Fleets & Fuels ShowTimes ACT Expo 2012 May 16 issue

ACT EXPO 2012

WEDNESDAY, may 16, 2012

Welcome to ACT Expo 2012 Chrysler Weighs Into NGVs Long-awaited return to market with factory-built bi-fuel pickup, the Ram 2500 CNG. —Page 6

BAF’s 20-20 Vision Clean Energy Fuels upfit unit celebrates 20 years in NGVs and 20,000 vehicles as it opens new Dallas headquarters. —Page 9

Hino Brings Its Hybrid COE 195h is now slated to hit dealers in September. —Page 10

Now It’s Trillium CNG The new name is just part of the story as CNG specialist is acquired by Integrys. —Page 11

Looking Up at American Honda! Robert Langford and Steve Center of Honda, Barbara Brentano of Gladstein, Neandross & Associates, Annabel Cook and Steve Ellis of Honda cavort with red, white and blue hydrogen, CNG and 100% electric cars on show at ACT Expo – which, by the way, will be held in America’s capital next year, Washington, D.C. See page 14.

ACT Expo 2012 Sells All Places

The alternative fuels community is here, but is it a community? Gen. Wesley Clark called for —Page 6 more cooperation in the ACT Expo 2012 conference keynote speech Tuesday.

CWI’s 12-Liter Is a Reality

Agility Is Everywhere Natural gas fuel systems for nearly all truck OEMs. —Page 13

Shown as a proof-of-concept in a Freightliner Cascadia last year at ACT Expo, the 11.9-liter ISX12 G engine

by Cummins Westport is now being promoted by all the major OEMs, for over-the-road trucks and even refuse collection.

Production of the up-to-400 horsepower, 1,450-foot-lb torque engine is to begin in earnest in early 2013.

Propane Is Prospering Roush CleanTech boss tells why, and so does a customer. —Page 16

8.8-Liter from Greenkraft Caterpillar-block engine is being introduced today (and Ryder has committed to buy).

—Page 18

Show Map!

— See Page 3

Additional News Published Online at www.ShowtimesDaily.com

—Page 12 California Senator Ted Lieu chats with Landi Renzo USA president Andrea Landi at the Landi-hosted reception at Gladstone’s Monday evening. Landi Renzo USA and its Baytech subsidiary are promoting natural gas vehicles at Booth 525.

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Lay of the Land

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It’s by far the biggest ACT Expo ever...Don’t Get Lost!

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ACT Expo Is Bigger, Likewise Our Industry Dear F&F ShowTimes Readers and ACT Expo Attendees:

necessarily in that order!

The 12-liter Cummins Westport engine – unveiled as a proof-of-concept item here last year – is being promoted this year as a factory option by several heavy-duty OEMs in both on-highway and refuse collection applications. Many believe that

Erik Neandross

Welcome back to Long Beach and the 2012 Alternative Clean Transportation Expo. We are very excited to have you here for this second annual event. We’ve been preparing for this conference for several months and have been thrilled by the momentum the event has gained. We have a strong program this year and we’re glad you are able to join us.

You will notice that the Expo This year there’s a Hall floor has expanded this year growing realization with a greater array of products representing all vehicle classes and that clean and domestic spanning a wide variety of techis cheaper too. nologies. From battery electric, plug-ins, medium and heavy-duty hybrids, gaseous fuel powered vehicles – hydrogen, this product will revolutionize the heavy duty marpropane and natural gas – of all shapes and sizes, ket when it goes on sale in early 2013.

CNG and LNG heavy duty trucks, upfitters, conRyder System kicked off the first-ever natuversions, retrofits, associated refueling equipment ral gas truck rental and leasing program at ACT and more – it is all represented here at ACT. Expo 2011. This year, the company’s Chairman As we reflect back on our time here 12 months and CEO Greg Swienton is our keynote speaker, ago, when we stated, “ACT Expo 2011 could not here to give us an update on the company’s aggreshave been better timed,” I think you will agree that sive alternative fuel efforts and a preview of what’s another year in the cellar has matured our industry to come. for the better.

Once again we have an exceptional lineup of The same market drivers are still with us: sky speakers exploring an array of challenging topics. high conventional fuel prices, national security, the Fleet managers new to clean vehicles will learn need for clean air. But this year there’s a growing How, Why, and How Much. We’ve got nearly 130 realization that clean and domestic is cheaper too. exhibitors – up from 70 last year. We’re counting Fleet operators are learning that they can “Do The nearly 90 vehicles on the show floor and ride-andRight Thing” and save money doing it… and not drive – up from 70 last year.

At ACT Expo 2012, you will get the information and access the resources needed for additional procurement and deployment of alternative fuel vehicles and advanced transportation technologies.

The rubber meets the road, and the result is not smog but reduced emissions in our communities, healthier children, greater national security – and a better bottom line.

I thank you all for joining us at ACT Expo 2012. New technologies, new vehicles, new ways to pay for them. It’s all here, and we expect you will go home wiser and wealthier.

Cleaner too.

Roll up your sleeves. Soak it in. And above all, have a Great Show!

Natural Gas Has the Momentum Spurred by prices at the pump that are $1.50- installed at a record rate by both traditional sta$2.00 less per gallon (coupled with the benefits tion owner/operators and by new entrants. Last of reductions in oil imports, urban pollution and week, for example, Kwik Trip, a large Midwest greenhouse gases), the U.S. natural gas vehicles convenience store chain, unveiled its new multimarket is taking off on all fronts. fuel station in La Crosse, Wisc., Last year, for example, almost which features three CNG and 40% of the trash trucks purchased two LNG dispensers. Love’s, Kum & Go, Lehigh Gas and in America were natural gaspowered. Manufacturers are now other regional c-store operators forecasting that, in 2012, natural are offering natural gas too. gas will represent between 50 and NGVs have a major pres70% of their orders. ence here this week – both in In transit, over one in four the exhibit hall and on the conbuses was natural gas-powered. ference program. And by next To serve these and other year’s ACT Expo, which will be growing markets, more truck, bus held in Washington, D.C., we and car manufacturers are offerexpect NGVs to be even more dominant. — Rich Kolodziej, ing an expanding list of natural gas Rich Kolodziej President, NGVAmerica, Booth 229 models. Fueling stations are being 4

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Erik Neandross Chief Executive Officer Gladstein, Neandross and Associates

Publisher Kirk Fetzer 415-385-0987; Kirk@CTNPublishing.com Editor Rich Piellisch 415-305-9050; Rich@FleetsandFuels.com

