This note will review what is going on with natural gas and natural gas vehicles in W Tn as of December 2013.
LOCAL: Local gov’t and utilities have taken the lead with CNG in West Tennessee. Those sticking their foot in the water with a few vehicles running on compressed natural gas now include Fayette-Hardeman Util, Gibson County Util, Jackson Energy Authority, Cities of Parsons, Paris, Adamsville, Jackson and Memphis. Memphis Light Gas and Water is transitioning to 200 NGVs as petrol burners are retired. While the rural stakeholders and JEA use inexpensive, low output compressors that fill a tank overnight and fast fill a few vehicles per day, Memphis Light Gas and Water has committed to build 5 public access CNG stations that fill tanks all day as fast as a gasoline or diesel fill-up.
There is no shortage of people calling Clean Cities Coordinators across the country eager to build slow or fast fill fueling stations where demand for the fuel exists. Fleet owners represent that demand but say lack of fueling infrastructure is the main reason they don’t begin transitioning to natural gas. This is commonly called “The Chicken vs Egg Syndrome”.
LNG’s GRAND BARGAIN -The over-the-road trucking industry burns 70% of our imported oil that goes to transportation, and is witnessing a private sector collaboration between a number of fuel retailers, truck manufacturers, and fleet owners, to overcome the chicken-egg problem. Boone Pickens’ Clean Energy Fuels has partnered with Pilot Travel Centers with its 500 truck stops to build NG facilities around the country in 200 mile intervals, locally in W Memphis, Lebanon, Tn, (south of Chatt) in Ga, and across the border in North Carolina. These stations dispense natural gas in its liquid form at -260 degrees F, enabling trucks to carry more energy in less space than compressed gas. Additional stations are to be built in Tennessee this year, and Jackson is on their list. Shell also has an LNG build-out underway at 150 Truck Stops of America. A western US natural gas retailer branding itself “Blu”, is actively building one station in West Memphis and on Brooks Road in Memphis and by the baseball park in Jackson while searching additional LNG retail sites around West Tennessee. UPS has announced a fleet of 700 LNG trucks, many of which will run between Knoxville and San Antonio- you should be seeing them any day now.
MANUFACTURERS- As the trucking industry builds out their truck stop facilities, “Truck manufacturers Freightliner, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Volvo, and Navistar all plan to take deliveries [of new gaseous engines], with the new LNG rigs hitting the road beginning August [2013].” Freight haulers have a big decision to make: it may be that in a few years’ time, resisting trucking companies will have to wrestle with the fact that their competitors are spending 40% or so less per mile than they are. LNG fuel systems and engines are making major headway in rail and marine applications as well.
ENGINES: The various classes of road vehicles, from Class 8 trucks to sub-compact cars, have different engine requirements. New engines go through a rigorous, expensive, and time consuming EPA approval process. Thus, the spread of natural gas vehicle types occurs in piecemeal fashion as engines are
approved. The triggering event for this first round of LNG deployment was the release of the Cummins-Westport 11.9 liter engine. http://www.cumminswestport.com/models/isx12-g For the heaviest trucks, watch for a new Cummins 15 liter in 2015.
CNG’s GRAND BARGAIN: Regional trucking does not lend itself to a centralized approach the way the interstate haulers do. These vehicles are generally better suited for CNG fueling as they are parked a lot of the time and don’t need the concentration of fuel on board. The next big thing in trucking will probably be the 2015 release of a CW 6.7 liter engine, suited for medium weight delivery trucks, school busses, etc. Like the truck manufacturers mentioned above, GM, Ford, and Chrysler all have a CNG line up, so that, for example, you can go to your local Ford dealership today and buy a natural gas powered vehicle from the F-250 to their heaviest trucks. Starting in 2014, Ford will drop a Class to sell dual fuel F 150s, and in 2014, Chevrolet will offer a CNG Malibu. (All had avoided selling light duty vehicles complete from the dealership pending more infrastructure deployment and due to the low ROI on low mileage vehicles.) Otherwise, for a vehicle not yet offered by the big three, dealers generally will help you find an EPA approved kit installer for a light-duty vehicle if you want one; the kit in that case is warranted by the kit company, not the automaker). The collaboration here is granular- before a station operator spends the money to build an expensive CNG retail station, he/she must obtain a commitment from a nearby fleet or two to actually buy enough fuel to support the cost of the station. That applies to every public access station for the foreseeable future.
