The International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles Presents
NGV2010Roma is sponsored by Eni and hosted by NGV System Italia
NGV2010Roma Is in Italy, The Cradle of World NGVs
NGV2010Roma, the world NGVs meeting, (or, more formally, the 12th International Conference & Exhibition on Natural Gas Vehicles) is being held in the cradle of the world NGVs movement: Italy. The NGV Communications Group, best known as the GVR for its flagship Gas Vehicles Report, is the lead organizer. The GVR is making NGV2010Roma happen on behalf of the host NGV System Italia trade association (Stand E24), and the Italian oil and gas giant Eni, main sponsor. The world natural gas vehicles industry is doing more than 20% better than the International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles Brett Jarman predicted in 2006, when it forecast 9 million world of IANGV NGVs by the end of 2009, the GVR says. “These forecasts were not only realized but greatly exceeded: when all the data is in, it seems likely that the final number will be more than 11 million,” the GVR said May 31. “It will be no surprise if by 2020 the global number of NGVs has risen to 65 million.” Italy’s Eni is the The meeting takes place as the ongoing BP Deepwater Horizon main sponsor of NGV2010Roma oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico results in increased calls for alternative Stand D10 sources of fuel. With the emergence of shale gas, coalbed methane and biomethane, it seems inevitable that NGVs will take an increasing share of the world transportation market. “We’re here to let the experts tell their stories and to let the exhibitors promote their ever-improving products,” says Brett Jarman, who is attending his first world meeting as IANGV executive director. Experts at this morning’s plenary session include IANGV and NGVAmerica president Rich Kolodziej, Clean Energy Fuels president and CEO Andrew Littlefair, and Francesco Caria of main sponsor Eni. Eni is hosting the event’s gala dinner, to be held Wednesday evening at the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome — with transportation, of course, via CNGfueled bus.
Buon Appetito!
Creating a Revolution in Transport
Tuesday, June 8 The U.S. Is Back The return of General Motors to NGVs in the U.S. is but the latest good news: more heavy duty vehicles have come on the market and natural gas exploration and production firms have gotten behind the industry. Why the change of heart? ‘Concern about gas supply has been obliterated,’ says NGVAmerica chief Rich Kolodziej. Italian firms, meanwhile, are making waves in North America too. Page 2
Xperion Tanks in Singapore Melchers’ 1,000-unit Toyota taxi upfit project with Xperion Alpha CNG cylinders is being extended to the replacement of Type I tanks in customers’ older cabs. Italy’s OMVL is providing bi-fuel CNG systems for both. Page 3
Got gas? Almost any vehicle can be a natural gas vehicle. Outdoor and Stand E18
Change Is Coming...
The International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles executive committee and the IANGV council approved significant changes on Monday. They’ll be detailed by IANGV president Rich Kolodziej at the general session this morning.
NGV2010Roma in Italy
June 8
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The USA Is B ack in NGVs
“As the international NGV industry months, and all of its 3,300-unit fleet within prepares for its biennial conference in four years. Rome, momentum is building rapidly for The work of Clean Energy Fuels NGVs right here in the U.S.,” according to founder Boone Pickens has also served to Rich Kolodziej, president of NGVAmerica. stimulate the U.S. industry. Through “For the first time, the lobbying, personal appearances, paid independent gas producers advertising and the internet, he has tirehave embraced NGVs as a lessly promoted his “Pickens Plan” for vital new market for natural U.S.-produced natural gas for U.S. gas. Ford is making gasvehicles (pickensplan.com). Italian firms including world gaseous prep ready vehicles, and Rich Kolodziej GM has just announced fuels leader Landi Renzo (Stand C10), which has opened a new shop for vehicle they will be producing NGVs again conversions in Los Angeles, and NGV beginning later this year. Motori are tacking the U.S. market. “We’ve never had so many BRC (Stand E18) has truck and bus manufacturers acquired FuelMaker and is applying offering NGV options nor so many the name across its compressor EPA-certified aftermarket systems line. It’s appointed Southern available,” Kolodziej told F&F on the California’s Gas Equipment eve of NGV2010Roma. Landi Renzo’s Systems, Inc. as its U.S. exclusive “Decision-maker concern about new variablepsi regulator distributor for large compressors. gas supply has been obliterated. New CNG cylinders from at “It’s now clear to everyone that at AF&V 2010. least three suppliers were shown at last we can produce enough natural gas – at month’s Alternative Fuel & Vehicles 2010 very competitive prices – to satisfy all our show in Las Vegas. growing needs,” Kolodziej says. Among them, Kioshi (Stand D6) GM’s promise of CNG vans this year showed a lightweight Type IV tank. (and propane early next), with more Also from Argentina, Aspro (E10) and models to come, represents “the piece of Galileo (D2) are entering the U.S. market. the value chain that’s been missing,” says Daimler-Freightliner and Paccar David Hill, VP with Canadian-American EnCana, one of the E&P firms expecting to (Kenworth and Peterbilt) are both offering factory CNG and LNG trucks. Long-time be awash in natural gas thanks to newly holdout Navistar is getting into the exploitable shale gas deposits. business with dual fuel systems E&P firms have joined from Clean Air Power, which NGVAmerica in force, and the promises more economical influx of dues is allowing the heavy duty vehicles. association to beef up five Rental giant Ryder is marketing and communications GMC Savana van, bringing natural gas into the committees to aid in infrastruc- CNG-fueled, is to be available late this year world of truck leasing, starting ture development — and the in Southern California. high-volume deployment of vehicles. “It appears that Congress is about to Chesapeake Energy, a prominent E&P approve an extension of our fuel credit this in Oklahoma, said in April that it would year (retroactive to January 1),” Kolodziej convert 1,000 vehicles over the next 18
Creating a Revolution in Transport
CNG-fueled Daimler Freightliner M2 106 with fuel system by Enviromech was unveiled at the U.S. Work Truck Show in March and is shown above at the National NGV Fleet Summit prior to the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky. The vehicle has an 8.9liter ISL G engine from Cummins Westport.