Reporter Jamie Knapp

Production Designer

Maureen Spuhler

Photographer Mel Lindstrom Distribution Manager John Ricco

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CNG FUELING: LOOK FORWARD

Trillium quality creates the lowest lifecycle costs for CNG fueling. tŚĞŶ ŝƚ ĐŽŵĞƐ ƚŽ Ă ŵĂũŽƌ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚ ůŝŬĞ E' ŝŶĨƌĂƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĞ͕ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶ͛ƚ ĂīŽƌĚ ƚŽ ĐƵƚ ĐŽƌŶĞƌƐ͘ dŚĂƚ͛Ɛ ǁŚLJ dƌŝůůŝƵŵ ƚĂŬĞƐ Ă ͚ŶŽ ƐŚŽƌƚĐƵƚƐ͛ ĂƉƉƌŽĂĐŚ ƚŽ ĞǀĞƌLJƚŚŝŶŐ ǁĞ ĚŽ͘ &ƌŽŵ ĐŽŶĐĞƉƚ ƚŽ ĐŽŵƉůĞƟŽŶ͕ dƌŝůůŝƵŵ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ďĞƩĞƌ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ͕ ďĞƩĞƌ ĞƋƵŝƉŵĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ ďĞƩĞƌ ŵĂŝŶƚĞŶĂŶĐĞ͘ dŚĞ ƌĞƐƵůƚ ŝƐ Ă ƐƚĂƟŽŶ ƚŚĂƚ͛Ɛ ďƵŝůƚ ƚŽ ůĂƐƚ ĨŽƌ ϮϬ LJĞĂƌƐ Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ͕ ĂŶĚ ŽƉĞƌĂƚĞƐ ƵƉ ƚŽ ϮϬй ŵŽƌĞ ĞĸĐŝĞŶƚůLJ ƚŚĂŶ ŽƚŚĞƌ E' ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƌƐ͘ ^Ž ŝŶƐƚĞĂĚ ŽĨ ƉƌŽďůĞŵƐ ĂĚĚŝŶŐ ƵƉ͕ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ƐĂǀŝŶŐƐ͘

GET THE BEST VALUE IN CNG. ϴϬϬ͘ϵϮϬ͘ϭϭϲϲ ͮ ƚƌŝůůŝƵŵƵƐĂ͘ĐŽŵ ͮ ŝŶĨŽΛƚƌŝůůŝƵŵƵƐĂ͘ĐŽŵ

Making CNG Work for You.

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Wesley Clark Calls for Community “The peculiar thing about the liquid fuels market is, everyone seems to hate everyone else,” retired Gen. Wesley Clark said here yesterday, drawing chuckles from the audience.

Clark, now an energy investment advisor, urged attendees to seize the opportunity to work together and eliminate competition among themselves: “None of us can do it by ourselves, and if we don’t do it, we can’t get this economy going again.”

The economy and national security are inexorably linked, he said. The U.S. has lost 6.5 million jobs, net, since 2008, faces a projected trillion-dollar federal deficit, and has spent $3 trillion and lost 6,500 service men and women defending access to Persian Gulf oil. Yet we’re still dependent on imported oil.

The $300 billion the nation spends each year on imported oil amounts to $1,000 for every U.S. man, woman, and child, Clark said. Keeping that money here and investing in the abundant domestic energy resources – hydrocarbons, biofuels, sunlight, wind, coastal wave action, and minerals – would grow the economy. And it can be done without harming the environment.

To reduce our current oil imports of 9.5 million barrels per day, we need higher national fuel economy standards, increased domestic oil and gas production, electric vehicles on the road, and increased use of CNG, LNG, and ethanol.

But the most important step, he reiterated, is working together. “If we don’t work together, if we can’t have a shared vision, we can’t move this forward. And we need each of you.”

Ram and Chrysler de Mexico president Fred Diaz introduced the factory CNG pickup at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis this past March.

Chrysler Roars into NGVs with Factory-Built Bi-Fuel Ram “This is not a conversion,” said Chrysler Ram president Fred Diaz as he unveiled the OEM’s long-awaited re-entry into natural gas vehicles this past March at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis.

Chrysler is at ACT Expo Booth 305.

Chrysler’s new NGV is a bi-fuel gasolinecompressed natural gas pickup, the Ram 2500 CNG. It is being built on a regular production line in Saltillo (Coahuila, Mexico), by Chrysler itself, Diaz said.

Diaz is also president of Chrysler de Mexico.

The Ram 2500 CNG boasts a threeyear/30,000 mile full-factory warranty, and a savings on price, Diaz said, of at least $6,000 over the competition.

The vehicle is available from July as a crew cab 4x4 with 169-inch wheelbase, for $47,500 including a $995 destination charge.

A comparable conventional Ram truck is

priced around $39,745.

Chrysler is using two Type I tanks from Italy’s Faber Industrie (Booth 122) in the truckbed. Gasoline gallon equivalent capacity is 18.2 GGE, affording estimated CNG-only range of 255 miles. An 8-gallon gasoline tanks adds 112 miles.

With a $3 difference between CNG and gasoline, a Ram owner will recoup the extra cost of the CNG vehicle in close to two years, Diaz said. The truck uses gasoline only on start-up, and if CNG is not available.

The Ram CNG was engineered in collaboration with Chrysler’s major investor Fiat.

Chrysler also, with U.S. DoE support, is testing PHEV – plug-in hybrid electric vehicle – versions of its Ram pickups (140) and Town & Country minivans (25) in diverse U.S. cities. The Chrysler PHEVs have SuperPolymer brand lithium ion batteries from Canada’s Electrovaya.

Training Sessions Range from the Basics to Project Permitting ACT Expo pre-conference sessions here yesterday offered attendees a wealth of information ranging from “101” courses on fleet management, alt fuel vehicles and CNG vehicles, to emergency and first responder training.

When it comes to installing fueling stations, a lot has changed in the last decade, said Carl Baust, fire protection engineer and session leader on fire department permitting of hydrogen and CNG stations.

Local fire departments’ once notorious concerns have largely been addressed in the California Fire Code, Chapter 22. And if you meet the requirements of NFPA 52, he said, “Now, it’s no big deal.”

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Young people are excited and interested in the new technologies, he said, but some vested interests can still present barriers. Establish displays in shopping centers, expose people to the technology, he said, and “make it easy for people.”

Attendees at the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium first responder safety training on electric vehicles learned about the Consortium’s online QRG or Quick Response Guide. The QRG contains need-to-know info such as different manufacturers’ vehicle designs and high-voltage systems in hybrid and electric vehicles.

Carl Baust of the Orange County Fire Department

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SCI Continues to Boost Capacity Structural Composites Industries (Booth 330), now a unit of Worthington Cylinders, continues to expand its production capacity for Type III carbon-fiber-on-aluminum compressed natural gas (and hydrogen) fuel cylinders.

SCI invested $1.8 million to expand the floor space at Pomona last year, and this year is spending a like amount on equipment to speed its production process.

The improvements will boost production capability by about 40%, estimates product group manager John Coursen.

SCI customers include Impco Automotive (Booth 545) for GMC and Chevy pickups, the Vehicle Production Group for the CNG version of the MV-1 wheelchair accessible mobility vehicle, Blue Bird Bus, and American Honda (Booth 201) – SCI supplies a single, squat, 18.3-by-35.2-inch, 8 gasoline gallon equivalent cylinder for the dedicated-CNG Honda Civic Natural Gas (formerly the Civic GX).

The firm also makes pressure vessel shells for the accuSCI supplies the single, squat, 18.3-by-35.2-inch mulators on hydraulic hybrid Type III fuel cylinder for the dedicated-CNG Honda. vehicles.

A wide range of CNG cylinders – SCI has been in the business since the 1970s – encompasses capacities of 4 to 29.2 GGE (25.8 DGE, diesel gallon equivalent).

Multinational cylinder manufacturer Worthington acquired SCI in 2009.

Worthington acquired a majority stake in India’s Nitin Cylinders Limited in late 2010, and last year bought Poland’s Stako. In a departure, SCI expects to begin distribution of Stako propane fuel vessels in the U.S. Worthington claims the world’s broadest alternative fuel cylinder offering, replete with Type I steel, Type II hoop-wrapped steel, SCI’s Type III carbonaluminum, and Type IV polymer-lined all-composite cylinders.