FLEET ACTIVITY: UPS has announced private LNG stations in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville for the 700 NGVs it is adding to its fleet. AT&T has asked Clean Cities to help it find CNG in Tennessee for the portion of its 8,000 CNG vans that operate in Tennessee. Waste Management (whose diesel trucks collect trash in Jackson) is transitioning its fleet in Tennessee starting this year. Waste Management talks about Tennessee- “Over the next five years, 90 percent of new vehicles purchased will run on CNG.” http://www.tngas.org/CustomResource.ashx?ID=238
STATE POLICY: Our Governor has signed off with 20+ governors on a memorandum of understanding directed to Detroit- if they will built them (NGVs), half the states will buy them for their fleets. http://www.ngvc.org/pdfs/NGV_MOU_032313.pdf The Tennessee General Assembly passed the “Energy Independence Act of 2013” which requires the State of Tennessee to include NGVs in its fleet where fuel is available, and gives fuel stations a property tax reduction.
OTHER LINKS:
www.tnngv.org Tennessee Natural Gas Vehicle Task Force- Middle, West, and East Tennessee each has a Clean Cities Coordinator. We all serve on this task force with the Tennessee Gas Association.
http://www.afdc.energy.gov government information source for all things alt fuel
www.ngvamerica.org major trade group for natural gas vehicles
www.tagnaturalgasinfo.com/index.html great site put together by Jackson’s own Charlie Nichols.
www.cngprices.com national station locator with pricing and station details.
About Clean Cities: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/
Clean Cities is a Department of Energy (DOE) effort to spread the word on conservation and alternative fuels for the transportation sector. It employs no one at the local level, meaning that coordinators start a local chapter with support from industry stake-holders. Here are the five areas identified by Clean Cities wherein fleet operators and individuals can act to help our nation on a cost effective basis:
1. Alternative Fuels and Infrastructure (biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, methanol, natural gas, liquid fuels made from natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (propane), hydrogen, and "P-series" blends).
2. Idle Reduction, technologies and practices (IRT)
3. Blends (ethanol and diesel blends, natural gas or hydrogen gas injection)
4. Hybrid Electric Vehicles
5. Fuel Efficiency technologies and conservation practices.
***Natural Gas Fueling in Tennessee 2013***
West TN- Memphis Light Gas and Water- owns an LNG plant capable of 65,000 gallons/day.
Also opened its first public access CNG station in July; plans to add four more public access at its garages around town; transitioning 200 fleet vehicles to CNG. Second station underway.
Blu- two public access stations planned in Memphis. Employee relocated to Memphis; MLGW is providing them with LNG. Station in W. Memphis is open, another opening Brooks at I-55, Lamar at 240. Mention of Riverside at McLemore, Shelby Dr at Getwell. Earthwork has begun on LNG station on I-40 in Jackson, Tn.
UPS- building large private fueling facility in Memphis for its Knoxville-to-San Antonio fleet
Clean Energy- built a LNG station at Pilot Flying J in West Memphis, Arkansas.
Munis/Utilities- Adamsville, Gibson County Gas Util District, Hardeman-Fayette Co, Paris, Parsons, Jackson Energy Authority each has small private fueling equipment suitable for a handful of vehicles each. Jackson has limited fast-fill capacity.
