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Up to
$100,000 Per Truck Available Through SJV Prop 1B; Apply by July
28
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The San
Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is accepting Prop
1B applications through July 28, 2017. Funding of up to $100,000
per truck is available to replace 2009 or older diesel trucks
with new compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks. Funding amounts are
listed below:
Vehicle Class
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Electric-equivalent
CNG 0.02
NOx Engine
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CNG 0.2 NOx Engine
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8
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$100,000
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$65,000
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7
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$100,000
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$65,000
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6
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$50,000
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$40,000
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5
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$40,000
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$25,000
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With
these incentives, the cost of a new CNG truck can be less than a
new diesel truck. In addition, CNG fuel costs historically are
less than diesel. Unlike diesel trucks, CNG engines enjoy
maintenance-free aftertreatment, requiring no
Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) or Selective Catalytic Reduction
(SCR), and no diesel emission fluid. From an environmental
standpoint, the 0.02 NOx CNG engine’s emissions are electric equivalent.
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Top:
GreenPower CEO/Director Phillip Oldridge, ARB and SJVAPCD Board
Member Alexander Sherriffs, M.D., GreenPower Executive
Chairman/Director Fraser Atkinson, SJVAPCD APCO Seyed Sadredin
and GreenPower President Brendan Riley (left to right) break ground
in Porterville for GreenPower's new electric bus manufacturing
plant. Bottom: The EV550, a 100-passenger double-decker bus, is
one of the all-electric buses to be built at the plant.
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GreenPower
Breaks Ground in Porterville for New Electric Bus Manufacturing
Plant
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The site
may have been covered with brown dirt, but there was no doubt
among more than 200 people attending GreenPower Motor Company’s
ground-breaking ceremony June 2 that Porterville is going “green”
in a big way. Canadian-based GreenPower considered numerous
locations nationwide before choosing Porterville, and perhaps it
was more than chance that this site on Hope Drive near the
municipal airport will be the company's first U.S. manufacturing
plant for its all-electric buses.
In addition to a 145,000-square-foot manufacturing plant, the
company will construct a two-story, 6,000-square-foot office
building. The company expects to employ 100 to 200 employees in
its first year and produce about 150 buses, said GreenPower
President Brendan Riley. One of GreenPower's first customers will
be the City of Porterville. When the 10 EV350 40-foot electric
buses are put in service, Porterville Transit expects to become
the first all-electric city transit system in the nation. The
buses are being purchased with a $9.5 million grant from the Air
Resources Board (ARB).
"Porterville is the best choice for GreenPower," said
Riley. "We want to build these buses in an area where they are
needed."
Alexander Sherriffs, M.D., a board member for both the ARB and
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD), said
that practicing family medicine in Fowler since 1983 has shown
him how important air quality is to health. "By placing
zero-emission electric buses in Porterville, we all
benefit," he said.
Seyed Sadredin, Air Pollution Control Officer for the SJVAPCD,
which also worked to help bring GreenPower to the Valley,
emphasized the importance of the new facility. "This will
serve as an example of what we can do in the San Joaquin
Valley...to become a green manufacturing center for the state and
the rest of the nation," said Sadredin.
To learn more, read these articles from the Porterville
Recorder and EV Galaxy website. For video of
GreenPower's buses, watch this interview with company President
Brendan Riley on Fresno's KMPH Fox 26.
In addition to transit and shuttle buses, GreenPower's Synapse 72
all-electric school bus is eligible for funding through the
Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project
(HVIP). Read about a demonstration
tour and how a number of school districts and charter schools in
the state will be purchasing electric buses. To learn more about
HVIP, see the article below.
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California
HVIP Program Offers Incentives for Low-NOx Natural Gas Engines
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The Hybrid
and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program (HVIP)
provides attractive incentives for the purchase of approved
low-NOx natural gas engines. HVIP is funded by the Air Resources
Board (ARB) and administered by CALSTART. Incentives for low-NOx
natural gas engines are available for new and repowered vehicles
on a first-come, first-served basis.