‘We’ve got 800 units quoted,’ says Freightliner sales chief Bob Carrick. An LNG variant had been introduced earlier.
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notes, “and support in Congress for the (incentives-boosting) NAT GAS Act has never been greater… “I’ve been involved with NGVs since the mid-80s,” he says. “This is the most exciting time for the industry I can remember.” In addition to heading NGVAmerica, Kolodziej is finishing up a two-year term as president of the International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles.
C LN E’ s L it t lef ai r T o day
“Don’t Sell the Problem, Sell the Solution!” Clean Energy Fuels president and CEO Andrew Littlefair will make a presentation on his company and the state of the market in North America this morning.
Clean Energy Fuels in the United States, where the firm fuels more than 5,000 buses and 2,000 refuse trucks, port trucks, and numerous smaller vehicles (purple dots indicate airport fueling stations, the yellow squares are LNG plants). Clean Energy last year acquired BAF Technologies for CNG conversions, with customers including the huge AT&T and Verizon telcoms. CLNE also operates in Peru.
NGV2010Roma in Italy
June 8 O a s is ’s F l o a ti n g Ba ll
New Zealand’s Oasis Engineering is introducing FV100 series fill valves, pointing to 25 years of NGV fueling experience and citing “three years of continuous prototyping, product assessment, field testing and improvement” for the new line. The “unique valve concept,” Oasis says, employs a floating ball design with soft seat life of at least three times that of trunnion ball valves. “The gentler action of the floating ball means the valve seat has minimal friction load,” Oasis says. “Lower loads mean less wear, smoother actuation, less force required by the operator to turn.” Fueling nozzles with the Oasis floating ball valves were shown at the AF&V 2010 show in Las Vegas, Nevada last month by Tulsa Gas Technologies (TGT) of the U.S. Oasis Engineering is at Stand A30 at NGV2010Roma. Kevin Flint is general manager and Andy Cameron is managing director.
Chart Ferox
Chart Ferox is in from the Czech Republic, talking up LNG systems with their inherent advantage of more methane in a smaller space (and hence more practical vehicle range), at Stand E27. Chart Ferox is showing a 72gallon onboard fuel tank (manufactured by Chart-NexGen of the U.S.) for heavy duty NGV use, and is also promoting the firm’s full line of cryogenic hardware, including storage tanks and heavy duty pumps, for LNG fueling installations. Chart manufactures LNG vessels for LNG tanker trucks and for intermodal shipping applications too.
M e l c h e r s f o r m o r e X p e ri o n s
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Melchers Singapore is more than 30% of the way through a 1,000-taxi CNG conversion job, and is now retrofitting existing CNG taxis with lightweight tanks and fuel systems for the same customer, TransCab. Xperion Alpha tanks, As with the new Toyota Wish vehicles (with 2.0-liter two sizes of Type IVs, awaiting installation engines) Melchers is using Type IV fuel tanks from in Singapore. Germany’s Xperion Alpha (Stand D26) and fuel systems from Italy’s OMVL (A1) for the older 1.8-liter taxis. The Xperion Alpha tanks are not only lighter than the ones they replace, but they are a better fit with the vehicle suspension, allowing more room for fuel, says Melchers Gilbert von Gilbert von der Aue of Melchers Singapore. der Aue & T.C. Goh Melchers also operates the with paint shop-ready Toyota Wish taxi world’s largest CNG station by hose count: the CNergy facility on Toh Tuck Road has 46, all with TK17 pistol nozzles by Germany’s WEH (Stand D20). The installation has four driven Galileo (D2) compressors — and room to expand.
Xeb ec fo r Chi na , Xeb ec fo r Eu rope
Canada’s Xebec, which as the result of a merger completed exactly one year ago now includes the former QuestAir, said last week that it will cooperate with China’s Qingdao Tianren on anaerobic digestion to make renewable CNG suitable for vehicles from waste materials. They will also cooperate on financing alternatives for Chinese biogas project developers. In late
Qingdao Tianren chairman Dr. Cao Man with Xebec Adsorption president and CEO Kurt Sorschak in Shanghai on June 2.
NGVs in China’s ‘Clean Cities’ 1999-2008, from the NGV2010Roma award-winning China Country Report by Willis Guan of the China Automotive and Technology Research Center. His presentation is scheduled for 2pm today. CATARC will host ANGVA’s next annual meeting, in Beijing, in 2011. Stand C26.
May, Xebec said it would provide its biogas upgrading equipment for a vehicle fuel project in France and for three projects in Austria – one for fueling refuse trucks. “These projects are yet another positive indicator of the growing use of biomethane gas as a renewable source of clean energy for household, vehicle, utility and industrial applications,” said Xebec president and CEO Kurt Sorschak. Xebec is at Stand C9.
June 8
EKC Is Expanding
India’s Everest Kanto Cylinder is reportedly planning two plants in Gujarat state with
Everest Kanto Cylinder is at Stand D14.
‘ LN G I s H OT ’
4 a combined capacity of 500,000 CNG cylinders per year. EKC has already produced more than 4 million CNG cylinders at three plants in India, two in Dubai, and others in China (Tianjin) and the US. (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). Besides cylinders for all NGV types, EKC offers bulk units and cascades for storage and for mother-daughter fueling . Puneet Khurana is EKC sales chief.
There is a plethora of vehicle fueling opportunities for liquefied natural gas, with vehicles ranging from street sweepers to long haul trucks, locomotives, and even airplanes (the Russians tested LNG on a Tupelev jet in 1989), reports Jeffrey Seisler of Brussels-based Clean Fuels Consulting. The ships that are making possible a burgeoning world trade in the clean cryogenic fuel are also candidates to operate on it. That trade, which is forecast to grow dramatically, especially serving China and Europe, sharply increases the practicality of LNG for vehicles. Other strong markets include Australia and the southwest U.S. “Security of supply will strengthen because of LNG trading,” Seisler says. Among the challenges, to-and-from ‘bunkering’ “International standards are moving forward but need more expert stakeholder involvement,” while “support from fuel suppliers remains fragmented and should be harnessed.” Seisler, who formerly headed the European NGV Association, will make his LNG Is HOT presentation here at 11am Wednesday. In addition to the LNG Is HOT seminar which late last year brought together 66 LNG experts from 18 countries, Seisler’s CFC hosted a strategic issues workshop on dual fuel vehicles in Brussels late in March. www.cleanfuelsconsulting.org
B io g a s fo r E co n i c s
Daimler is promoting natural gas-fueled Mercedes-Benz Econic NGT trucks in part because they can be fueled by biomethane, notably in Sweden, where Sita (Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux) is fielding 27 more, bringing its total to 98: “81 of the vehicles have natural gas drive and more than 70 of the trucks are powered by environmentally friendly biogas,” the manufacturer said early this year. “The Econics in Sweden’s capital are being operated for the first time exclusively with biogas,” Mercedes said, “produced inhouse from renewable sources.” Most comes from municipal sewage processed by the Stockholm Vatten water utility. Sweden has more than 250 Econic NGTs, Daimler said. There are more than 950 in Europe. The trucks are powered by 6.9-liter, 279-hp (205 kW), M 906 LAG engines. Most are CNG-fueled with Type I cylinders by Mannesmann.
Athens has 108 CNG-fueled Econic NGT refuse trucks by Mercedes-Benz in service.
Fleets & Fuels NGVRoma2010 News is published by Fleets & Fuels © August Pacific Press. All rights reserved.
Rich Kolodziej (NGVAmerica), IANGV President Brett Jarman, IANGV Executive Director David Perry, NGVRoma2010 News (dperry@iangv.org)
Rich Piellisch, Editor Fleets & Fuels NGVRoma2010 News (Rome mobile +39-345-014-2953; piellisch@fleetsandfuels.com) Fleets & Fuels, 357 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA; +1-415-896-5988; mobile +1-415-305-9050 www.fleetsandfuels.com; twitter.com/fleetsandfuels: #ngv2010roma; www.showtimesdaily.com
International Association for Natural Vas Vehicles PO Box 128 446 Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand
Creating a Revolution in Transport
telephone +64-9-523-3567 fax +64-9-520-3122 w w w . ia n g v . o rg
NGV2010Roma in Italy