Middle TN- Piedmont- public access CNG station at their HQ in Nashville (across I-40 from airport). So much private business they are building another station to get people off their lot. New station will be off of Spence Lane very close to the I-24 and I-40 junction in the east side of town; tractor trailer accessible.
Elk River Public Utility District has a small private fueling facility for its fleet.
Clean Energy has its LNG equipment in place at the Pilot Flying J in Lebanon.
UPS- building large private LNG fueling facility in Nashville for its Knoxville to Dallas fleet
East TN- Waypoint CNG- new public access station at Athens, TN. At I-75 (exit 49); 1818 Holiday Dr., Athens, TN 37303. Less than a mile from the interstate under the very large American flag!!
Natural Fuels LLC, Huntsville, TN 37756. Off the beaten path on Route 63, about 8 miles from Oneida and 15 miles from I-75. Public access, cash only, and need to call ahead.
Sevier County Utility District (SCUD) fast-fill station is being built now at their HQ at 420 Robert Henderson Rd., Sevierville, TN 37862. Have time-fill capability now. Several nearby fleets are already planning on utilizing this station and working to purchase NGVs, including HD dump trucks.
Hawkins County Gas Utility- Rogersville, small private fueling facility.
Knoxville Utility District- Private fueling facility for their fleet of about 40 NGVS now; working toward having 100 NGVs over the next two years.
Oak Ridge Gas Utility- small private fueling facility; limited fast-fill capability for their vehicles.
Morgan County Schools- small private fueling facility
South Pittsburg Utility- private access station in Marion County
Clean Energy- LNG equipment ready at Pilot Flying J in Knoxville at Watt Road
UPS- building large private LNG fueling facility in Knoxville for its Knoxville to Dallas fleet
Trillium CNG is expanding its compressed natural gas fueling network, with plans to build 101 public access Class 8 accessible CNG stations in 29 states by 2016, and four are planned for Tennessee. “The site locations are based on customers' demands that CNG stations be built near their key shipping lanes off of major interstate highways.”
US Oil, brand name Gain, is site-sourcing a CNG station for Memphis.
12/31/2013pfr
LOCAL: Local gov’t and utilities have taken the lead with CNG in West Tennessee. Those sticking their foot in the water with a few vehicles running on compressed natural gas now include Fayette-Hardeman Util, Gibson County Util, Jackson Energy Authority, Cities of Parsons, Paris, Adamsville, Jackson and Memphis. Memphis Light Gas and Water is transitioning to 200 NGVs as petrol burners are retired. While the rural stakeholders and JEA use inexpensive, low output compressors that fill a tank overnight and fast fill a few vehicles per day, Memphis Light Gas and Water has committed to build 5 public access CNG stations that fill tanks all day as fast as a gasoline or diesel fill-up.
There is no shortage of people calling Clean Cities Coordinators across the country eager to build slow or fast fill fueling stations where demand for the fuel exists. Fleet owners represent that demand but say lack of fueling infrastructure is the main reason they don’t begin transitioning to natural gas. This is commonly called “The Chicken vs Egg Syndrome”.
LNG’s GRAND BARGAIN -The over-the-road trucking industry burns 70% of our imported oil that goes to transportation, and is witnessing a private sector collaboration between a number of fuel retailers, truck manufacturers, and fleet owners, to overcome the chicken-egg problem. Boone Pickens’ Clean Energy Fuels has partnered with Pilot Travel Centers with its 500 truck stops to build NG facilities around the country in 200 mile intervals, locally in W Memphis, Lebanon, Tn, (south of Chatt) in Ga, and across the border in North Carolina. These stations dispense natural gas in its liquid form at -260 degrees F, enabling trucks to carry more energy in less space than compressed gas. Additional stations are to be built in Tennessee this year, and Jackson is on their list. Shell also has an LNG build-out underway at 150 Truck Stops of America. A western US natural gas retailer branding itself “Blu”, is actively building one station in West Memphis and on Brooks Road in Memphis and by the baseball park in Jackson while searching additional LNG retail sites around West Tennessee. UPS has announced a fleet of 700 LNG trucks, many of which will run between Knoxville and San Antonio- you should be seeing them any day now.
