Founded in 1991, Baytech Corporation is an “Original Equipment Small Volume Manufacturer” and a leading developer of natural gas fuel injection systems, which are EPA and CARB certified. Today Baytech develops, manufactures and sells systems for Chevrolet, GMC, Isuzu and Workhorse Custom Chassis vehicles and engines. The systems meet stringent emission standards and On Board Diagnostics II.

The press release said Baytech is the only company in the United States to own eleven CARB certifications and sixteen EPA certifications for natural gas and propane fuel injection systems for GM vehicles and heavy-duty engines. Baytech’s CARB certifications are considered particularly relevant, as they are only obtainable through a very long, complex and expensive process and are requirements in the 17 most populated states in the USA.

“We see the U.S. as a high potential market”, says Group CEO Claudio Carnevale. “The desire to reduce dependence on oil by using less polluting energy sources is pushing the U.S. towards the adoption of cleaner alternative fuels. The recent discoveries of large domestic natural gas deposits, and the availability of technology to use it, no doubt encourage the creation of all necessary conditions to complete a suitable context for the development of the sector. It should be said that under the current laws Landi Group developments in this market are, now more than ever, already possible, thanks to its established know-how. The acquisition of Baytech speeds up the development process of the sector.”

“This acquisition,” says Andrea Landi, President of Landi Renzo USA Corporation, “allows us to quickly capture market opportunities through certified platforms already in Baytech’s portfolio, allowing us to save the high costs associated with the actions and processes of obtaining certifications themselves. The Baytech know-how will also be very useful in developing and certifying gaseous fuel injection systems for platforms other than General Motors. Also thanks to our experience we can widen the scope of Baytech’s activities, giving it the capacity to provide the final customer, now mainly consisting of fleets, a turnkey project.”

Upon signature of the contract has also been the closing of the transaction, under which Landi Renzo USA Corporation has paid to Baytech shareholders, compared to a price of equity value of $15 million, the amount of $ 12.3 million, with a commitment to pay the difference of $ 2.7 million upon renewals of a group of expiring certifications.

At December 31, 2009 Baytech had a cash position of $ 412,000. On the basis of practice for such operations, the price paid will be subject to an adjustment mechanism based on the change, still to be determined, in Baytech net equity at the closing date.

The company’s total assets at December 31, 2009 amounted to $ 711,000. In 2009, Baytech generated revenues of $ 2.5 million. During the same period the adjusted (to take into account the effects of the correction of some of the material remuneration items for the owners, historically included into operational cost) profit before tax amounted to $ 928,000.

The acquisition is to be funded through the normal already granted bank credit lines.

NGV Global News industry sources in Iran confirm the growth will continue despite a pending cessation of NGV subsidies by the government, and predict close to 3 million NGVs will be on Iranian roads by end of 2012. As at 30 June 2010, there were 1.95 million NGVs and 1380 filling stations. Industry members will gather in Tehran for the Iran NGV 2010 Conference in September during which the current and future position of the industry will be analysed.

E.ON's second CNG filling station opens in Czech Republic.

E.ON energy company, part of E.ON Energie AG, has opened its second compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station in the Czech Republic, in Svoboda nad Úpou. “The first one has already been opened in České Budějovice and I hope that soon there will be many more,” said the Chairman of the Board of E.ON Energie, a.s., Jiří Šimek. The station is located at the Osnado s.r.o.public transport facility. The Greenline TA 130 CNG filling station has a small ASPRO SCA 50-4 size compressor with a capacity of 140Nm³ /h; inlet/outlet gas dryer, one dispenser with NGV1 and NGV2 couplings and storage of 4.200 liters.

Currently, Osnado has more than 10 CNG-powered buses, of which seven are EKOBUS low-floor buses made in Poland. Due to the installation of this new fueling station, the company will continue replacing its fleet with natural gas driven vehicles, reportedly planning to add four more CNG units this year.

The Aspro fully enclosed compressor keeps noise levels low.

