For a marketer looking to move into CNG, there are both similarities and some significant differences. With the cost of a CNG fueling station running anywhere between $1 million and $3 million (depending upon the number of lanes and desired fill capabilities) it’s not something that would generally be undertaken lightly. Also, there can be notable operational costs related to the electricity required to drive the compressor(s) that similarly scales with providing higher fill rates. However, the ability to connect to higher pressure utility gas lines can reduce compressor requirements and cost when providing faster fill capabilities.
On the user experience side there are more similarities than differences compared to fueling with diesel, which is absolutely the goal (and also where spending more on infrastructure comes into play). “We fill 8 – 12 gallons per minute, so a typical truck fill takes less than 15 minutes,” Zimmerman said. “Drivers, whenever they stop, will do some safety checks, update their logs, wipe the windshield—all that sort of stuff—and typically that walk around takes longer than filling at one of our stations.”
That approach is certainly the goal for Kwik Trip. The company uses fast fill technology and incorporates it in line with its diesel fueling equipment. CNG fueling cannot be more disruptive than diesel or the company would risk losing its core diesel customers.
Zobel noted that the customer base overlaps existing commercial diesel customers. There are synergies available to market to this group, both to generate revenue as well as to provide a covering play to keep that customer from looking elsewhere for such solutions. However, delivering CNG to those customers is an entirely new proposition.
“I think one of the problems that the petroleum marketing community has today is that many of them view it as just another piece of petroleum equipment. It’s really not,” Zobel said. “CNG systems do not move liquid, they move gas. They are expensive. They are very efficient, finely-tuned pieces of equipment that, in order to operate reliably, require more maintenance than the existing diesel or gasoline pumps they have today. There’s a whole systematic process that has to be put into place if you’re going to move into this particular alternative fuel. Providers like us can help folks manage that going forward.”
Truck Technology Eases CNG Adoption
A variety of developments on the technology front have helped CNG fueling move from the return-to-home day fleet to the regional and over-the-road fleets that would need to fill up away from home. Much of that has come from the truck side.
Bill Zobel, General Manager of Business Development and Marketing for fueling provider Trillium CNG, noted that the heavy duty Cummins Westport IXS12 G 12-liter engine has really changed the game as the 9-liter engine was a little under powered for those applications. “Its performance is very good. You’ve got to give a lot of credit to Cummins Westport for taking their time with that engine and making sure that they had the bugs worked out of it before they put into commercial service,” said Zobel.
IXS12 G
However, he emphasized that the workhorse ISL G 9-liter engine has been no slouch. That displacement supports the refuse fleets, to where about 50% or more of all new refuse truck sales are compressed gas. In the transit market, some 25% – 30% of new truck or new bus sales are compressed natural gas. “Those two markets that have been around for a long time and have very good, reliable solutions for the drive train have really, really taken off. And they’re fairly solid growth prospects for the compressed gas industry,” he said.
Advancements beyond the engine have also made a difference. Chris Hanners, Alternative Fuels Product Manager for Worthington Cylinders, notes that cylinder design can help increase truck range and the viability of CNG for regional fleets. The increased range is credited to the use of an aluminum tank liner.
“Essentially, that liner conducts heat better than, say, a plastic version of the same type of CNG tank,” said Hanners. “As you pump natural gas in a fast-fill situation, you generate heat. As heat is generated, pressure also increases, which decreases the ability to add more fuel. But because we have that metal liner, it reduces the heat and allows you to essentially get more gas in the same fast-fill situation than maybe using a different approach.”
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