Singapore

Increased compressed natural gas (CNG) refuelling facilities in Singapore (see earlier NGV Global story) are already having an impact on demand for conversions, with conversion workshop C. Melchers—Galileo reporting a 50 per cent increase in demand since last November. Channel NewsAsia quotes Gilbert von der Aue, sales manager at C. Melchers, as saying "We convert 80 cars per month currently, and from next month onwards we’ll be doing 120 cars. We have a waiting list of about six months."

USA, Los Angeles

Natural gas vehicles key part of strategy

At the Low-Carbon Fuels 2008 conference held April 15 in Sacramento, Hal Snyder, vice president of customer programs at SoCalGas and SDG&E, told state regulators and policy makers that the expanded use of natural gas and electricity in transportation will provide significant consumer benefits by accelerating the state's transition to low-carbon fuels and reducing petroleum dependency. "We can do that by assisting with education and outreach to customers about clean, low-carbon fuels, developing the fueling infrastructure and conducting demonstration and commercialization programs," said Snyder.

USA, Riverside CA

Luxfer is hosting two sessions on Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) safety training at their Gas Cylinders' training room in Riverside, California, from June 17-19, 2008:

• June 17-18: NGV Fuel Storage Cylinder Inspection Training. These two days will focus on teaching proper techniques for inspecting on-board compressed natural gas fuel storage cylinders.
• June 19: NGV Driver and Mechanic Training. This one-day course is devoted to training drivers and mechanics on safe driving, fueling and maintenance of today’s natural gas vehicles.

 Details available via Luxfer website. 

REMINDER: REGISTER NOW FOR THE CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION

This major international event, NGV2008, is being held very shortly.  3 – 5 June are the days when delegates and exhibitors will meet to discuss the remarkable progress of the industry since the last conference and exhibition in Egypt in 2006.

The venue is a wonderful new convention centre.  The hotels are mostly at the world famous Copacabana with its fabulous beach and sea panoramas.  The conference hotel, Sofitel Rio Palace, is at one end of the beach.

The exhibition is close to being filled.  Delegates will have ample opportunity to see equipment from all over the world, time to share experiences, discuss issues and meet industry leaders.

For information about the conference and exhibition, follow the links below:

• Registration
• Hotel accommodation
• Conference program
• Exhibition
• Sponsorship
• Main conference web site

IANGV normally holds two meetings for its members at the time of the conference.  These are scheduled as follows (subject to confirmation):

• Monday 2 June 9am to 4pm Technical Committee meeting at IBP Headquarters.  Transport will be arranged from hotels.
• Friday 3 June 9am to 4pm General Meeting of Members (Council Meeting) at Sofitel Hotel.  Transport will be arranged from hotels.

All IANGV members and guests are invited, indeed implored to attend these meetings.  These are the meetings at which the real business of the association is conducted and at which important technical issues affecting the NGV industry are discussed.  The participation and feedback of members at the meetings is of great importance to IANGV and its executive.

At the Technical Committee meeting, items to be placed on the agenda include progress with international harmonization of standards and new standards, heavy duty vehicles, the appropriate names for our fuel and vehicles, and incidents.

South Korea, Seoul

# New city bus will reduce engine idling and CO2 emissions while raising fuel efficiency
# Much more affordable solution than a full hybrid system
# Incheon, Suwon municipalities to start fleet tests of 12 units
# Mass production to start end of 2009

Hyundai Motor Co., which last week announced plans to start retail sales in 2009 of hybrid electric vehicle passenger cars, has developed a cost and fuel-efficient city bus that employs a mild hybrid system based entirely on Hyundai's proprietary technology. The application of a mild hybrid system to a commercial vehicle will accelerate the wider use of eco-friendly vehicles which reduce CO2 emissions and fuel costs.

