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2008 National NGV Achievement Award Winners Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Washington DC; Acworth, GA) NGVAmerica and the Clean Vehicle Education Foundation (CVEF), two organizations dedicated to increasing use of natural gas-powered vehicles to improve air quality, lessen dependence on foreign oil and reduce fleet operator costs, have announced the 2008 winners of the prestigious National NGV Achievement Awards. The awards are given to persons and organizations in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the advancement of natural gas as a vehicular fuel.
The 2008 NGV Achievement Award winners are:
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Town of Brookhaven, New York Natural Gas Refuse Truck Program
Beginning in December 2008, residential waste from the Town’s 117,000 homes will be collected by 67 natural gas-powered refuse vehicles, thanks to the Town’s contract bid requirement that refuse-recycling carters use only natural gas units. Under terms of a 10-year contract between the Town and independent natural gas station retailer Clean Energy, the vehicles will fuel at a Clean Energy owned-and-operated station being built on a 1.25 acre site at the Town landfill. National Grid, the regional gas utility, will extend its lines to provide natural gas to the new facility. The contract also provides for stable, predictable preferential fuel pricing for Town vehicles and the 13 haulers for seven years, an economic consideration that enabled the successful bid. Over the initial seven year period, use of natural gas refuse trucks will displace approximately 4.9 million gallons of imported diesel fuel, reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 304 tons and particulate matter emissions by 12 tons and cut greenhouse gasses by over 20%. “By establishing contractor mandates and simultaneously implementing convenient low-cost fueling, the Town of Brookhaven has demonstrated that they are committed to achieving residents’ economic and environmental goals,” said NGVAmerica President Richard Kolodziej. “We commend Town staff and elected officials for working with haulers, truck suppliers, Clean Energy and National Grid to implement this progressive program,” said CVEF President Doug Horne.
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Westport Innovations Inc. HPDI Natural Gas ISX-G Engine Program
In 2008, Westport Innovations, a leading developer of gaseous fuel transportation technologies, launched commercial introduction of its High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI) System-equipped ISX-G engine with the announcement that Kenworth Trucks (a division of Paccar) would begin offering the powerful 15-liter 450 horsepower engine in its T800 tractor line. The OEM announcement followed successful conclusion of several field demonstration projects with waste and freight hauler customers. HPDI technology allows the ISX-G to operate at compression ratios similar to diesel engines, running primarily on natural gas and using only a small amount of diesel (about 5%) as pilot ignition fuel. The ISX-G is CARB-certified at just .8 g/bhp-hr NOx, making it the cleanest vehicle in its weight class. The first five new ISX-G equipped T800 trucks went into service at Pacific Gas & Electric in 2008 and another 400+ more units are being delivered to fleets serving the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. “Westport Innovation’s introduction of the HPDI-equipped ISX-G further expands market opportunities for clean natural gas engines in the heaviest applications,” said NGVAmerica President Richard Kolodziej. “Westport Innovation’s continued investment in advanced gaseous fuel engine technologies keeps the natural gas industry at the forefront of transportation solutions,” said CVEF President Doug Horne.
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Cummins Westport Inc. 2010-Compliant ISL-G Engine Program
With the introduction of the ISL-G 8.9L natural gas engine in 2007, Cummins Westport Inc. (CWI) set the new benchmark for other heavy-duty engine manufacturers to achieve. Using cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), stoichiometric combustion and a simple maintenance-free 3-way catalyst, CWI not only achieved compliance with EPA’s 2010 emissions requirements three years early, it did so with improved performance. The ISL-G delivers higher torque at low rpm than its diesel counterpart and at higher fuel efficiency than its predecessor C Gas Plus and L Gas natural gas engines. In addition to designing and building a superior engine, CWI successfully worked with bus and vocational and work truck OEMs to engineer it into their product lines. The ISL-G is now a factory-order option in products available from two of the three top school bus manufacturers, all five major refuse truck chassis providers, four leading sweeper manufacturers, four leading transit bus manufacturers and, with the 2008 roll-out of the Sterling Setback 113, a leading work truck supplier. “Cummins Westport’s ISL-G once again demonstrates that natural gas engines lead the pack in terms of reduced emissions and superior performance,” said NGVAmerica President Richard Kolodziej. “Their success in breaking into niche OEM applications such as refuse trucks, street sweepers and work trucks opens new doors for NGV industry growth,” said CVEF President Doug Horne.
