ng trans fuel

Natural Gas as aTransportation Fuel: 

Natural Gas as a Transportation Fuel Benefits, Challenges, and Implementation

What Is Natural Gas?: 

What Is Natural Gas? A combustible, gaseous mixture of simple hydrocarbon compounds, primarily methane Usually extracted from gas and oil wells. Smaller amounts are derived from supplemental sources such as landfill gas and coal-derived gas. Large deposits exist in more than half of the 50 states. Classified as an alternative fuel by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 Accounts for 24% of U.S. energy use and 2.2% of energy used for U.S. transportation Source: Transportation Energy Data Book, Figure 2.1 and Table and 2.2

Natural Gas Vehicles: 

Natural Gas Vehicles 158,000 natural gas vehicles on U.S. roads in 2004 80K in private (fleets and consumers) 82K in state fleets 7K in federal fleets Source: EIA, Alternatives to Traditional Transportation Fuels, 2004

Natural Gas Fueling Stations: 

Natural Gas Fueling Stations More than 750 natural gas fueling stations in the United States: 35 LNG 727 CNG 354 Public 408 Private Source: DOE AFDC, July 2007

Types of Natural Gas for Vehicles: 

Types of Natural Gas for Vehicles Compressed natural gas (CNG): Generally used in vehicles at 3000-3600 psi (household natural gas pipe pressure is ~1-2 psi) Liquefied natural gas (LNG): Made by lowering the temperature of CNG until it becomes a liquid

Why Use Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs)?: 

Why Use Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs)? Increased Energy Security Natural gas is a domestically available fuel Public Health and Environment Protection 60-90% less smog-producing pollutants 30-40% less greenhouse gas emissions Source: fueleconomy.gov

Why Use NGVs?: 

Why Use NGVs? Pathway to Hydrogen and Fuel Cells – NGV and infrastructure development can facilitate transition to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Natural gas on site could be used to produce H2 through reforming. Natural gas–hydrogen blends in NGVs reduce NOx emissions even further. Lessons learned from developing natural gas technologies may aid transition to hydrogen.

Light Duty NGVs : 

Light Duty NGVs Use CNG Limited to one model (Honda Civic) for OEM vehicles EPA certified conversions available from a variety of companies

Heavy Duty NGVs: 

Heavy Duty NGVs May use LNG or CNG Larger engines typically use LNG OEM engines available from Cummins-Westport EPA certified re-power engines and conversions available from a variety of companies

Natural Gas Transit Buses: 

Natural Gas Transit Buses Most established natural gas niche market Annual consumption (2004): 110 million diesel gallon equivalent of CNG 15% of transit vehicles in 2007 powered by natural gas Source: USDOT-FTA Alternative Fuels Study, December 2006 and APTA 2007 Vehicle Survey

Other Heavy Duty NGVs: 

Other Heavy Duty NGVs Shuttle buses Trolleys Street sweepers Delivery trucks Refuse haulers Utility trucks

Natural Gas Guides: 

Natural Gas Guides Heavy Vehicle and Engine Resource Guide - www.afdc.doe.gov/pdfs/hvrg.pdf Available Natural Gas Vehicles and Engines - www.cleanvehicle.org/Available-NGVs-and-Engines.pdf

Implementation Challenges for Natural Gas: 

Implementation Challenges for Natural Gas Vehicle Price – Natural gas vehicles cost more because of onboard fuel storage and engine modifications. NGV prices range from $4000 for LDV to $35,000 for transit bus to over $50,000 for specialty HDV Fuel Availability – Refueling is less readily available outside of California; most fleets build their own infrastructure.

Implementation Challenges for NG: 

Implementation Challenges for NG Operating Costs – Results vary by fleet. Washington Metro Area Transit Authority study of 40 ft. transit buses showed increased operating costs of 3 to 8 cents per mile. UPS study of delivery trucks showed increased operating costs of 19% for CNG in one fleet and decreased CNG operating costs, when compared to diesel, of 2% in a second fleet. Vehicle and Engine Availability There is limited availability of OEM engines and vehicles. Source: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority: Compressed Natural Gas Transit Bus Evaluation http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/ngvtf/pdfs/37626.pdf) and UPS CNG Truck Fleet, Final Report, http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/fleettest/pdfs/31227.pdf

Federal Tax Incentives for NGVs: 

Federal Tax Incentives for NGVs Vehicle Tax Credits (for new or retrofits) Light Duty (up to 8,500 lb): up to $4,000 Medium Duty (up to 14,000 lb): up to $8,000 Medium-Heavy Duty (up to 26,000 lb): up to $20,000 Heavy Duty (more than 26,000 lb): up to $32,000

Federal Tax Incentives for Fuel and Infrastructure: 

Federal Tax Incentives for Fuel and Infrastructure Fuel Excise Tax Credits Fifty cents per gallon equivalent of CNG or LNG Infrastructure Tax Credit 30% of cost of infrastructure Up to $30,000 per commercial project Up to $1,000 for home refueling appliance.

For More Information: 

For More Information Alternative Fuels Data Center www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/afv/gas_vehicles.html www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/natural_gas.html Clean Vehicle Education Foundation www.cleanvehicle.org/index.shtml NGV America www.ngvc.org