USA, San Diego

San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (SDMTS) has ordered 250 Cummis Westport (CWI) ISL G engines to be installed in New Flyer, 40-foot, low-floor vehicles. The ISL G surpasses EPA 2007 phase-in levels and meets 2010 emission standards of 0.2 g/bhp-hr NOx (nitrogen oxide) and 0.01 g/bhp-hr PM. "These new engines will help San Diego MTS to operate one of the cleanest available transit engines", said Gordon Exel, CWI's Vice President and General Manager, Americas. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is a multi-modal transportation agency serving San Diego, California and operates a fleet of more than 600 vehicles carrying more than 88 million passengers per year. 

USA, New York City

On Thursday, Energy Visions, a national non-profit organization that studies and promotes the benefits of renewable non-petroleum transportation fuels, released a report titled, Fueling a Greener Future: NYC Metropolitan Region Garbage Fleets Commit to Alternative Fuels.  The study, which documents the benefits of natural gas trash trucks, was release at a New York City event attended by actor and environmental activist Blythe Danner and an impressive gathering of business people, politicians, environmentalists, and community activists.  The objective of the event, which featured two brand new natural gas-powered trash trucks and a natural gas street sweeper, was to raise public awareness of the strides being made locally towards replacing diesel-powered garbage trucks with state-of-the art natural gas-powered trucks.  Copies of the report are available by visiting the Energy Vision website.

USA

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
10:30 a.m. Pacific Time (1:30 p.m. Eastern Time)

Sign up today for this free webinar, sponsored by Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (AFVi).

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is playing an increasingly important role in the U.S. transportation fuels market. Because of its relatively low cost per diesel gallon equivalent and because it is the cleanest burning fuel available, LNG offers a good solution to vehicle fleets facing ever-rising petroleum based fuel costs. And, with greater awareness and understanding of the environmental impact of traditional fossil fuels, LNG is receiving even more attention.

USA, California

$7.7 million available to aid construction

California is seeking experienced and qualified teams to compete for part of $7.7 million aimed at helping construct and improve hydrogen-fueling stations in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. The Air Resources Board is dispensing the funds to advance Governor Schwarzenegger's Hydrogen Highway initiative that is promoting the creation of a hydrogen refueling network. The state is pursuing a transition to clean energy and energy diversity by promoting automobile manufacturers' and energy companies' efforts to employ hydrogen as a power source for vehicles and electricity production.

USA

House and Senate conferees on the Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) have been urged to extend the existing alternative fuel excise tax and infrastructure income tax credits. According to NGVAmerica, reports indicate that the Senate conferees are crafting a response to the House proposal that would "closely track" a previous proposal to spend $10 billion more on the farm bill over the next 10 years. The previous proposal included the $2.5 billion of additional tax incentives.  Whether the tax incentives will survive the ongoing negotiations remains unresolved. 

USA, Kentucky

Peterbilt Motors Company has announced its partnership with Westport Innovations to develop a natural gas version of its Model 386 for Wal-Mart at the 2008 Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky.  These units will meet 2008 EPA and CARB emission levels of 0.8g/bhp-hr NOx and 0.01g/bhp-hr PM.  The trucks will be eligible for a federal tax credit in the United States and other state-specific emissions credit.

CNG & Hydrogen Cylinders: Opportunities, Challenges & Strategies

Cylinder Experts want regulation 'fixed' and harmonized with Standards; and more support for Training & Inspection

Sixty five gaseous fuel specialists comprised of cylinder manufacturers, related equipment manufacturers,  government regulators, vehicle manufacturers and standards experts from  20 countries were on hand in Brussels at this first Clean Fuels Consulting Critical Issues Workshop, CNG and Hydrogen Cylinders: Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies to learn about manufacturing techniques, field experiences, quality control and regulatory developments for compressed natural gas (CNG) and hydrogen vehicles fuel storage systems.  Cylinder incidents that have occurred around the world were highlighted, as were the causes and corrections needed to maintain the reputation of CNG as one of the safest fuels on the market today and to prepare the market for the advent of hydrogen vehicles in the future.
 

