We at Freedom CNG really enjoyed this article and interview by Matthew Veazey of RigZone.com. In it, he discusses the state of the Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) industry and has some solid questions for Matt Godlewski of the NGVAmerica.
Some items to note:
“NGVAmerica reports that there are more than 160,000 NGVs in the United States; the worldwide figure is approximately 15.2 million, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center“
Per Godlewski: “NGVs are the only alternative fuel with engines and vehicles available today for a variety of applications – waste and recycling, transit, long- and short-haul trucking, fleet delivery vehicles and consumer cars and trucks. We have witnessed an average annual growth in CNG stations of 11 percent each year since 2008…”
Another great point: “Fleets of all sizes have realized the benefits of using more natural gas in transportation. They understand that America has decades of affordable reserves of natural gas that will keep prices low into the future. Maintenance costs are also lower with NGVs given their simple after-treatment systems. And there is a great emissions story associated with NGVs – lower GHG, significantly less particulate matter and quieter engines.”
Mr. Veazey then asks about the current state of oil prices and how that changes the way CNG providers find new fleets. Mr. Godlewski is spot on when he replies: “Savvy fleets understand the volatility associated with world oil prices and the stability of using domestic natural gas. Larger fleets are diversifying their transportation fuels. Yet, even on a head-to-head comparison today, natural gas is still 50 to 75 cents cheaper than diesel on average.”
Our only issue with the article is with the “Facts about NGVs” graphic stating that CNG is “better suited for light-duty vehicles” while “LNG is better suited for buses, tractor-trailers and other heavy duty vehicles”. This is simply NOT TRUE but we’ll just let the facts speak for themselves:
