“Save money and go green,” says AmericaCNG. Starting in Texas and working with a bevy of as-yet-undisclosed partners – with which it may form joint ventures or even buy outright – the Dallas-based firm is laying plans to be a leading purveyor of natural gas vehicle fueling services and vehicles in the United States, second only to Clean Energy Fuels.

“We will be opening 48 stations within the state of Texas,” says company spokesman Dick Kuiper.

They’ll Even Make CNG Tanks

“Our goal is to become the number two player in the business nationwide,” he says – acknowledging frankly that while Clean Energy has a “four-year” lead (some might say far longer), AmericaCNG will fill in the gaps between, placing compressed natural gas dispensers where consumers and fleets already fuel their conventional cars and trucks and buses.

“We’re going to manufacture tanks,” Kuiper told F&F. “We’re going to manufacture conversion kits,” he says. AmericaCNG will do so with an array of partners, and may go so far as to acquire one or more of them. A joint venture to manufacture all four types of CNG tanks is in the business plan too, Kuiper says.

Joseph Farley is business development director.

AmericaCNG info, Dick Kuiper (Vancouver, Wa.), 360-953-8296; www.americacng.com

(this is for the February 27 issue of the regular Fleets & Fuels newsletter)

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The federal government sees hybrid electric vehicles as a bridge technology to zero emission pure battery and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles – but it should include natural gas vehicles in that category too.

That’s the view of Colorado’s Energy Futures and also of VNG, a new firm in New Jersey that’s helping establish the fueling infrastructure for NGVs.

VNG has included a recent Energy Futures white paper titled Natural Gas: An Essential Bridge to Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles, in its comments on the proposed EPA-NHTSA regulations.

‘Critical Breakdown’

The Energy Futures paper commends the U.S. EPA and the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for proposing tighter vehicle mileage standards to address global climate change and to reduce oil consumption in the U.S. transportation sector. But, “There is a failure in the advanced technology provisions of the proposed standards to recognize the need to encourage transitional pathways for FCEVs through support for NGVs, as they do for PHEVs as a pathway to EVs.”

“This is a critical breakdown,” the paper states. Noting “technology and infrastructure synergies between NGVs and hydrogen FCEVs,” and the fact that “NGV stations are ideal locations for hydrogen production and dispensing,” the report states that “encouraging natural gas vehicle fuel and NGVs are the necessary and best ways to promote the most rapid and cost effective advent of hydrogen and FCEVs in the U.S.”

Energy Futures, president Jim Cannon, 303-541-0185; www.energy-futures.com

(this is for the February 27 issue of the regular Fleets & Fuels newsletter)

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Interest in fuel cell electric vehicles will re-emerge this year, as the limitations of battery EVs are realized, Pike Research says in a free white paper on fuel cells and hydrogen.

It’s one of ten 2012 trends to watch, says the Colorado consultancy, as worldwide revenue from fuel cells and hydrogen reaches $785 million this year.

In the U.S., Maybe Not So Much

The use of fuel cells for residential combined heat and power is experiencing a compound annual growth rate of 67.7%, Pike says, while remote sensing may well be “the breakout market for small fuel cells in 2012,” with applications including dam, seismic and wildlife monitoring, and weather stations.

On the vehicles side, “Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Europe in general will show greater interest in FCEVs than the United States,” Pike says.

Kerry-Ann Adamson is Pike’s research director. Lisa Jerram and Anissa Dehamna are also credited for the new Pike report.

Pike Research info, Richard Martin, 303-997-7609; press@pikeresearch.com; www.pikeresearch.com

(this is for the February 27 issue of the regular Fleets & Fuels newsletter)

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UQM Technologies (AMEX:UQM) has supplied a PowerPhase Select 145 electric drive, in partnership with Fort Lauderdale’s ReGen Nautic, for the Goldfish 23 eFusion.

The Norway-built day boat has achieved 47 knots, solely on electricity, and won the 2012 Boat of the Year Innovation Award at the Dusseldorf Boat Show, UQM says.

“Our partnership with ReGen Nautic enabled UQM to expand into the marine market and demonstrate the effectiveness of electric propulsion while driving additional revenue growth,” UQM president and CEO Eric Ridenour said in a release.

“UQM PowerPhase propulsion systems deliver the performance and efficiency in a compact package that we believe can propel electric propulsion to near term commercialization in the boat market,” ReGen Nautic president and COO Pierre Caouette says in the UQM announcement.

Goldfish plans to deploy as many as 10 additional eFusion boats this year, UQM says. “Future plans include higher volume production of the jet drive propulsion system using UQM’s new PowerPhase Pro 135.”

Separately, UQM reported increased sales and a narrower net loss for the third fiscal quarter ended December 31.

UQM info, Don French, 303-682-4918; www.uqm.com

(this is for the February 13 issue of the regular Fleets & Fuels newsletter)

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Northern California’s Napa Valley Unified School District is deploying new hybrid buses, employing parallel drive technology from Eaton and Azure Dynamics.

Napa Valley USD is taking delivery of five 71-passenger Thomas Built buses with Eaton drives. The join a single large International IC bus with a plug-in hybrid drive from Enova Systems.