Currently, the Cummins Westport 8.9-liter natural gas engine is
the only ARB-approved low-NOx natural gas engine available under
the program and is certified to 0.02 g/bhp-hr NOx standard, which
is 90 percent below the current NOx standard. The Cummins
Westport 8.9-liter low-NOx engine is well-suited for regional
goods movement trucks, refuse trucks and transit buses (see a list of eligible vehicles).
Incentives range from $8,500-15,000 per engine. A larger version
of the engine (11.9-liter) suitable for freight trucks is
expected to be available in early 2018.
Incentives for low-NOx natural gas engines are designed to cover
the incremental cost of a conventional natural gas engine to that
of the low-NOx version. Incentives for low-NOx engines may be
used in conjunction with other vehicle incentives (such as the
California Energy Commission’s Vehicle Incentive Project or
select programs managed by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District), which cover the incremental cost of a diesel
engine to that of a conventional natural gas engine, as long as
funding for the incremental low-NOx portion is not duplicated.
Fleets that receive HVIP incentives for low-NOx natural gas
engines must use 100 percent Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) for a
minimum of three years. Securing RNG contracts can be
straightforward and should be easy to put in place, and they may
cost no more (or even less) than existing conventional natural
gas fuel. For a list of RNG providers with contact information
and other details, please see the Guide to the Low-NOx RNG Requirement.
For more information, please contact Ryan Schuchard at (626)
744-5606 or rschuchard@calstart.org.
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Representatives
from the University of California, Riverside, Center for
Environmental Research & Technology and SoCalGas conducted a
ribbon-cutting ceremony for the recently established Center for
Renewable Natural Gas (RNG).
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Renewable
Natural Gas Key to the Future
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A
new Center for Renewable Natural Gas (CRNG) was dedicated
May 17 at the University of California, Riverside. The first
academic establishment in the United States dedicated to the
study and applied research of renewable gas technologies, the
CRNG is funded in part by SoCalGas, with a matching donation from
the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the National
Center for Sustainable Transportation. It is part of UC
Riverside’s Center for Environmental Research & Technology.
About 200 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new
CRNG, which was the featured event at an inaugural Renewable
Natural Gas Symposium at the university's Bourns Technology
Center. Arun Raju serves as director for the CRNG, where they will
conduct research, advance technologies and remove barriers to
increase the use of RNG in California. RNG is pipeline-quality
gas that is fully interchangeable and can be blended with fossil
natural gas, but it is produced from renewable sources such as
waste from dairies, landfills, wastewater treatment
plants and other sources.
In making the keynote presentation at the RNG Symposium, George
Minter, SoCalGas Regional Vice President, External Affairs and
Environmental Strategy, concluded that RNG is the key to the
future that will help solve air quality and climate change
problems. He noted this is a critical issue for SoCalGas since
most of the company's service territory lies in the South Coast
and San Joaquin Valley air districts – regions with the worst air
quality in the nation.
"Today, 80 to 90 percent of emissions are in the
transportation sector," he said, adding that heavy-duty
diesel vehicles generate the most smog-forming pollutants. Minter
said the key for the immediate future is to have near-zero
natural gas engines running on RNG, calling that combination of
technology "a game-changer that is equal to or lower than
electric vehicles in emissions and 20 years sooner."
For an agenda with links to many of the the RNG Symposium
presentations (links are in blue), click here.
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Top:
Shell station owners Heng and Jennifer Chao cut the ribbon for
Bakersfield's first E85 station joined by (left to right) Tanner
Dryness, Office of Assemblymember Vince Fong; Pam Rose, Office of
Senator Jean Fuller; Joseph Lopez, Office of Assemblymember Rudy
Salas; Sarah Vind, Pearson Fuels; Ariana Joven, Office of U.S.
Congressman David Valadao; and George Hay, Jim Burke Ford.
