno this past Sunday and Monday was a success. Over one hundred industry stakeholders attended the event, which was held in conjunction with WasteCon, the Solid Waste Association of North America’s annual convention and exposition, where NGVAmerica and 17 members created an NGV Zone that was the largest exhibit area on the floor.

USA

Six National NGV Achievement Awards and one NGV Industry Lifetime Achievement Award were presented at a luncheon ceremony Monday October 15th in conjunction with the National NGV Conference-Summit in Reno, NV.  The six NGV Achievement Award winners are:

Canada, Calgary

Dynetek Industries Ltd has completed the delivery of a previously announced 450 bar Hydrogen Tube Trailer System to the IWHUP project. The Bulk Transport Systems utilize removable modules - also called Powercubes to transport Hydrogen to various usage points along British Columbia’s Hydrogen Highway.