The District is also getting two more Collins-body special needs buses, based on the Ford E-450 chassis, with Balance drive by Azure. They will supplement a single vehicle of the type that’s been in service for nearly three years.

In addition to the hybrids, Napa Valley USD operates almost three dozen compressed natural gas-fueled buses with 8.1-liter John Deere engines. All but one were built by Blue Bird.

The District has worked with the California Highway Patrol to be able to keep the clean buses’ distinctive green piping.

Napa Valley USD, Ralph Knight, 707-253-3455; www.nvusd.k12.ca.us

(this is for the February 13 issue of the regular Fleets & Fuels newsletter)

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San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and his predecessor Gavin Newsom (now California Lieutenant Governor) will honor local taxi operators Wednesday for being making San Francisco the “Greenest Taxi City in America’ on the morning of Wednesday, February 8.

The ceremony will be hosted by the San Francisco Yellow Cab Cooperative, which boasts a Clean Energy Fuels CNG station at its San Francisco premises, and which lays claim to being one of the first two taxi companies in the U.S. with hybrid electrics – Yellow and San Francisco’s Luxor Cab fielded their first Ford Escape Hybrids in November 2004.

80% Alt Fuels

Organizers of the Wednesday ceremony for the city-wide taxi fleet – including Clean Energy, the Ford Business Preferred Network, Serramonte Ford, San Francisco Toyota, and the San Francisco Taxicab Companies – note that

• 80% of the San Francisco taxi fleet has been converted to hybrid or CNG operation;

• a San Francisco taxi cab drives on average 90,000 miles a year;

• as a group, San Francisco taxis drive enough miles each year to circle the Earth – 43 times!

• San Francisco taxi companies have reduced their emission levels to 20% below what they were in 1990, even though the fleet has almost doubled;

• San Francisco cab drivers have reduced their fuel costs by $5,000 per year;

• a taxi hybrid can drive almost non-stop from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back – without stopping to fuel; and

“The collaboration between the taxi companies, local city government, manufacturers, and suppliers proves that when we work in concert, we can achieve tangible results to better the environment.”

SF Yellow, San Francisco’s largest, with more than 500 vehicles, was the first American cab company to deploy the Ford Fusion Hybrid, committing to 40 two years ago (F&F, July 27, 2009). SF Yellow has just purchased 25 new 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrids, says supplier John Janes of Serramonte Ford, as well as five new compressed natural gas-fueled 2012 Ford Transit Connects, and a final purchase of 25 new 2012 Ford Escape Hybrids.

“This is the last of the Ford Escape Hybrids as they are no longer being built,” Janes told F&F.

Ford fleet, Gerry Koss, 313-248-8280; www.fleet.ford.com

(we expect to update this item for the February 13 issue of the regular Fleets & Fuels newsletter)

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The Maryland Energy Administration has launched the commercial electric truck purchase program announced by Gov. Martin O’Malley at the Calstart-U.S. Army HTUF meeting this past fall in Baltimore (F&F, October 17).

The MEA program budget is $500,000, with as much as $20,000 available per eligible electric vehicle (or $15,000 from an ex-Maryland dealer).

Trucks must be Maryland-registered, and operate at least 75% of the time in Maryland, for three years. In addition to MEA, agencies and organizations involved with the new incentive program include Maryland Clean Cities, the Maryland Departments of Transportation and Environment, and the Maryland Motor Truck Association.

The program ends at the close of 2013.

Separately, propane proponents including Roush CleanTech, the Propane Education & Research Council, Ferrellgas and the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition are staging an educational event for fleets, with free breakfast and ride-and-drive, hosted by the Maryland National Capital Parks & Planning Commission in Upper Marlboro on the morning of February 14.

MEA (and Maryland Clean Cities), Mr. Chris Rice, 410-260-7207; www.energy.state.md.us

(this is for the February 13 issue of the regular Fleets & Fuels newsletter)

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The California Energy Commission has released its program opportunity notice – PON-11-603C – detailing the state’s Buy-down Incentives for Natural Gas and Propane Vehicles.

CEC is making available $6.45 million for light-, medium- and heavy-duty natural gas vehicles, $5.3 million for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty propane vehicles, and $1.0 million for propane school buses. Grants are for new vehicles only, disbursed through vehicle manufacturers, who are to work through California dealers and distributors.

OEMs must make sure that the incentive amount is shown clearly on the sale or lease documents, and “that the value of the incentive accrues entirely to the purchaser or lessee.”
Incentives range up to $10,000 for medium duty propane vehicles and $32,000 for heavier NGVs with fuel capacity of at least 190 DGE (diesel gallon equivalent).

CEC, Debbie Jones, 916-654-4631; www.energy.ca.gov

(this is for the February 13 issue of the regular Fleets & Fuels newsletter)

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Mont Belvieu, Texas-based InoxCVA promoted a range of LNG tank and fueling equipment and “global cryoengineering solutions” at the Zeus LNG meeting in Houston last month. InoxCVA products include horizontal and vertical storage tanks (up to 80,000 and 16,300 gallons, respectively), 12,300-gallon tanker trailers, both 20- and 40-foot IMO (marine) containers, vaporizers and regasification units, and 6,000-gallon, trailer-mounted mobile fuelers.