Constructed by TVAJA CNG Ltd., the filling station in Svoboda nad Úpou has been designed for both corporate as well as private clientele. “Our goal is to participate in the emerging CNG market. In addition, it is very important for us that it is an alternative technology with a significant ecological benefit,” said Jiří Šimek. The CNG compression system and its components are located in a fully enclosed sound-proofed container.

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“The ISX11.9.9 is designed for rigorous duty cycles, including those for work trucks such as dump and mixer trucks, and refuse applications,” Cummins said, noting technology draw from the 15-liter ISX15, which is offered as a natural gas-diesel engine by Westport Innovations. Cummins promises horsepower ratings of 310-450 and torque ranging from 1150-1650 lb-ft for the ISX11.9, depending on vehicle application.

Volvo Powertrain Technologies signs up for CAP dual-fuel technology.

Clean Air Power (CAP), the developer of dual-fuel combustion technology that enables heavy-duty diesel engines to operate on a combination of diesel and natural gas,reports that it has formally signed a significant Supply Agreement with Volvo Powertrain and a separate Development Agreement with Volvo Bus Corporation.

Volvo Powertrain Agreement

The new Supply and Development Agreement, initially for five years, has been signed with Volvo Powertrain, a subsidiary of AB Volvo. It follows 3 years of close cooperation on a product development partnership and supersedes the Letter of Intent signed in January 2009. CAP’s OEM product will be marketed and supported by Volvo Truck Corporation.

CAP says incorporating their dual-fuel technology into Volvo truck engines will deliver significant greenhouse gas emission reductions and fuel cost savings compared with standard diesel engines. The trucks are expected to be around 30% more energy efficient than equivalent spark ignited natural gas engines. The engines can use natural- or bio-gas as the main fuel and can also operate on only diesel, an important feature as gas distribution systems face many years of development.

Commenting on the announcement, John Pettitt, CEO of Clean Air Power said: “We are delighted to have finalised this supply agreement with Volvo as it signifies the achievement of a major milestone set out at the time of our IPO. The agreement is the result of a long standing working relationship with Volvo and we are grateful for all the support and belief that they have shown in Clean Air Power. We also acknowledge Volvo’s admirable commitment to climate change and environmental issues, having progressed with this partnership through the difficult economic climate. We are optimistic that Volvo’s prestigious brand and resources will accelerate us into the commercial phase of our company’s development.”

The testing in commercial operation will begin in 2010 and initially take place in UK, Sweden and Thailand. Details for commercialisation will be mutually agreed upon.

The Volvo Group is one of the largest heavy duty engine manufacturers in the world.

Volvo Bus Agreement

CAP has also signed a development agreement with Volvo Bus Corporation, to jointly develop the installation of dual-fuel kits on existing Volvo bus engines. The development program is valued at £160,000.

At 34%, natural gas dominates survey responses.

The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute, which organized the Alternative Fuels & Vehicles National Conference + Expo 2010, has released the results of a survey, in which participants were asked about one policy or initiative that their company is using to green their fleet. 89% said incorporating, expanding and/or replacing existing vehicles with “alternative fuel vehicles” is their top strategy. Of those that indicated a preferred fuel type, natural gas was the dominant preference, attracting 34% of respondents ahead of 6 other fuels.

The top policy driving fleet managers’ greening practices were federal government mandates including EPA Executive Orders 13423 and 13514, which mandate that petroleum consumption in fleet vehicles be reduced by two percent annually through 2015, compared to an FY 2005 baseline.

More details from the survey can be found on the AFVI website.

Volkwagen's restyled Caddy EcoFuel for 2011

The Volkswagen Caddy EcoFuel 2011 has been redesigned to increase cargo space when rear seats are removed, reports Automania. The Caddy achieves a load capacity of 3030 litres, while the Caddy Maxi reaches 3880 litres. Both vehicles are powered by a 2.0-liter, 109 hp, EcoFuel natural gas (CNG) engine.