The Ham-Bionet LNG facility at Tarragona

Catalonia, a region in north-east Spain, is home to two new fuelling stations set up by Ham Group, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) distributor and transport company. Together with filling station proprietor Bionet, Ham has set up a new public access compressed (CNG) and liquefied natural gas station in Tarragona. In nearby Igualada, a soon to be opened a public UCG-Ham service station will supply CNG. Both stations also dispense other fuels. Ham now has six service stations operational, the others being at Abrera, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Sadurní d’Anoia and Guadalajara.

The station in the municipal district of Tarragona is very near to the AP-7 motorway and the A-7 national highway. It has a CNG pump and one with LNG  that now services 15 LNG trucks.

The UCG-Ham CNG refulling station at Igualada

The CNG filling station in Igualada will be completed in a few weeks. It will be open 24 hours a day under self-service regime, with collection through an automatic teller, using bank notes or payment cards (credit or debit). This station will provide service to the renewed municipal fleet of natural gas powered waste collection and street cleaning vehicles. It is located very near to national highway A-2 (Barcelona-Madrid), exit 555 of the A-2.

The Ham Group says that with a total of 6 CNG stations, it is advancing its goal of creating a network of natural gas pumps and contributing to development of natural gas based mobility. The strategic location of all those stations provides a feasible solution to long haul transport, that may refuel with natural gas on its Barcelona-Madrid and/or Barcelona-Valencia route.

LNG, which Ham describes as the fuel of the future for industrial road transport, being the sole present alternative to diesel, may be found at the following Ham service stations: Ham Abrera, ES Area 117 (Guadalajara), and ES Bionet (Tarragona).

(This article compiled using information from a HAM Group press release)

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Development of the new Green Energy Fairfield LNG station is set to begin in August 2012, with completion scheduled by the end of 2012. Green Energy’s future plans include development of additional LNG truck fueling stations in the Barnett (Fort Worth), Haynesville (Marshall), and Eagle Ford Shale (Laredo) petroleum-producing areas of Texas.

Roger Nevill, President and COO of Green Energy, said, “Our company is committed to acquiring and deploying fleets comprised exclusively of LNG-powered trucks. Together with many of our oilfield services customers, we are anxious to secure the cost-saving and clean-air benefits offered by natural gas. Another important goal for us is helping reduce America’s need for foreign oil imports, and natural gas fuel is sourced domestically.”

James Harger, Clean Energy’s Chief Marketing Officer, said, “With the availability of new class-8, 2010 EPA-compliant natural gas trucks from several major manufacturers, regional and national trucking operators are deploying natural gas fleets in increasing numbers. Their goals include conserving costs, adding fuel diversity, curtailing harmful emissions, and reducing America’s dependence on imported oil. We commend Green Energy for its pace-setting commitment to powering truck fleets with natural gas fuel.”

Currently priced up to $1.50 or more per gallon lower than diesel (depending upon local markets), the use of natural gas fuel reduces costs significantly for vehicle and fleet owners, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions up to 23% in medium to heavy-duty vehicles. Additionally, natural gas is a secure North American energy source, with 98% of the natural gas consumed produced in the U.S. and Canada.

(This article compiled using information from a Clean Energy Fuels Corp. press release)

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Ford 2012 E-Series Wagon E-350 XLT

Landi Renzo USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Landi Renzo SpA, has received the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Executive Order for the 2012 Ford 5.4 liter CNG E Series passenger and cargo vans.  The Executive Order is for the dedicated CNG (compressed natural gas) system for the Ford Econoline 5.4L engine product family:  E250 Cargo Vans; the E350 Cargo and Passenger Vans; and select models of the E350 cutaway chassis. 

The system was developed in conjunction with a major Ford Tier I supplier in compliance with Ford’s Q-185 requirements. This allows the full Ford Powertrain Warranty to be effective on the upfit vehicles.

Landi Renzo USA President Andrea Landi said: “We intend to continue to open the market for CNG vehicles here in the US utilizing our global CNG component manufacturing and engineering resources.  This allows us to drive down the high cost of conversions due to our economies of scale and quality manufacturing processes.  Ford has been a very good partner to work with on this engine platform, and we will have other Ford CNG platforms available in the near future from Landi Renzo USA.”

The other Ford products that will be available early in the second quarter 2012 from Landi Renzo USA will be the F250 and F350 6.2 liter vehicles and the F450, F550, and F650 6.8 liter platforms.

(This article compiled using information from a Landi Renzo USA press release)

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Navistar's TranStar, manufactured by International Trucks, to be offered with ISL G engine

The Cummins Westport ISL G natural gas engine, manufactured by Cummins Westport Inc. (CWI), a major provider of high-performance, alternative fuel engines for the global market, will be offered by truck manufacturer Navistar in the International® TranStar and WorkStar trucks. The Cummins Westport ISL G, an 8.9 litre stoichiometric cooled-exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) engine, is certified to 2010 EPA emissions.
Westport says the ISL G is the #1 natural gas engine in North America, with over 13,000 engines produced since it was first introduced in 2007. While initial success was in the transit and refuse markets, more recently the conventional truck market has shown an interest in natural gas.

Roe East, President of Cummins Westport, commented, “Adding Navistar completes the listing of the ISL G with all major North American truck OEMs and reaffirms Cummins Westport’s position of market leadership for natural gas engines.”

The ISL G engine is a purpose built natural gas engine manufactured in the Cummins Engine Plant in Rocky Mount, NC that operates on either compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG), both of which are cost effective, low carbon, and low emissions fuels. With ratings up to 320 hp and 1,000 lb-ft of torque, the ISL G features maintenance free three way catalyst (TWC) aftertreatment, and does not require the use of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) or a diesel particulate filter (DPF).