PSI Enters the On-Road Market Wood Dale, Ill.-based Power Solutions, Inc. which supplies engines ranging from just .97 to 22 liters for industrial and off-road use, is hitting the streets at ACT Expo 2012, offering new, fuel versatile engines for Class 4, 5, 6 and 7 vehicles.

PSI’s 8.8-liter “big block” fits in the same mounts as the 8.1-liter engine discontinued

by General Motors in 2009.

It can run on natural gas, propane or gasoline.

As inventories of the GM engine have diminished, PSI says, some operators “have turned to smaller engines only to find that they are too light for the job, while others have gone with heavier engines that weren’t cost-effective.”

The 8.8-liter system to fill this medium-duty need, with “drop-in 8

convenience.” According to Don Wilkins, PSI advanced product development VP, “Our design advances have resulted in 20% increases in power and torque over previous automotive big blocks, as well as across-the-board improvements in efficiency and emissions control.”

“Our in-house design, prototyping, engineering and testing capabilities enable us to customize the system to a wide range of application-specific power, fuel, and emissions needs,” Wilkins said.

“The solutions we are bringing to the market are exactly what the industry has been waiting for and we are excited to showcase our new engine lineup at ACT,” said PSI’s Gary Winemaster, CEO. PSI is at Booth 345.

SNAPSHOTS

Hertz to Offer Airport CNG Rentals

Hertz is trumpeting its first-ever traditional airport rentals of natural gas vehicles, adding eight Honda Civic Natural Gas sedans and two GMC Yukon SUVs to its fleet at the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. Rentals are to commence this month. All will include Hertz NeverLost GPS units to help customers locate CNG fueling. Hertz is getting factory-built Honda CNGs via Oklahoma City’s Bob Howard Honda. The Yukons will be converted by Carter Chevrolet-OEM Systems of Okarche using fuel systems from Impco (Booth 545) and compressed natural gas cylinders from Lincoln (Booth 230).

American Honda is at Booth 201.

FleetOwner Promotes FleetSeek

ACT Expo Platinum Sponsor FleetOwner magazine is promoting its FleetSeek service at Booth 106. FleetSeek is described as a state-of-the-art Internet search engine providing subscribers with 24/7 access to “seamlessly integrated” databases of North America trucking fleets and operations – a current total of some 200,000 listings. The FleetSeek database includes fleets operated by companies whose core businesses are outside of trucking, like food chains (Safeway), trash (Waste Management), retailers (Wal-Mart), and beverages (Coca-Cola). Subscribers receive access to information on almost 60,000 fleets, including data on equipment and where it operates, and people and how to reach them.

HE System Technologies’ Hedex 4

HE System Technologies is making its first ACT Expo appearance, weighing in with the Hedex4, a 10-piston reciprocating compressor with a 7-piston first stage. The design makes for a constant, rather than pulsed flow of gas, allowing delivery of four gasoline gallon equivalents per hour with just a one-quarter PSI pipeline inlet. The HE System units feature hardened materials and a direct, beltless dual-motor architecture to reduce both wear and noise. The Willowbrook, Ill.-based company also offers CNG metering devices and fueling nozzles. Booth 133.

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BAF’s 20-20 Vision for Natural Gas Vehicles BAF (Booth 459) formally opened its new, 90,000-squarefoot Dallas headquarters last month as it celebrated 20 years in the natural gas vehicles business – and showed off its 20,000th natural gas vehicle.

“This year we’ll do 5,000,” said BAF president John Bacon.

The ceremonial 20,000th is a dedicated-CNG Ford F-250 4x4 for Omaha’s Metropolitan Utilities District. District president Doug Clark (who is NGVAmerica chairman) was there for the handover.

T. Boone Pickens and BAF founder Bill Calvert celebrate what Pickens said has been a 30 year collaboration in NGVs: ‘We saw the potential of what could be and what today is happening.’

Clark praised his new NGV’s design, with all of the compressed natural gas tanks located beneath the truck bed. “We can absolutely use this vehicle as it was designed,” he said.

Also on hand was AT&T senior VP and fleet chief Jerome Webber, whose firm now runs some 5,600 NGVs, the bulk of them dedicatedcompressed natural gas E-250 vans converted by BAF. It was AT&T’s choice of BAF as the telcom launched its 15,000-unit alternative fuel vehicles program that took BAF to a whole new level and led to BAF’s late 2009 acquisition by Clean Energy Fuels (Booth 659).

Clean Energy Fuels founder Boone Pickens was at the opening, as were numerous Clean Energy executives and supplier representatives. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings was on hand too.

“We saw the potential of what could be and what today is happening,” said Pickens, citing the low price of natural gas – $2 below the price of diesel. “We’re going to get off OPEC oil,” he said.

BAF offers F-250 through F-550 trucks, F53 and 59 package vehicles, the E-250-450 series, the Transit Connect, and bi-fuel CNG E-250/350 vans

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and F-250/350 pickups.

Omaha’s Metropolitan Utilities District will help BAF prove out Ford F-150 pickups converted to CNG – in expectation that Ford will release a gaseous-prep 3.7liter engine late next year for 2014 vehicles.

Two dozen F-150 trucks will be converted for the District with BAF taking warranty responsibility. Like BAF’s other pickups, they will have chassis-mounted CNG tanks, freeing up the entire truck bed for operator use. Type III CNG tanks from Italy’s Faber (Booth 122) will hold 18 GGE (gasoline gallon equivalents).

The Catalyst... multiple The 24 dedicated-CNG F-150s orders for multiple hundreds of CNG vans by AT&T vaulted will join a District fleet of more BAF into the big time. than 100 natural gas vehicles, including 80 Ford E-350 utility vans (by BAF), dedicated-CNG Honda Civic of the new 4x4 F-250 pickups.

NGVAmerica is at Booth 229. sedans, CC 1/3 seven Page high-use Day 1_CCFreightliners 1/3 Page Day – and 1 5/1/12 three 2:38 PM Page 1

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Hino Hybrid for Late Summer Hino Trucks is now targeting late this summer for its new cabover hybrid electric, unveiled with great fanfare at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis last year, and subsequently shown at ACT Expo 2011.

“We are making it available to our dealers in September,” Hino VP Glenn Ellis says of the Hino Trucks’ COE 195h hybrid is ready for the ACT Expo 2012 ride-and-drive.

COE 195h. It will be priced about $12,000 higher than the straight-diesel cabover counterpart, he told F&F ShowTimes.

Hino had hoped to bring the hybrid to market in 2011. But the current plan for summer 2012 is actually good news, as Hino notified dealers this past autumn that Japan’s strong yen would delay the market advent of the new cabover line for two years. Summer 2012 is thus a year earlier than had been expected six months ago.

In February, Hino was honored at the National Biodiesel Conference in Florida, earning the National Biodiesel Board’s Eye on Biodiesel Impact Award for 2012. Hino says it was nominated “for serving as a trailblazer among manufacturers as well as among hybrid truck manufacturers in supporting the use of B20 biodiesel blends.”

Hino’s “Biodiesel Impact” stems from its status as the first manufacturer to support the use of B20 blends in a hybrid-electric, as well as in its complete product line of Class 6 and 7 conventional trucks. “By offering the Class 5 market a diesel-

electric hybrid cabover that can use up to B20 biodiesel, our customers now have an option for a commercially acceptable alternative fuel truck,” Ellis said.

