MHQ – Meeting a Rising Demand for Natural Gas-Powered Emergency Vehicles

As an emergency vehicle supplier to police, fire and transportation departments in Northeastern United States for the past 34 years, MHQ has a good sense of what its customers want. Recently, more of its customers are telling the company they want to drive natural gas vehicles (NGVs).

Tom Emig, MHQ Fleet Account Manager, said he noticed a change in demand about two years ago, as more fleet managers were becoming aware of the price discrepancy between natural gas and diesel, and wanting to take advantage of it.

Since then, MHQ has sold an increasing number of Ford Westport WiNG™ Power System pickup trucks, plows and vans to its largest customer, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Transportation. They have purchased about 30 dedicated compressed natural gas (CNG) Ford F250s in the last two years.

“We are the biggest contractor selling vehicles to the state, so we responded to their demand,” Tom says. “Several other cities are also purchasing them as they take advantage of state and federal level-incentives.”

The Changing Energy Landscape, Seen through Westport's Eyes

At North America’s largest international conference on sustainable business and environmental innovation, Globe 2014, taking place March 26-28 in Vancouver, British Columbia next week, Westport Vice President of Strategy Karen Hamberg will reflect on natural gas as a viable transition fuel in the transportation landscape.

With over 9,000 attendees and more than 3,000 participating organizations at the previous biennial Globe conference 2012, this year's event promises to offer diverse perspectives on one of this year’s key themes: The Changing Energy Landscape.

Karen joins speakers from the Canadian Gas Association and FortisBC, among others, on a five member panel titled: Natural Gas: The Transition Fuel which is part of a broader energy theme at the conference. The panelists represent a diverse group of members across the industry including natural gas providers, extractors and technology creators.

Building Your Light Duty Natural Gas Fleet? Join Westport for a Free Webinar

Thinking of switching your light-duty fleet to natural gas? This free webinar led by Westport's Mark Aubry, vice-president of Sales & Marketing, will outline the considerations to take, plans to make, and resources available when building your fleet of dedicated or bi-fuel compressed natural gas (CNG) natural gas vehicles. This session will be a great resource for any fleet considering natural gas options for light duty applications.

Learn from the leaders as AAA Oklahoma's Fleet Manager Dana Storey—whose fleet is expected to save $400,000 annually by shifting to natural gas—discusses their best practices and lessons learned.

You'll learn about:

• Identifying your natural gas vehicle needs
• Determining the right light-duty vehicle option and availability
• Estimating your savings and payback
• Understanding available incentives
• Finding additional resources
• The experience and best practices of AAA Oklahoma

Many industries are well suited to transitioning to natural gas vehicles including:

• Oil and Gas
• Airport and Shuttle
• Municipal Services
• State Colleges and Universities
• Construction
• Maintenance and Towing

To register for this free webinar, please visit:

https://wpt.webex.com/wpt/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=809144864&sourceid=FFT

Driving NGVs, All Along the Line

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RCC) is driving the adoption of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in more ways than one.

The RCC is a state agency with regulatory jurisdiction over the oil and natural gas industry. Since September 2013 the Commission’s legislative mandate has included promoting the use of natural gas as an alternative fuel.

The agency organizes seminars across the state where panels of experts meet with fleet operators and other stakeholders to discuss grants, incentives, economic, regulatory and policy issues related to natural gas vehicles. In addition, the RCC owns NGVs, driven by field staff who inspect installations and facilities under Railroad Commission jurisdiction.

Dan Kelly, Director of RCC’s Alternative Fuels Research & Education Division (AFRED), says a wide array of public and private fleet operators have attended Railroad Commissioner David Porter’s informational sessions in several Texas cities. Attendees have represented and range of interests including: city, county and state fleets, oilfield service companies, school districts, trucking, construction and engineering companies, and waste and recycling haulers.

RCC Commissioner David Porter refuels a Westport CNG truck at the grand opening of the Apache/United Ag CNG station in El Campo Texas.

‘A Big Win’ – Halliburton Embraces NGVs

As one of the world’s largest providers of products and services to the energy industry, Halliburton maintains a fleet of 10,000 light duty vehicles.

Last year the company made the decision to incorporate natural gas vehicles (NGVs) into its substantial fleet – selecting 92 bi-fuel Westport WiNG™ Power System pickup trucks for its NGV fleet of 94 vehicles.

“We selected Westport because they are a Qualified Vehicle Modifier,” says Larry Deweese, Halliburton’s Global Equipment Maintenance Manager. “Our strategy in terms of compressed natural gas is we want an OEM-style provider.”

The trucks are being used to transport people, tools and equipment to customers’ sites.

Drive Ahead with Free CNG from Westport and Clean Energy

Today, less than one percent of all U.S. stations are selling gas for less than $3.00 per gallon compared to the average price of compressed natural gas (CNG) of $2.11 per gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE). In some U.S. states, including Oklahoma, the average price of CNG is even lower at $1.62 per GGE.

Westport and Clean Energy Fuels are making it even more cost effective to drive a natural gas vehicle with a free fuel offer.