MANUFACTURERS- As the trucking industry builds out their truck stop facilities, “Truck manufacturers Freightliner, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Volvo, and Navistar all plan to take deliveries [of new gaseous engines], with the new LNG rigs hitting the road beginning August [2013].” Freight haulers have a big decision to make: it may be that in a few years’ time, resisting trucking companies will have to wrestle with the fact that their competitors are spending 40% or so less per mile than they are. LNG fuel systems and engines are making major headway in rail and marine applications as well.
ENGINES: The various classes of road vehicles, from Class 8 trucks to sub-compact cars, have different engine requirements. New engines go through a rigorous, expensive, and time consuming EPA approval process. Thus, the spread of natural gas vehicle types occurs in piecemeal fashion as engines are
approved. The triggering event for this first round of LNG deployment was the release of the Cummins-Westport 11.9 liter engine. http://www.cumminswestport.com/models/isx12-g For the heaviest trucks, watch for a new Cummins 15 liter in 2015.
CNG’s GRAND BARGAIN: Regional trucking does not lend itself to a centralized approach the way the interstate haulers do. These vehicles are generally better suited for CNG fueling as they are parked a lot of the time and don’t need the concentration of fuel on board. The next big thing in trucking will probably be the 2015 release of a CW 6.7 liter engine, suited for medium weight delivery trucks, school busses, etc. Like the truck manufacturers mentioned above, GM, Ford, and Chrysler all have a CNG line up, so that, for example, you can go to your local Ford dealership today and buy a natural gas powered vehicle from the F-250 to their heaviest trucks. Starting in 2014, Ford will drop a Class to sell dual fuel F 150s, and in 2014, Chevrolet will offer a CNG Malibu. (All had avoided selling light duty vehicles complete from the dealership pending more infrastructure deployment and due to the low ROI on low mileage vehicles.) Otherwise, for a vehicle not yet offered by the big three, dealers generally will help you find an EPA approved kit installer for a light-duty vehicle if you want one; the kit in that case is warranted by the kit company, not the automaker). The collaboration here is granular- before a station operator spends the money to build an expensive CNG retail station, he/she must obtain a commitment from a nearby fleet or two to actually buy enough fuel to support the cost of the station. That applies to every public access station for the foreseeable future.
FLEET ACTIVITY: UPS has announced private LNG stations in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville for the 700 NGVs it is adding to its fleet. AT&T has asked Clean Cities to help it find CNG in Tennessee for the portion of its 8,000 CNG vans that operate in Tennessee. Waste Management (whose diesel trucks collect trash in Jackson) is transitioning its fleet in Tennessee starting this year. Waste Management talks about Tennessee- “Over the next five years, 90 percent of new vehicles purchased will run on CNG.” http://www.tngas.org/CustomResource.ashx?ID=238
STATE POLICY: Our Governor has signed off with 20+ governors on a memorandum of understanding directed to Detroit- if they will built them (NGVs), half the states will buy them for their fleets. http://www.ngvc.org/pdfs/NGV_MOU_032313.pdf The Tennessee General Assembly passed the “Energy Independence Act of 2013” which requires the State of Tennessee to include NGVs in its fleet where fuel is available, and gives fuel stations a property tax reduction.
OTHER LINKS:
www.tnngv.org Tennessee Natural Gas Vehicle Task Force- Middle, West, and East Tennessee each has a Clean Cities Coordinator. We all serve on this task force with the Tennessee Gas Association.
http://www.afdc.energy.gov government information source for all things alt fuel
www.ngvamerica.org major trade group for natural gas vehicles
www.tagnaturalgasinfo.com/index.html great site put together by Jackson’s own Charlie Nichols.
www.cngprices.com national station locator with pricing and station details.