Also this year, Hino and Gretna, Va.based Amthor International said they’ve formed a tank body program for Hino trucks for products including propane.

Hino is at Booth 419. The National Biodiesel Board is at Booth 449.

EVI Trucks for Frito-Lay, UPS Stockton, Calif.-based Electric Vehicles International (Booth 627) has an ambitious plan of placing 500 battery electric trucks in California. EVI has a good start too, as it’s outfitting 100 Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp walk-in vans (with a new aerodynamic body by Morgan Olson) for UPS. EVI has also landed Frito-Lay as a customer, challenging the PepsiCo unit’s battery truck supplier Smith Electric Vehicles, of Kansas City.

Expanding on a pilot project, FritoLay has committed to purchasing five additional EVI-MD trucks – medium duty battery electric vehicles based on the Daimler Freightliner M2 Business Class chassis.

EVI is using drivetrains from Colorado’s UQM Technologies and lithium iron phosphate battery systems from affiliate Valence Technology in Texas for both vehicles.

“The EVI electric vehicles give Frito-Lay another promising option to help meet our long-term goal of being the greenest fleet in North America,” Frito-Lay senior director of fleet capability Mike O’Connell said in an EVI release.

Frito-Lay, said EVI sales VP Frank Jenkins, “is the ideal customer and fleet application.”

EVI is also developing battery trucks for Pacific Gas & Electric.

EVI-MD

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Trillium Has a New President, Owner, Name provide two public access fuelPlatinum sponsor Trillium CNG is roaring into ACT ing stations for Arizona’s Golden Expo with new owners, a Eagle Distributors. Construcnew name, a new president tion has begun on a station in and new business.

Tucson, to be opened in June.

A new mobile fueler, on The second CNG outlet, in display here, allows Trillium Casa Grande nearer Phoenix, customers eager to start is to open in August. using CNG do so while their Trillium CNG will build, stations are being built. operate and maintain both, and Chicago-based Integrys at both will employ Pinnacle Energy took the compressed gear to optimize high pressure natural gas fueling operastorage. “This will allow trucks tions known as Trillium to fuel at rates of 8 to 10 gallons USA and Pinnacle under per minute with the reliability its corporate wing last year, that Trillium CNG customers establishing Integrys Transhave come to rely on,” states portation Fuels. a release.

Integrys Transportation Fuels CEO Mark Radtke and president Mary Boettcher, Golden Eagle gets its CNG ITF “provides excepwith Trillium CNG VP Bill Zobel. tional CNG fueling solutrucks from Ryder System via an tions through Trillium CNG and manufactures Trillium CNG and heavy duty NGV pioneer Arizona extension of a first-of-its-kind Souththe Pinnacle line of hydraulic intensifier compres- Paper Transport, Inc. are teaming for fueling, ern California leasing program – developed and sors,” Integrys said in naming Mary Boettcher starting with a compressed natural gas station in funded with the help of ACT Expo organizer De Pere, Wisc. unit president early last month.

Gladstein, Neandross & Associates and launched Boettcher will participate in the Megatrends For De Pere, the companies have formed a in conjunction with last year’s show. luncheon plenary roundtable at ACT Expo on joint venture named TrilliumHD. Trillium CNG is at Booth 101. GNA is at Trillium gave word last month that it would Booth 100.

Thursday.

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Freightliner Trucks is a division of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, a Daimler company.

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CWI’s ISX12 G:

Game-Changer Cummins Westport, Inc. is showing the longawaited ISX12 G, an 11.9-liter, CNG-or-LNG powerplant expected to pave the way for largescale use of natural gas in over-the road trucking, at Booth 239.

A range of five different ratings from 330 to 400 horsepower, and 1,150 to 1,450 foot-pounds torque will be offered at launch, CWI says.

Production is expected to begin in early 2013.

Daimler’s Freightliner, Paccar’s Kenworth and Peterbilt units, and Volvo Trucks were quick to promote ISX12 G-powered vehicles upon formal launch at the MidAmerica Trucking Show in Kentucky.

The engine was shown in a proof-of-concept Freightliner Cascadia at ACT Expo 2011.

“It will be a huge boost to the market,” says Ron Eickelman, president of Agility Fuel Systems.

Agility (Booth 224) is fast developing the larger capacity natural gas fuel systems – both CNG and LNG – needed for long range trucks with the more powerful engine.

“Anything that gives truck buyers choice is a good thing and helps us all out,” says Clean Energy Fuels national accounts and infrastructure VP Greg Roche. Clean Energy (Booth 659) is leading the charge for a national natural gas truck stop fueling infrastructure.

“It’s what the customers have been waiting for,” says Freightliner natural gas vocational sales manager Bob Carrick. “They need that large displacement so they can go faster and higher.” The new Cascadia 113 tractor from Freightliner (633) will be available next year with the ISX12 G as a factory-installed option.

“It’s especially good for the operators who are pulling grades,” says Tom Wagner of Motor Coach 12

Today Freightliner will detail plans for a cross-country tour by this ISX12 G-powered Cascadia – which is on show here.

Cummins Westport ISX12 G

Industries. MCI has supplied 95 CNG coaches to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, all with CWI’s 8.9-liter ISL G. “It’s the key,” says Phil Crofts of Dillon Transport, which is operating ISL G-powered Freightliner trucks in Texas and Ohio. “Both areas where we’re deploying these trucks are flat,” he says. The ISX12 G will give operators far more versatility. “It’s the lynchpin,” Crofts says. “Critical.”

“Feedback from users is positive,” CWI Americas VP Gord Exel says of the numerous ISX12 G field trials now taking place.

Besides greater power, he notes, CWI will offer optional engine brake capability with the ISX12 G (the engine’s 12:1 compression ratio means that engine braking will be rated at 240-horsepower at 2100 rpm as compared with 380 horsepower in a diesel). Customers will get a choice between manual and automatic transmissions at launch, with an automated manual option to come. ISL G-powered trucks are automatic-only.

“The key market drivers of fuel

price, new engine technology, and fueling infrastructure have all converged in 2012,” says Andy Douglas

of Kenworth (Booth 144).

“The future of natural gas in trucking has never been brighter!”

Cummins for a 15-Liter Spark Cummins, Inc. has vowed to go it alone in developing a spark-ignition variant of its 15-liter diesel-fueled ISX15, doing so independently of the Cummins Westport, Inc. joint venture.

“Cummins is committed to making the right investments in the technologies that strengthen our leadership position in natural gas,” said Cummins heavy-duty engine VP Ed Pence.

Like the ISL G (more than 10,000 manufactured) and new ISX12 G spark engines from CWI, the Cummins-only ISX15 G will feature stoichiometric cooled exhaust gas recirculation (SEGR) and maintenance-free threeway catalyst. It is expected to be in limited production by 2014.

Cummins’ ISX15 is also the basis of Westport Innovations’ (mostly) natural gas-fueled, high-pressure direct ignition HD heavy duty trucks.

Westport is at Booth 245.

Westport said earlier this year that it’s firmed up its supply agreement with Cummins for the engine, including provisions for production in the Cummins factory in Jamestown, N.Y. when volumes reach 1,500 units in any 12-month period.

Next Up – the 6.7 Cummins Westport, Inc. is also working on a smaller dedicated-natural gas engine to take the place of the discontinued 5.9-liter ISB. “We’re getting a lot of pressure to get back into that space,” says CWI VP Gord Exel.