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Ed Pritchard, Silver Eagle Distributor’s VP of Fleet Purchasing & Operations accepts award Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) CNG Transit Fleet Program
CATA’s entire fleet of buses and shuttles, which serve the Penn State University Park Campus and State College, PA area, operate entirely on compressed natural gas. In fact, CATA was the first east coast transit authority to do so, achieving that distinction in 2006. CATA Bus executives and board members are proud of their agency’s decision to transition from diesel to CNG because it reduces reliance on imported oil, lowers operating costs and improves air quality in their community. Their commitment began in 1993 with the board’s decision to order 16 CNG buses, followed shortly thereafter by entering into a cooperative agreement with Columbia Gas and the PA Department of Environment to build a CNG station on CATA property. In subsequent years, CATA systematically replaced all their diesel units with CNG vehicles, which now number 52. CATA’s commitment continues. They’ve just completed an upgrade to their CNG station and are in the process of issuing a bid request for 10 additional CNG buses, including an option for two prototype CNG-hybrids drive units. “CATA’s board and management are to be commended for their continued commitment to using natural gas buses to provide clean reliable transportation services to their community,” said CVEF President Doug Horne. “CATA’s 1993 decision to transition to natural gas showed vision and leadership and that has paid off for their patrons while serving as an example for other central Pennsylvania area fleets to follow,” said NGVAmerica President Richard Kolodziej.
Silver Eagle Distributors (SED), which is the world’s largest Anheuser-Busch distributor, operates nearly 1250 vehicles including hundreds of medium- and heavy-duty delivery trucks. An active and visible business leader in the communities they serve, SED has taken continual steps to improve their fleet’s performance, efficiency and emissions profile over the past decade. In June 2006, SED Fleet Manager Ed Pritchard repowered two 1999 International-Navistar delivery trucks with Emission Solution Inc.’s natural gas powered Phoenix NG7.6 engines. Data collected during the 18-month evaluation period that followed showed that the CNG trucks had better performance than SED’s diesel units, e.g., increased torque, horsepower, and acceleration, better fuel economy, lower noise levels, and – most important - drivers liked the reliable powerful performance. The successful test prompted Pritchard to start replacing his diesel fleet with natural gas. SED has ordered10 more Phoenix NG 7.6L repowers for their Houston location and an additional 22 units are scheduled to be deployed next year at SED’s San Antonio location, where an on-site CNG station is to be constructed. With the backing of SED President and Chairman John Nau, Pritchard has shared his results with countless other fleet managers at educational seminars and displayed his CNG vehicles at trade expos. “SED’s decision to move forward with additional CNG engine change-outs validates the reliability, performance and cost-effectiveness of ESI’s technology,” says NGVAmerica President Richard Kolodziej. “As a respected and well known beverage industry leader, SED’s public outreach extolling the benefits of their CNG truck testing and deployment program is deserving of this award,” said CVEF President Doug Horne.
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City of Asheville, North Carolina CNG Fuel station and Public Outreach Program
The City of Asheville is western North Carolina’s leader in implementing progressive policies to reduce emissions, improve air quality and address climate change. Asheville officials have set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2% each year until their goal of 80% is reached. Toward that end, in July 2004, the city council adopted a vehicle replacement policy that directed fleet staff to evaluate any new or replacement vehicle for potential use of alternative fuel. They also applied for and were awarded a $400,000 North Carolina Division of Air Quality Mobile Source Emissions Reduction grant to construct the region’s first publicly accessible fast-fill CNG station in downtown Asheville, which went into service 24/7 in November 2005. The city has begun to systematically replace gasoline and diesel vehicles as budgets permit and now includes a dozen light-duty pick-ups and sedans, and a new CNG work truck is about to go out for bid. In addition, they have actively promoted use of NGVs by other local fleets and individuals. Mission Hospital is the largest of their current customers, with 8 Honda Civic GXs deployed each day in medical lab courier service duty. While CNG fuel use at the City of Asheville’s station is still fairly light – about 17,000 gallons a year or just 15-20% of total capacity, the efforts of fleet department project manager Chris Dobbins are sure to build upon that base. Dobbins shepherded the development of the CNG station and the change-over of the City’s fleet. Moreover, he has been an active and effective champion in the City’s educational outreach, hosting CNG station site visits by other North Carolina public and private fleet managers, speaking at local and regional seminars, and garnering press coverage of the City’s clean air efforts. “The City of Asheville’s CNG station and their active educational outreach program are opening up new market opportunities in the region,” said NGVAmerica President Richard Kolodziej. “Asheville’s investment in the public access CNG station and their willingness to share their experience with others is an investment in their community,” said CVEF President Doug Horne.
The awards were presented yesterday (Sunday October 5) at the National NGV Conference-Summit in San Diego.
National NGV Conference-Summit Omni Hotel San Diego, CA October 4-5, 2008 |
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