About Clean Cities: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/
Clean Cities is a Department of Energy (DOE) effort to spread the word on conservation and alternative fuels for the transportation sector. It employs no one at the local level, meaning that coordinators start a local chapter with support from industry stake-holders. Here are the five areas identified by Clean Cities wherein fleet operators and individuals can act to help our nation on a cost effective basis:
1. Alternative Fuels and Infrastructure (biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, methanol, natural gas, liquid fuels made from natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (propane), hydrogen, and "P-series" blends).
2. Idle Reduction, technologies and practices (IRT)
3. Blends (ethanol and diesel blends, natural gas or hydrogen gas injection)
4. Hybrid Electric Vehicles
5. Fuel Efficiency technologies and conservation practices.
***Natural Gas Fueling in Tennessee 2013***
West TN- Memphis Light Gas and Water- owns an LNG plant capable of 65,000 gallons/day.
Also opened its first public access CNG station in July; plans to add four more public access at its garages around town; transitioning 200 fleet vehicles to CNG. Second station underway.
Blu- two public access stations planned in Memphis. Employee relocated to Memphis; MLGW is providing them with LNG. Station in W. Memphis is open, another opening Brooks at I-55, Lamar at 240. Mention of Riverside at McLemore, Shelby Dr at Getwell. Earthwork has begun on LNG station on I-40 in Jackson, Tn.
UPS- building large private fueling facility in Memphis for its Knoxville-to-San Antonio fleet
Clean Energy- built a LNG station at Pilot Flying J in West Memphis, Arkansas.
Munis/Utilities- Adamsville, Gibson County Gas Util District, Hardeman-Fayette Co, Paris, Parsons, Jackson Energy Authority each has small private fueling equipment suitable for a handful of vehicles each. Jackson has limited fast-fill capacity.
Middle TN- Piedmont- public access CNG station at their HQ in Nashville (across I-40 from airport). So much private business they are building another station to get people off their lot. New station will be off of Spence Lane very close to the I-24 and I-40 junction in the east side of town; tractor trailer accessible.
Elk River Public Utility District has a small private fueling facility for its fleet.
Clean Energy has its LNG equipment in place at the Pilot Flying J in Lebanon.
UPS- building large private LNG fueling facility in Nashville for its Knoxville to Dallas fleet
East TN- Waypoint CNG- new public access station at Athens, TN. At I-75 (exit 49); 1818 Holiday Dr., Athens, TN 37303. Less than a mile from the interstate under the very large American flag!!
Natural Fuels LLC, Huntsville, TN 37756. Off the beaten path on Route 63, about 8 miles from Oneida and 15 miles from I-75. Public access, cash only, and need to call ahead.
Sevier County Utility District (SCUD) fast-fill station is being built now at their HQ at 420 Robert Henderson Rd., Sevierville, TN 37862. Have time-fill capability now. Several nearby fleets are already planning on utilizing this station and working to purchase NGVs, including HD dump trucks.
Hawkins County Gas Utility- Rogersville, small private fueling facility.
Knoxville Utility District- Private fueling facility for their fleet of about 40 NGVS now; working toward having 100 NGVs over the next two years.
Oak Ridge Gas Utility- small private fueling facility; limited fast-fill capability for their vehicles.
Morgan County Schools- small private fueling facility
South Pittsburg Utility- private access station in Marion County
Clean Energy- LNG equipment ready at Pilot Flying J in Knoxville at Watt Road
UPS- building large private LNG fueling facility in Knoxville for its Knoxville to Dallas fleet
Trillium CNG is expanding its compressed natural gas fueling network, with plans to build 101 public access Class 8 accessible CNG stations in 29 states by 2016, and four are planned for Tennessee. “The site locations are based on customers' demands that CNG stations be built near their key shipping lanes off of major interstate highways.”
US Oil, brand name Gain, is site-sourcing a CNG station for Memphis.
12/31/2013pfr