The new engine would be based on the 6.7-liter diesel, the ISB6.7, and would help open up markets like beverage delivery trucks to natural gas.

Watch for an announcement later this year.

May 16, 2012 • Convention & Trade Show News • www.ShowTimesDaily.com • Twitter @ShowTimesAFV

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Agility for Gas: CNG and LNG Agility Fuel Systems is promoting rail-mounted compressed natural gas fuel systems for overthe-road heavy-duty trucks at Booth 224.

“Our new CNG systems are developed to the very specific needs of the class 7 and 8 trucks, making natural gas more usable in the largest segment of the truck industry,” said Agility CEO Barry Engle.

The new products “combine the best of styling and functionality with a complete redesign to match today’s new aerodynamically styled tractors,” Agility says, with an integrated fuel management module saving weight and space, “the industry’s fastest fill rate,” and new safety features.

Agility uses all-composite CNG cylinders from Quantum (Booth 251) and Lincoln (Booth 230) in the railmounted assemblies. “Tanks and steps are attached to the rail via specially engineered break-away brackets, which protect the cylinder from impact in the case of an accident. In addition, a wire embedded into the

composite material alerts the driver if the covers are damaged.”

Traditional steel mounting straps are replaced with composite straps.

These, “with extruded rubber strap guides, prevent tank rotation that can stress fuel lines,” Agility says.

The Agility rigs feature an outer composite cover for impact protection too.

The new CNG systems are available with cylinders that can be strap- or neck-mounted in capacities ranging from 29 to 63 diesel gallon equivalent (DGEs) for longer operating ranges.

Agility continues to furnish roofmounted and back-of-cab CNG tank assemblies too, and LNG fuel systems.

Agility’s Kenworth T800 test truck can run on CNG or LNG, allowing in-depth evaluation of both

Agility Fuel Systems president Ron Eickelman is as safe as can be in a Lincoln Type IV cylinder in Agility’s new rail-mounted CNG cylinder housing.

types of natural gas fuel systems.

Agility Fuel Systems is just a year and a half year old, fruit of the merger of Fab AFV and Enviromech, which between them claimed some 10,000 CNG and liquefied natural gas installations in service.

Agility recently moved into a new,

29,500-square-foot headquarters facility in Santa Ana, Calif. The move came in part because the company has moved from fuel system installations to the manufacture of complete systems for OEM factory installation.

Customers include all of the major heavy duty truck manufacturers.

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Honda Alt Fuels: CNG, Electric, H2 American Honda is showing compressed natural gas, hydrogen, and battery electric cars at Booth 201.

Honda’s big news for fleets is the new-for-2012 dedicated-CNG Civic Natural Gas (formerly the Civic GX), for which the manufacturer is predicting a three-fold sales increase over 2011.

The Honda CNG is powered by a modified four-cylinder, 1.8-liter engine yielding EPA-rated city/ highway/ combined fuel economy of 27/38/31 miles per gasoline-gallon equivalent (GGE), a combined improvement of 10.7% from the Civic GX. Coming in to ACT Expo 2012, Honda has 195 certified Honda CNG dealers, up from 125 a year ago, with 12 applicants pending, says Eric Rosenberg, assistant manager for alt fuel vehicles. That means some 20% of all Honda dealers are certified to sell the natural gas car.

There are certified dealers in 36 states, up from 33 a year ago.

Honda just had its best first quarter ever for the vehicle, despite

Honda launched its pure battery electric Fit EV at the Los Angeles Auto Show late last year.

an incremental price difference of $6,935 over a gasoline Civic. What’s more, Rosenberg told Fleets & Fuels, the premium retail trim level, with navigation to find CNG fuel, “has been selling at a rate that is nearly twice our original projections, which bodes well for the retail demand for this car.”

Honda introduced its pure battery electric Fit EV at the Los Angeles Auto Show late last year.

The battery car is “designed to meet the needs of an average urban commuter,” with single-charge range better than 75 miles. The Fit EV has a 20-kilowatt-hour lithium

ion battery and a 92-kilowatt coaxial motor derived from the motor used in the FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle.

Honda last month named Leviton as its preferred supplier of EV chargers.

Looking to the future, Honda continues its stalwart promotion of the hydrogen-fueled FCX Clarity, flagship for a zero-emission future.

The “star garnet metallic” (deep red) vehicle has a Honda-engineered fuel cell stack efficient enough to afford a single-fill range of 240 miles with a compressed hydrogen pressure of just 5,000 psi. Improvements

Chesapeake the E&P Backs NGVs Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy, an exploration and production outfit and second largest U.S. natural gas producer, is promoting its support for natural gas vehicles at Booth 670.

Chesapeake is helping bankroll the America’s Natural Gas Highway initiative with a $150 million investment in Clean Energy Fuels (659).

Chesapeake is helping 3M develop lighter and cheaper CNG fuel cylinders – exploiting a new nano-filled polymer material 3M says can help make CNG tanks lighter and cheaper.

Chesapeake has teamed with GE (it’s not just General Electric anymore) to place GE’s Micro LNG and CNG In A Box products through a new affiliate called Peake Fuel Solutions. The compact CNG units are be unveiled at the NACS 2012 meeting in Las Vegas early this coming October, says Norman Herrera, a Chesapeake market development director. NACS stands for 14

National Association of Convenience Stores.

CNG In A Box units feature Gemini compressors (acquired by GE in 1999) and Wayne dispensers (acquired in 2011), including Wayne point-of-sale knowhow.

An initial CNG In A Box is to support Chesapeake NGVs by August, GE says.

Chesapeake continues to make progress in converting its own fleet to compressed natural gas, with 1,419 vehicles out of a total fleet of 5,894 converted to bi-fuel CNG-gasoline or dual fuel natural gas-diesel operation as of this month.

“In 2010, Chesapeake committed to converting its entire fleet to run on CNG over the next four years,” according to senior market development coordinator Eddie Coates.

The first phase of the E&P’s four-phase plan has been completed, as all of the company’s

this year include better dampening to reduce motor whine and compressor noise.

Honda’s continued promotion of the car is following a familiar alt fuels pattern, says Steve Ellis, principal (and stalwart) spokesman. With new hydrogen stations coming on line and more receiving funding, the map of fueling outlets “is starting to look now just like CNG stations looked in Southern California when we were developing our prototypes for the Civic Natural Gas.” The CNG-fueled Civic GX was introduced in 1998.

Big Blue, Chesapeake Energy Corporation’s CNG motor coach, regularly tours the country showcasing the versatility of natural gas as a transportation fuel. Most recently, Big Blue attended the ACT Expo in Long Beach. Photo courtesy Chesapeake Energy Corp.

vehicles in its headquarters state of Oklahoma – 1,090 units, Coates says – have been converted.

Assuming fuel savings of $1.50 per GGEgasoline gallon equivalent and an $11,000 price premium for a Chevrolet Silverado 2500 bi-fuel pickup (the figure just announced by GM), Coates pegs the life-cycle cost benefit of a CNG bi-fuel pickup at $3,818 if driven 90,000 miles, $7,560 if driven 150,000 miles, and $13,909 if driven 175,000 miles – even without tax credits.

Chesapeake expects to save at least $12 million per year on fuel once its fleet conversion is completed, Coates told Fleets & Fuels.

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XL hopes for real-world fuel savings of 20 to 25%.