InoxCVA is supplying its mobile fuelers to support liquefied natural gas trucks for Heckmann Water Resources in support of Encana fracking activity at the Haynesville Shale in Louisiana (F&F, April 11, 2011).

The firm is also eyeing the potential rail market for liquefied natural gas.

InoxCVA has plants in India, Brazil, and Canada, and in Texas at Mont Belview and Baytown (Ameriport).

InoxCVA, VP Hector Villarreal, 281-385-1204; www.cvatanks.com

(this is for the February 13 issue of the regular Fleets & Fuels newsletter)

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Clean Energy Will Front the Incremental Cost of Natural Gas Trucks
As Part of New Pact with Navistar for ‘Commercially Viable Solution’

Navistar and Clean Energy Fuels have launched “a comprehensive natural gas strategy” designed to bring more options to operators who will buy fuel from Clean Energy, including fuel from the firm’s vaunted new network of truck stop outlets. The program “will provide customers with a sustainable, commercially viable solution for adding natural gas powered trucks to their fleets,” Navistar says.

The once-skeptical manufacturer has further pledged to bring the industry’s “broadest” range of natural gas-fueled Class 6-8 trucks to market. Notably, Navistar will employ engines and technology from Clean Air Power, Cummins Westport, and Emission Solutions, Inc. (ESI).

‘Subsidies and Incentives Not Required’

“Clean Energy will guarantee fuel prices at a significant reduction from diesel for the term of five years,” Navistar says: “government subsidies and incentives not required to make the economic model work.”

Clean Energy will cover the incremental cost of the trucks to be paid back as operators fuel at Clean Energy stations.

“You get the same lease cost of a diesel truck and get fuel savings too,” says Jim Harger of Clean Energy. The price spread between diesel and natural gas makes it possible. “There’s more than enough to cover the finance cost and put money in your pocket,” he told F&F. And if the price spread shrinks over the coming five years? “I’m taking the risk,” Harger says.

[Harger also told fleets and fuels that while liquefied natural gas is the primary fuel for the new trucks stop network – 70 stations to be built this year and 80 in 2013, mostly at Pilot Flying J locations – compressed natural gas has a role too. All of the stations are being built according to a common design with provision for power and plumbing and dispenser space for CNG when demand warrants, he says. Once Clean Energy sees volume of 10,000 gallons per month, it will add the LCNG equipment.]

More Engines from ESI, Too

“Navistar and Clean Energy have come up with a breakthrough program that offers customers a quicker payback on their investment plus added fuel costs savings from day one of operation,” Navistar chairman, president and CEO Dan Ustian said in a release. “Together, the companies will demonstrate how a natural gas integrated vehicle offering with the right distribution and fueling solution can be integrated into a fleet’s operations to reduce costs and drive efficiencies,” the announcement states, “neutralizing the cost difference for the diesel fuel equivalent for those who purchase at least 1,000 diesel gallon equivalents of natural gas fuel each month.”

Navistar says it will leverage “existing integrated vehicle and powertrain platforms [and] offer the broadest range of Class 6 through Class 8 CNG-/LNG-powered vehicles in the category.” The company will continue to offer International DuraStar and WorkStar vocational trucks with its natural gas-powered, 7.6-liter spark-ignition MaxxForce DT, developed with ESI. ESI, meanwhile, advises that it’s stepping up its work on a new 9.3-liter product, and is close to an agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to get going on a spark-ignition variant of Navistar’s 13-liter Big Bore diesel. “A lot of their senior management wants them to go dedicated,” says ESI president Jim Moore.

Nearer term, Navistar says it will enter into a Phase II developmental agreement with Clean Air Power for LNG-fueled ProStar, WorkStar and PayStar vocational trucks powered by diesel pilot injection – dual fuel – MaxxForce 13-liter engines.

For the regional haul and Class 7 and Class 8 vocational market, Navistar will offer its International TranStar and WorkStar trucks with the 8.9-liter spark ignition Cummins Westport ISL G.

“One of the major obstacles in customer transition to natural gas has been the lack of a gas powered range of engines designed to meet the multiple requirements without compromise,” senior VP for North America sales operations Jim Hebe, Navistar said in his company’s announcement. “Navistar,” Hebe said, with an extended range of truck engines, “is uniquely able to leverage engine platforms into the industry’s broadest range of natural gas trucks.

“When the MaxxForce 13L is introduced in mid-2013, customers will have a capable range of natural engines and trucks, from 7.6 liter to 13 liter with horsepower ranging from 200 to 450.”

Navistar info, Steve Schrier, 331-332-2264; www.navistar.com

(this is for the February 13 issue of the regular Fleets & Fuels newsletter)

Remember that articles in the subscription edition of Fleets & Fuels include direct links and extensive contact information for hands-on players — names and telephone numbers and e-mail addresses