Bottom: Cody Neal of Bakersfield was among the first to fill up
with E85 at the grand opening event June 23. He usually uses
premium gas in his pickup and wants to see how E85 compares.
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Bakersfield's
First E85 Station Now Open
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About
400 drivers with Flex Fuel vehicles (FFVs) filled up for just 85
cents a gallon at the grand opening of Bakersfield's first E85
station on June 23. E85 is a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15
percent gasoline. After opening its first E85 station in Fresno
last year, Pearson Fuels, California's largest E85 Flex Fuel
distributor, has partnered with Heng Chao, owner of the Shell
station at 4050 White Lane, to now offer E85 in Bakersfield.
Drivers lined up to take advantage of the special price in effect
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Shell station currently offers
E85 for a $2.39 a gallon, compared to $2.99 a gallon for the
regular gasoline it also sells. The lower price may be somewhat
offset by slightly lower fuel economy. However, station owner Heng
Chao noted that the E85 being sold has an octane of 103, which is
much higher than gas.
More than 1.2 million FFVs – which include later-model Chevrolet
Silverado, Ford F-150 and other popular vehicles – are on the
road in California today. Jim Burke Ford in Bakersfield brought
two Flex Fuel pickups to display at the event. All FFVs can run
on either E85 or gasoline. These vehicles can be identified by a
“Flex Fuel” nameplate, typically located on the rear of the
vehicle, and many also have yellow gas caps for easy
identification.
A domestically produced product, E85 helps to reduce our
dependence on foreign oil and produces less greenhouse gas
emissions. The San Joaquin Valley is home to several ethanol
plants, providing jobs and helping our region's economy. About
100 E85 stations now operate in California.
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Jesus
Sosa (left) of SoCalGas drove one of the company's CNG-powered
service pickups on the first leg of a rally from California to
Arizona, then handed off the baton to Chad Lindholm (right), NGV
America Board Member Representative and Vice President of
National Sales at Clean Energy. "It was a great
experience...to help spread the word that natural gas is an
affordable, reliable and efficient fuel for a variety of
vehicles," said Sosa.
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SoCalGas
Joins NGV America in 'From Sea to Shining Sea' Road Rally
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A
procession of natural gas vehicles, including heavy-duty and
light-duty trucks, transit and refuse vehicles, recently made
their way on a 4,825-mile trek across the U.S. The “From Sea to
Shining Sea NGV Road Rally” began in California on June 5 and ended
in Washington, D.C., on June 16. The trek included stops at
18 rally points, where advocates for natural gas vehicles gave
educational demonstrations highlighting the importance of natural
gas as a clean transportation fuel.
The kickoff event in the San Pedro Bay Ports was organized by the
collective efforts of SoCalGas, the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition
(CNGVC), Clean Energy Fuels and
others, supporting the NGV America nationwide road
rally. The event brought attention to the versatility of
natural gas as a transportation fuel, highlighting the benefits
of low-NOx engines in heavy-duty trucks, especially when powered
with renewable natural gas (RNG).
“Air pollution affects all of us and remains one of our region’s
biggest public health issues, particularly for those in
disadvantaged neighborhoods near busy transportation
corridors," said Lisa Alexander, SoCalGas' Vice President of
Customer Solutions and Communications and an NGV America board
member. "Vehicles fueled by natural gas offer a viable,
affordable solution that can be implemented today,” she added.
Along with the Los Angeles-Long Beach metropolitan area, the San
Joaquin Valley ranks among the most polluted in the nation for
high levels of ozone and for levels of year-round particle
pollution, according to the most recent “State of the Air” report
from the American Lung Association.
“The latest generation of near-zero-emission natural gas engines
exceed the required air quality standard by 90 percent, and they
are available today,” said CNGVC President Thomas Lawson.
“Despite what you hear on Twitter, we are a long way from being
able to purchase electric and hydrogen trucks. Trucks fueled by
natural gas are the only immediate solution.”
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