XL Hybrids Begins Fleet Trials XL Hybrids (Booth 824) has commenced trials of its economical upfit system for GM 2500 series vans. Two vehicles have been delivered, says XL co-founder and VP Justin Ashton, and plans are proceeding for ship-through upfits of new vehicles by a recognized Tier One supplier.

“We are talking to the biggest upfitters in the business,” Ashton says.

“We’ve designed this hybrid to be another option in the ship-through process.”

XL is discussing service (and retrofits) via an existing namebrand automotive service retailer too.

“Our goal is to reduce risk at every level for ourselves and our customers,” Ashton says.

XL offers a parallel hybrid electric drivetrain that doesn’t try to do too much. Instead, a 40-kilowatt/53 horsepower motor coupled with a 2.3-kilowatt-hour lithium battery (expected to be just 1.5-kWh in production kits next year) will afford fuel savings of 20 to 25%.

The XL trials, Ashton told Fleets & Fuels, have commenced with “one of the biggest fleets in the world. It’s a Fortune 50 brand that everyone knows.”

Placement of a vehicle with another large operator is imminent, Ashton says, and about ten more vans will enter trials over the next two months. By year-end, 30 to 40 will be running, some of them beyond XL’s Boston headquarters area.

XL has said it expects vehicles to be tested by leasing companies as well as commercial operators.

Payback on the $8,000 installation? It’s getting easier.

“High fuel prices, while they’re painful, create the opportunity to get a payback,” Ashton says.

“Now’s the time to start. If you haven’t started, it’s never too late.

“We can show clearly that this is going to create value for your company.”

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Propane Autogas: Zero Compromise Alt Fuel Special to Fleets & Fuels ShowTimes by Joe Thompson, Roush CleanTech president Fleet professionals are pressured to cut costs as fuel prices skyrocket. There is pressure to reduce emissions, while getting the job done quickly and efficiently is critical to maintaining – and gaining – business.

Propane autogas can reduce operating costs while fostering an attractive green image – an ideal internal and external operating scenario.

Propane autogas is the most widely used alternative fuel in the U.S. and the world’s third most common engine fuel behind gaso- Roush CleanTech president line and diesel. Large fleets like Schwann’s Joe Thompson have trusted propane to power their vehicles since the 1970s. This nontoxic, non-carcinogenic and non-corrosive fuel poses no harm to groundwater, surface water or soil. Using it completely eliminates fuel spillage and theft.

The average price per gallon of gasoline in the U.S. on March 30, 2010 was $2.81. This same day in 2011, the price had climbed to $3.71. And this year on March 30, our nation faced a record high average of $3.90 per gallon of gasoline, proving that rising prices at the pump is a problem that is

Propane autogas Ford E-350 passenger vans operated by SuperShuttle eliminate 300,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions apiece over their 5-year/600,000-mile lifetime, Roush says.

only getting worse. But the savings fleets can realize with propane autogas is now approaching $2.00 per gallon. Couple this with the environmental and energy security benefits of propane autogas, and you have the major factors driving the propane autogas vehicle market today.

SuperShuttle, a recognized name in the airport ground transportation business, is reducing fuel costs by operating propane autogas Ford E-350 passenger vans in its fleet.

“SuperShuttle operators are seeing tremendous fuel savings right now.

The switch to Roush CleanTech’s propane autogas technology was a smart thing to do,” says Ken Brooks, national purchasing manager.

“We are doing the right thing,” said Tom Hopkins, department head of logistics for Wright & Filippis, the nation’s largest family-owned home medical equipment distributor, which has converted 25% of its fleet to propane autogas.

One of the key benefits of Roush CleanTech propane autogas vehicles is that operation and performance go unchanged, with equivalent horsepower, torque and towing capacity to gasoline versions of the same models.

16

“One of the biggest benefits we gain from incorporating the propane autogas vehicles in our fleet is being able to lock in the price of our fuel,” Lynn McLean, director of maintenance for Flint Mass Transit Authority.

“At a time when the prices of gasoline and diesel are so volatile, being able to budget our fuel price on domestically produced propane autogas will allow us to reduce our cost per mile dramatically.”

Roush CleanTech is at Booth 439.

The Propane Education & Research Council is at Booth 533.

ThyssenKrupp: Going Up Special to F&FST by Tom Armstrong, fleet director Across America, from the corporate boardroom to the local school board meeting, there is a common conversation about foreign fuels and the challenge to change our vehicles, whether they’re delivery vans or school buses, to ones that run on domestically produced alternative fuels. This is both an admirable and achievable goal.

The more challenging decision is how to choose the right alternative fuel that will improve your company’s bottom line.

Tom Armstrong At ThyssenKrupp, the largest producer of elevators in North America, we know the ups and downs of running a successful business (literally and figuratively).

In 2010, we began evaluating alt fuels to combat escalating – and still rising – fuel costs. Our team developed what we have coined the “Five C’s” protocol, and only propane had a check mark in all.

• Clean. Propane autogas emits up to 12% less carbon dioxide, about 20% less nitrogen oxide, and up to 60% less carbon monoxide when compared to gasoline.

• Conserve. We displace about 2,000 gallons of gasThyssenKrupp operates Rousholine each year per vehicle converted Ford E-150 vans in with propane.

Phoenix, has expanded its propane • Cost effective. In our most fleet to Seattle, Los Angeles and San Diego, and reports near-term recent comparison, our averplans for propane in Sacramento, age price for gasoline in San Francisco and Houston.

Phoenix was $3.85 per gallon, and our price for propane autogas was $1.91 per gallon, saving us an estimated $3,100 annually per vehicle. We predict ROI in Phoenix to be roughly two years.

• Common sense. We chose to move forward with propane.

• Commitment. We started with three Roush CleanTech Ford E-150 propane autogas vans in Phoenix a year and a half ago.

Our goal is to have 10% of our fleet running on propane autogas by 2015.

May 16, 2012 • Convention & Trade Show News • www.ShowTimesDaily.com • Twitter @ShowTimesAFV

Bauer’s Rebirth Planned for ACT Expo

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Bauer Compressors is placing a renewed emphasis on the burgeoning natural gas vehicles field, and is taking the opportunity of ACT Expo for the effective re-launch of its CNG compressor packages.

Bauer (Booth 621) is developing standardized package designs for compressed natural gas fueling stations for supporting light, medium and heavy duty NGVs. Under new Bauer Compressors president Tony Bayat, the firm has recognized that its every-job-a-custom-job policy needed a re-do.

Now, “Customers can purchase a compressor package to satisfy their current fueling requirements and as time goes on and their fleet grows another compressor package can be purchased and added to the existing station easily.”

“We’re going to be showing the first of the standardized products at ACT Expo,” says business development director Paula Hebert. A nationwide dealer network, she says, will “offer a turnkey package to our customers.”

Bauer boasts a line of compressors rated for 30,000 hours of continuous operation with lifecycle support of up to 40 years. They are manufactured

by Bauer’s parent in Germany, ranging Now you see it – but Bauer is now preparing full fueling station packages too.

Bauer offers a full line of compressors rated for 40 years of service.

in capacity from just 9 standard cubic feet per minute to 700 scfm, with a new water-cooled line for the higher ranges. Packages are assembled in Virginia. Bauer’s German and U.S. facilities are both ISO9001-certfied.

There are more than 1,400 Bauer compressor installations in operation worldwide, the company says.

Paula Hebert is a veteran of FuelMaker.