(This article compiled using information from a Cummins Westport Inc. press release)

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ADP personnel with converted CNG fleet vehicles

Under the directives of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Lt. General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Police (ADP) is transferring its 522 vehicles to run on natural gas. The Department of Transport at ADP, as part of its efforts to reduce pollution and maintain a clean environment, has already completed the transfer of more than 10 per cent of the fleet in 2011. An additional 15% will be converted in 2012.

ADP received two certificates from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) for being the first government entity starting to implement the transfer of 25 per cent of the total number of vehicles of government agencies to use natural gas for vehicles. The second certificate was for the first government agency that completed the ratio required for the year 2011 on time.

Brigadier General Jumaa Ahmad Hamel Qubaisi, director of the Department of Transport, noted that the use of natural gas in vehicles is one of the most efficient alternative fuels for vehicles, in addition to technical advantages and environmental care. It contributes to the reduction of pollution and cuts vehicle maintenance rate, increasing its useful life span.

Col Ahmed Mohammed Al Shibli, deputy director of the Department of Transport, said that its use shall be effective for more than 50 years and there are already about 13 million cars running on natural gas in about 80 countries.

(This article compiled using information from an Abu Dhabi Police GHQ press release)

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WEH® is the worldwide leading manufacturer of innovative products for connecting and refuelling technology.

WEH® has been a pioneer in the field of alternative fuels since 1986. It laid the foundation for the worldwide NGV1 standard by developing a complete range of products for NGV refuelling: from receptacles and check valves in vehicles to fuelling nozzles, filling hoses, breakaway-couplings and filters for fuelling stations.

WEH’s product catalogue for CNG refuelling showcases these components and more, for natural gas vehicles and fuelling stations. The NGV product line has been designed expressly for the demanding applications of natural gas high pressure refuelling systems.

Currently WEH® is a leading manufacturer of CNG and H2 refuelling systems and partner of many automotive manufacturers. Its products are ideally suited for self-service operation. Safety, ease of operation and the well executed design of WEH® products have led to widespread acceptance and customer satisfaction and have been a major step in the development of alternative fuels.

As a long-standing partner to the international automobile, hydraulic and manufacturing industry, WEH’s experts have developed advanced solutions for many applications. These advanced solutions are evidence of the long tradition of excellence engineered into every WEH® component.

In addition to being ISO 9001 certified, the latest manufacturing facilities and continuous improvement processes guarantee that the highest standards of quality are met. WEH® is a global thinking and acting group of companies with more than 140 employees. It has an international sales network and is represented in more than 40 countries worldwide – with products in use all over the world.

In January 2012, WEH® opened a Service Centre in Gurgaon, located in the heart of the Indian automotive supply industry.

More information at www.weh.com.

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The special edition VW Caddy Roncalli BiFuel

After a successful debut in 2011 VW has again presented a special edition VW Caddy for a limited two-month offer. Adopting the name of renowned German “Circus Roncalli” to promote its own circus star, the VW Caddy Roncalli Edition range includes the compressed natural gas (CNG) powered Caddy Roncalli BiFuel (petrol/CNG). Compared with the standard model the EcoFuel Roncalli is capable of 50% less fuel costs (under current conditions). VW is offering a very favourable price advantage of up to EUR 6268 (USD 8247) for the bi-fuel model only, cheaper than most of the diesel models on offer.

(This article compiled using information from Volkswagen)

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(This article compiled using information from WEH)

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CNG-powered Kamaz vehicles on display

The municipality of Naberezhnye Chelny, located in the the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, recently hosted a conference on “CNG KAMAZ Vehicles”, which was initiated by OJSC KAMAZ – OOO RariTEK, the manufacturer. Participants learned of the many benefits of utilising natural gas fuelled vehicles. The municipality was able to report on its experience operating 8 combined street-sweeping dump trucks leased from Kamaz early 2011. The CNG fuelled ED-405AGs, based on KAMAZ-65115-30 chassis and operating to Euro IV standard, reduced operational costs by more than 2 million rubles (almost USD 66,000) over 8 months.

(This article compiled using information from a Kamaz press release)

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“These organizations are working hard to promote goodwill throughout our community,” said Charlene Petrelli, EQT Foundation president. “Grants from the EQT Foundation will help them with the purchase of NGVs, which in turn becomes a win-win situation all around – for the organization, the environment, and the community. In addition, since compressed natural gas is less expensive than gasoline or diesel, NGVs can positively influence their budgets through a reduction in operating costs over time.”

As a fully integrated energy company, EQT has long championed the adoption of NGVs, particularly for area fleets, by helping organizations and local governments obtain grants for the purchase of NGVs. In addition, EQT opened a public-access compressed natural gas (CNG) station in Pittsburgh’s Strip District in July 2011, and is converting its own fleet and that of its distribution subsidiary, Equitable Gas Company, to natural gas.

During the past 18 months, EQT Foundation grants for NGVs have been awarded to the following nonprofit organizations:

• Carnegie Science Center – one bi-fuel vehicle for use in an EQT-sponsored “Science on the Road” program. Bi-fuel vehicles operate on gasoline and CNG.
• Family House – one CNG vehicle to assist the transportation needs of patients and families who come to Pittsburgh for treatment of serious or life-threatening illnesses.
• Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium – one CNG vehicle to help facilitate community outreach relating to environmental programs.
• Manchester Bidwell Corporation – two CNG passenger vans to enhance community outreach and student programming.
• Allegheny CleanWays – one CNG truck to help expand its “DumpBusters” clean-up program for communities outside the City of Pittsburgh.

In November 2011, EQT was recognised for its leadership in NGV market development by NGVAmerica and the Clean vehicle Education Foundation (CVEF).

(This article compiled using information from an EQT Corporation press release)

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