Natural Gas: CNG and LNG
Running on some of the most abundant, efficient and clean-burning fuels on earth, natural gas vehicles have many advantages but one of the biggest is the cost of the fuel.
Natural gas fuel can cost as much as 40 percent less than diesel fuel and it is significantly less harmful to the environment with near-zero emissions. Natural gas comes in two forms: Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Daimler Trucks North America offers natural gas vehicles with either fuel tank type.
With 1,000 natural gas trucks running in North America, Freightliner Trucks was the first OEM to offer a complete turn-key natural gas solution with the launch of its Business Class M2 112 available for CNG or LNG and equipped for multiple vocations. Offered with a Cummins Westport ISL G 8.9 liter engine and OEM factory installed and warranted natural gas tanks and components, the M2 112 has the specs versatile enough for nearly any application.
Learn more about Freightliner natural gas trucks.
No newcomer to the alternative fuels market, Thomas Built Buses has offered its Saf-T-Liner® HDX CNG bus for over ten years and currently has over 1,300 compressed natural gas buses on the ground today. Offering customers a green, customizable transportation solution, the HDX CNG puts out up to 20 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions than diesel engines, while offering a range of options to meet the needs of drivers and passengers.
Learn more about Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner® HDX CNG bus.
Deploying Natural Gas-Powered Vehicles
Paper Transport – Testimonial
One of the nation’s leading regional truckload service carriers, Paper Transport uses its Freightliner Business Class M2 112 Compressed Natural Gas trucks to haul freight between Green Bay and Chicago. Since taking possession of the vehicles, the company has saved more than $1 per gallon in fuel costs.
“Fuel is the largest cost in our business, so being able to save that amount of money makes a big difference to our bottom line,” said Jeff Shefchik, president, Paper Transport. “In fact, that’s why we’ve just recently added five additional Freightliner CNG—powered trucks to our fleet and have placed orders for another ten.”
A longtime customer of Freightliner Trucks with more than 160 Freightliner tractors in its fleet, Paper Transport once again turned to the company when they first became interested in natural gas options.
“Lowering our fuel costs and benefitting the environment were the initial selling points of the CNG trucks, however, our drivers also really appreciate the M2 112’s comfort and visibility,” said Shefchik. “And, even though these trucks have smaller engines, their power has been great.”
Kansas City, KS School District – Testimonial
Converting over half of its fleet of 80 buses, the Kansas City Kansas Public School district recently purchased 47 Thomas Built HDX CNG rear engine buses and is already looking to the future when it can run its entire fleet on CNG. Acquisition of the buses, infrastructure and equipment was made possible by a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy distributed through the Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition and matching funds from Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools.
“The buses are environmentally friendly and the low fuel costs let me cut my budget and contribute more to educating children,” said George Taylor, director of transportation for the school district. At a savings of about $2.00 a gallon in fuel costs, Taylor says he’s “saving more money than you can shake a stick at.”
With curbside access to fuel, drivers hook up buses at the end of the day and in the morning buses are fueled and ready to go. Taylor says there’s room for another 23 buses in the future.
“My dream is for the district’s fleet of large buses to be 100 percent CNG,” said Taylor.
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