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Greenkraft Introduces an 8.8

SNAPSHOTS

Greenkraft (Booth 351) is introducing an 8.8-liter natural gas engine here, adapting a Caterpillar block for road use and seeking both U.S. EPA and California certifications.

Greenkraft offers a range of Class 3-7 cab-forward trucks based on chassis from JAC, China’s Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Company. The firm has already certified its 6.0-liter compressed natural gas models for 2012.

JAC ships gliders to California, where Greenkraft installs engines and fuel systems.

Greenkraft uses CNG regulators from ITT Conoflow, and CNG injectors from Bosch.

Greenkraft was recently awarded $400,000 by the California Energy Commission for natural gas vehicle buydowns. The money “will give our California based dealers a pricing advantage,” said sales VP Frank Ziegler.

Greenkraft also offers LPGGreenkraft COO George Patrick with sales VP propane autogas conversions.

Frank Ziegler, engineer Costel Cater and new engine

Coda Begins Benicia Assembly Coda Automotive (Booth 114) has opened its assembly facility in Benicia, Calif., north of San Francisco. Coda vehicles, shipped as gliders from China to the Port of Oakland, are trucked to Benicia to have their 100-kilowatt PowerPhase Pro drivelines from UQM Technologies, Tianjin Lishen lithium ion battery packs and other components installed. “This is just the beginning,” said Coda chairman Mac Heller. “Our founding mission at Coda is to put an electric car in every garage in the world.”

Lincoln Gets DoT Titan Nod Nebraska’s Lincoln Composites and its Hexagon Composites parent in Norway report a special DoT permit allowing the manufacture, sale and use of high-volume carbon fiber Titan transport modules in the U.S. The permit allows Lincoln to enter the U.S. bulk hauling market with cylinders ranging from 450 to 8,500 liters for natural gas, hydrogen, and certain inert gases.

The Titan product is so far approved and sold in Vietnam, Malaysia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Thailand and Indonesia. The big cylinders have thus far been used primarily for industrial gas supply, in lieu of pipelines. In the U.S. they may play 18

a role in supplying off-pipeline CNG fueling stations.

Lincoln, which specializes in allcomposite Type IV fuel cylinders, is also promoting a new, 26-inch diameter line, to be available this summer. It’s being shown by Agility Fuel Systems at Booth 224.

Lincoln Composites is located at Booth 230.

Lincoln’s Titan: approved by DoT.

JC Carter for Ice Breaker’s Big Brother

Responding to customer demands, Southern California’s JC Carter has designed and commenced testing of a larger variant of its market-leading Ice Breaker brand quickrelease fueling nozzle. Today’s commercial Ice Breaker opens and closes for LNG fueling and disconnect using a double-handled scissor design, and allows vehicle fueling in about five minutes. JC Carter is preparing a 400-gallon-per-minite variant of the popular 50-gallon unit. Ice Breaker’s big brother is being designed primarily for marine applications – both the on-loading and off-loading of LNG cargo and the bunkering (fueling) of LNG-powered ships.

But it may also find use for quicker turnaround of LNG tanker trucks. Booth 658.

Quallion’s California Lithium Ion

Quallion is promoting specialty lithium ion batteries for applications including idle-reduction in over-the-road trucks, and comparably demanding military applications. The firm says that its Zero Volt technology “allows for long storage periods in a deep discharged state with no permanent capacity… reducing lifecycle costs.”

Quallion has garnered more than $6.9 million in California Energy Commission support to help it automate its production at Sylmar, north of Los Angeles. Quallion offers both lithium ion cells and finished battery packs with smart control electronics. Booth 556.

Encana for Mobile LNG Fueling

Encana Natural Gas is unveiling its mobile fueling solution for LNG vehicles at Booth 870. The MFS is customizable and deliverable directly to the customer, Encana says, and “is part of a complete suite of fueling solutions offered to fleet owners.” Encana says it is converting its own internal fleet vehicles to natural gas, as well as the engines that drive its drill rigs and production equipment. “We have a vision of a future fueled by domestically produced, abundant, affordable and cleaner natural gas,” the company says.

May 16, 2012 • Convention & Trade Show News • www.ShowTimesDaily.com • Twitter @ShowTimesAFV

FCCC Offers All Five AFV Options

Adds Dedicated Propane S2G Chassis to Its Line Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp (Booth 633) has added dedicated propane to its stable of alternative fuel offerings, partnering with Powertrain Integration and CleanFuel USA for a liquid propane injection modification for the

Dedicated propane S2G rounds out the alt fuel options at Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp.

8.0-liter engine from General Motors.

PERC, the Propane Education & Research Council (Booth 533), supported the design effort.

With its new S2G on propane autogas, FCCC now boasts a presence in all five commercial alternative fuel market segments: the Daimler company offers a compressed natural gasfueled walk-in van, a pure battery electric MT E-Cell walk-in van with drivetrain by Enova Systems (and new aerodynamic Morgan Olson body), a hybrid electric with Eaton parallel drive, and a hydraulic hybrid vehicle with driveline by Parker Hannifin.

The propane S2G, introduced at The NTEA Work Truck Show this past

March in Indianapolis, “provides the industry with the only factory-installed liquid propane gas (LPG) engine available to the medium-duty truck market.”

“The S2G was developed in response to significant industry interest for an LPG solution without retrofitting or aftermarket additions,” said FCCC president Bob Harbin. “In offering the only original equipment manufacturer LPG solution for medium-duty applications, we believe the S2G will meet our customers’ needs.

The S2G also perfectly fits into FCCC’s heritage as a custom chassis manufacturer with a successful history in alternative fuel powertrains.”

FCCC formerly offered propane trucks with the BLPG Plus 5.9-liter engine from Cummins Westport, but the engine was discontinued. The 8.9-liter ISL was deemed to be too large.

A limited preproduction run of S2G chassis is expected in the fourth quarter of 2012, with full production slated for the first quarter of 2013.

The S2G’s initial target? Propane dealers, who get the fuel cheap.

FCCC’s hydraulic hybrids recently entered trials with FedEx Ground, Canada’s Purolator Courier, and UPS.

ACT EXPO 2012

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Fueling success through natural gas solutions.

Agility Fuel Systems is the leader in safe, reliable and cost-effective natural gas systems (both CNG and LNG) for heavy trucks and buses.

Our engineering expertise, outstanding field support and proven on-road performance have earned us the trust of fleets operating under the most demanding conditions.

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Kwik Trip for All of the Alternatives ACT Expo exhibitors ANGI Energy (Booth 124) and Clean Fuel Connection, which supplies Nanobox and Microbox units from Argentina’s Galileo (Booth 211) are helping bring alternative fuels to retail customers in the upper Midwest.

The Kwik Trip chain of upper Midwest convenience stores – more than 400 strong – has commenced its ambitious plan to offer alternative fuels to consumers, opening a multifaceted alt fuels station at its headquarters in La Crosse, Wisc., and planning many more.

The flagship Kwik Trip Fleet Center is a national standout, handling CNG (via Galileo Microbox), LNG (with dispenser nozzle by JC Carter, Booth 658), LPG-propane autogas, E85-ethanol, B5 and B20 biodiesel – and at-thedispenser DEF fluid for diesel trucks.

A grand opening of the Kwik Trip

Fleet Center took place just last week.

The firm is to open a second location in La Crosse, offering Galileo Nanobox compressed natural gas fueling at a Kwik Trip retail store.

Another, with ANGI Energy equipment, will open in Sturtevant, Wisc.

A fourth Kwik Trip CNG station in Rochester, Minn., also with ANGI compression, will open in the fall, as will a fifth, in Oshkosh, Wisc.

They are the first of Kwik Trip’s planned network of 20 to 30 retail CNG sales outlets.

“Kwik Trip has committed to developing a functional natural gas vehicle fuel infrastructure throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa,” the company says. It “has positioned itself to provide a better, more affordable solution to its customers and the public,” and “plans to expand availability through its current network of stores

Kwik Trip NGVs at the c-store chain’s new alt fuels Fleet Center in La Crosse, Wisc.

as well as building new locations, which will allow Kwik Trip to provide the best and most functional natural gas vehicle fueling infrastructure possible.”

The firm’s own distribution fleet, which logs more than 18 million miles per year, includes more than 20 NGVs ranging from light duty vehicles to Class 8 trucks.

Want to know more about retail alt fuels? Hit the ACT Expo Integration of Alternative Fuel Refueling Infrastructure Into the Existing Retail Environment session this afternoon.

JC Carter (LNG fueling nozzles) and Galileo (compressors) are among the equipment suppliers for the Kwik Trip Fleet Center

NexTraq Helps Reduce Fuel Use Atlanta-based NexTraq is promoting its GPSbased fleet-tracking at Booth 141.

By keeping track of driver performance and helping to plot optimum routes, the firm’s fleet management products can reduce fuel use – and hence the costs incurred for any fuel. NexTraq products can cut payroll expenses, by making better use of drivers’ time – and even help recover stolen vehicles.

“We’re looking at fuel reduction overall, and more effective use of that fuel,” says chief marketing officer Mark Roberts.

Vehicles are expensive, he says, and are 20

expensive to run. “We produce a solution that allows you to maximize your investment in that mobile asset and reduce the amount of money you spend day after day.”

NexTraq can furnish detailed case studies on how real fleets have saved real money with its Fleet Tracking and Fleet Dispatch solutions. Customers include New NexTraq’s systems help reduce outlays for any fuel.

Jersey’s Pipe Works Services (eight vehicles, 20% and the Midwest’s Landscape Concepts Managefuel savings), Minnesota’s Bobby & Steve’s Auto ment (366 vehicles, $400,000 worth of stolen World (28 vehicles, $25,000 in annual savings) vehicles recovered).

May 16, 2012 • Convention & Trade Show News • www.ShowTimesDaily.com • Twitter @ShowTimesAFV

September 26-28, 2012 InterContinental Hotel, Houston,TX

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Propel Looks Good as CEC Proposes $17.3 Million Propel Fuels is in line for the lion’s share as the California Energy Commission has proposed $17.3 million worth of Alternative Fuels Infrastructure awards under its Alternative and Renewable Fuel & Vehicle Technology Program.

Propel is moving beyond hosted fueling stations.

Redwood City-based Propel, which offers biodiesel and E85-ethanol, stands to receive $10.1 million – the full amount requested – via ARFVT to fund 101 new California fueling stations.

CEC has proposed $1.1 million for biodiesel storage and blending facilities, and nearly $6.1

million for CNG and LNG fueling.

Propel is progressing from Clean Fuel Points, where it takes an island at a big-brand – Chevron, Shell, Valero – forecourt, to taking a whole station, dubbed a Clean Mobility Center, offering conventional gasoline as well as alt fuels with a view to expanding in renewables, and perhaps even adding electric vehicle charging, in future.

Propel is opening the first Clean Mobility Center in Fullerton, Calif. today. It will be the 28th Propel station in California and Washington state.

Targa Terminals and North Star Biofuels have each been proposed for $500,000 for biodiesel facilities in California. North Star Biofuels is a joint venture of Boise-based Agri Beef and R. Power Fuels, of Everyville, Calif., and is planning a new-process, renewables-based, 15 milliongallon-per-year plant in Watsonville, north of Monterey, “doubling the 2011 annual biodiesel production output for the entire state.”

Most of the proposed natural gas vehicle fueling facilities awards are in the $300,000 range for

Flint MTA Likes Propane The Mass Transportation Authority in Flint, Mich. is embracing alt fuels, augmenting an existing compressed natural gas fueling unit at its Grand Blanc facility with a dozen more economical propane installations, and celebrating the arrival of a hydrogen fuel cell bus, on May 21.

MTA operates a Ford E-450 cutaway with a dedicated propane upfit by Roush CleanTech (Booth 439), expects a second this month, and two more in July, says general manager Ed Benning. His agency will go out to bid to deploy a total of 65 propane shuttle buses by year-end – making for opportunity for other upfitters as well. Also by the end of this year, MTA expects to have propane fueling at all 12 of its Flint area locations.

Installing CNG at those facilities would have cost some $17 million, Benning says.

The hydrogen bus, sister to the 12 Van Hool vehicles operated by AC Transit in Oakland, Calif., will be leased from Connecticut’s UTC Power, which provides its 120-kilowatt PureMotion fuel cell, for one year.

Ford E-450 with Roush propane system operated by MTA

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compressed natural gas for school districts. One of the awards, with $300,000 proposed for Atlas Disposal Industries with Clean World Partners in Sacramento, will use RNG – renewable natural gas, or biomethane.

In liquefied natural gas, CEC is proposing $600,000 each for Sysco Foods Los Angeles and Blackhawk Logistics (Border Valley Trading) for fueling installations in Riverside and Blythe. The Sysco LNG project in Riverside is also in line for $150,000 via the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Santa Monica-based Gladstein, Neandross & Associates helped write the proposals accounting for some 31%, nearly $1.9 million, of the pending PON-602 ARFVT awards for natural gas vehicles. GNA, which is also the organizer of ACT Expo, is at Booth 100.

A second round of awards, CEC says, could bring upwards of $12 million more in PON602 money.

This story alone included ten industry contacts – names and telephone numbers and email addresses – for the use of Fleets & Fuels subscribers.

Clean Air Power Enjoys Dual-Fuel Order Surge The UK’s Clean Air Power has publicized a spate of orders for its Genesis Edge brand dual fuel engine conversion kits, which allow diesel engines to run primarily on natural gas – up to 90%, the company says – culminating in an order for ten units for the Sainsbury’s supermarket chain.

“This order will take their total to 24 trucks which will operate using biomethane gas which has been produced from landfill waste,” CAP said.

Other recent CAP announcements include • an order worth £400,000 (approximately $650,000 U.S.) for 14 units for a major supermarket chain, which previously tested five trucks for three years; • an order for a major logistics company for 27 retrofit CAP units worth approximately £700,000; • a contract with a European operator that been testing the CAP system since

May 16, 2012 • Convention & Trade Show News • www.ShowTimesDaily.com • Twitter @ShowTimesAFV

2009, to develop a Genesis Edge variant that could lead to 50 orders and business worth £800,000 all told; and • word that Navistar International has paid CAP $1.3 million on the Concept Readiness phase of its “Maxxforce 13 DualFuel” engine development.

Sainsbury’s is but one of the UK retailers operating trucks with Clean Air Power dual fuel systems.

CAP has publicized work with Volvo expected to lead to adoption of a dualfuel variant.

The UK firm says that there are more than 160 of its conversions in service in Australia, on Daimler, Kenworth, Mack, and Navistar International trucks.

Navistar International is at Booth 844 at ACT Expo 2012.

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