Germany, Leipzig

Opportunities for growth

The German gas economy and the automobile industry are geared up for the further development of natural gas fuel infrastructure, with the number of natural gas filling stations set to climb above one thousand, according to Dr. Gerhard Holtmeier, executive committee member of the Initiativkreises Erdgas als Kraftstoff Deutschland (natural gas fuel initiative). Already there are approximately 800 stations in operation. Speaking at the 2008 Automobil International (AMI) he referred to the wide coverage of supply and number of new natural gas vehicle (NGV) models as reasons why discussion on limited availability is now a thing of the past. 

Canada, Toronto

FuelMaker Corporation has signed a 5 year, $65 million exclusive dealership agreement with Cornerstone (Beijing) International Trading Company Ltd.  to market, promote and service FuelMaker’s line of natural gas Vehicle Refueling Appliances (VRA) and Phill, the Home Refueling Appliance in China. NGVs with their low emissions, operating costs and mature technology, have been recognized as the best readily available option to reduce air pollution and petroleum consumption in the country.  NGVs are also a further logical choice for China as it has abundant natural gas resources.

USA

• Santa Fe Ride gets new wheels
• Montgomery County urges residents' use of ethanol, CNG fueling stations
• Collingwood is going green

Several 'little' stories provide indications of a growing tide toward alternative fuels being led by Local Government authorities.

Energy and Climate are Hot: NGVs are Not ... but they could be!

Welcome to the final of a four part discussion and analysis on legislative and regulatory initiatives being undertaken by European Union policy makers, written especially for NGV Global. (Links to Parts 1, 2 and 3 at end of article)

PART 4

Euro VI Heavy Duty Emissions Regulations: Positive Changes for NGVs (COM 2007/851 final, 21/12/2007)

The NGV industry scored an important victory when a non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) standard was included by the European Commission in the latest proposed Euro VI heavy-duty vehicle emissions regulations (Meeting of the Motor Vehicles Emissions Group -- MVEG -- 6 November 2007).  Previous versions of Euro VI proposals omitted the NMHC, which was vigorously advocated at meetings of MVEG, in private conversations with Commission principals, and in the NGV industry response to Euro VI public consultation in September 2007.  The earlier lobbying efforts, at that time undertaken by ENGVA, and continued by Clean Fuels Consulting from October 2007 on behalf of the International Association for NGVs (IANGV) have proven, to this point, successful regarding hopes for the inclusion of an NMHC standard.

The Venezuelan Energy and Petroleum Minister, Rafael Ramirez, has announced that it is the government’s objective to import 200,000 CNG conversion systems this year. Originally, the goal was 100,000, but it has been determined that that number will in insufficient given the current projected demand.  Under the government’s NGV plan, all vehicles produced or imported into Venezuela must be capable of operating on CNG.  It is expected that many of the conversion systems will be used by the domestic OEMs to comply with the national CNG requirement. 

This week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved the allocation of nearly $200 million to replace the 74 oldest school buses still circulating in California, and to replace or retrofit an additional 4,500 high polluting buses serving public schools.  Proposition 1B, approved by voters in 2006, provides funding for the CARB Lower-Emission School Bus Program. These monies allow school districts to replace or retrofit diesel school buses in another effort to reduce diesel partculate matter (PM) in California.  The Program will cover the cost of replacing all 74 still-in-service pre-1977 buses and approximately 1,000 1977-1986 buses. Those replaced buses must be scrapped to comply with established guidelines. Finally, the full cost of about 3,500 retrofits will be paid under this program.

Germany, Berlin

'Other technical measures' required to meet 120 g/km CO2 targets

Germany's Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel has said Germany would scrap plans to develop auto biofuels because they were not appropriate for millions of vehicles, according to AFP. He had warned the project would be abandoned if more than one million vehicles could not use the fuel. The VDIK association of foreign automakers said that around 3.3 million vehicles were unable to use the mix of ethanol and traditional petrol that Berlin sought to impose. "Environmental policy will not be held responsible if millions of car owners have to pay more" for fuel, he said, adding, "All of us underestimated the problems.