Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/221076
Fuel Filling up the tank with CNG is more complex than refueling with diesel or gas. CNG uses a pressurized system and comes with two options for refueling: slow-fill and fast-fill. Using a timed, slow-fill may take five to eight hours – i.e. overnight – but it gets more natural gas in the tank. The "fast-fill" method is completed almost as quickly as with diesel, but it's more costly. Considering the infrastructure issue, fleet conversion in the last 10 years has been "pretty slow," Miles says. "But here in the last year, I have heard more talk and seen a lot more activity." Swearngin's agency is one of Key Equipment's best customers. Last year, CNG sales made up a substantial What You Need to Know About Housing CNG Vehicles Dealerships housing CNG vehicles and equipment need to follow special safety parameters. To make sure the facility is safe and in compliance with regulations, a fire marshal needs to come and inspect it, says Jeff Miles, branch manager of fleet maintenance for Key Equipment and Supply. With natural gas, a modified ventilation system is needed. The distance of lighting fixtures from the fuel source must also be measured for safety. Escaped gas rises, so the lights must be mounted a certain distance from the ceiling, Miles explains. "If lights are flush with the ceiling, they'll need to be mounted lower," he said. "The fire marshal will point out what you need to bring everything up to code." Preventive maintenance regimens will also be more extensive because different motor oil must be used, and maintenance is more than minor valve adjustments, says Jeffrey Tews, fleet operations manager for the City of Milwaukee. "Now, you have to change out spark plugs, coil packs, and other things you didn't have to do before you changed from diesel." part of Key Equipment's sweeper business, Miles says. However, he notes that the percentage is skewed because his dealership sold eight CNG units last year. What About Service Trucks? Tim Worman, business development manager for Garner, Iowa-based Iowa Mold Tooling (IMT), says although he is convinced that "CNG is here to stay," he doesn't see CNG-powered equipment becoming a large part of dealer networks on a large-scale basis except in the niche markets with trucking, busing and delivery, where the vehicles can go to known routes with known infrastructure. "It's all going to depend on the infrastructure," Worman said. "If I can't get fuel to it, I'm not going to buy it." Looking at IMT's traditional customers, mechanics, CNG doesn't make sense, particularly for the cranes IMT manufactures. "The service trucks have to travel to work on a piece of equipment," Worman pointed out. "The truck may have to travel 50 or 100 miles to work on it because of a jobsite. If the truck gets there and CNG is the primary fuel for the vehicle, what happens when that vehicle needs to be run to potentially operate a compressor and crane? The air compressor may be run for hours at a time. Now, the person has to drive to the site and work at the jobsite, but how is [he or she] getting home if all the CNG has been burned?" This all comes back to having the necessary infrastructure in place to support these vehicles and equipment. "As a business, you have to look at the long-term strategy as a fleet – i.e. usage and miles driven – to determine what you want to invest and what you want to get on your return," Worman said. "You have to make a decision on what makes good sense for you and whether it can be supported." He also says he doesn't see CNG equipment becoming a regular part of dealer service networks yet. "We have a mechanics service truck with a CNG system on it, and we have to be CNG Quick Facts Natural gas has been used in vehicles since World War II. Natural gas powers more than 12 million vehicles worldwide, but only about 250,000 of them are in the United States. Major corporations and governments including AT&T, Dallas/ Fort Worth International Airport, Disneyland Resorts, the National Park Service and UPS have made the move to CNG to lower their fuel costs and emissions. Natural gas is lighter than air, meaning any leaks will quickly dissipate, rather than pooling on the ground like gasoline and creating a fire risk. Because natural gas ignites at a very high temperature, it is less likely to catch fire. very careful of where we travel to and careful that we'll be able to fuel it," Worman said. "We haul it more than we drive it." The vehicle was a gas engine that was converted to all CNG. Worman says when his company showed it at a trade show, "there was a lot of interest, but no one wants to buy it." Worman says he is "cautiously optimistic" about the long-term success of CNG. Although using CNG itself isn't new, he says entering into the mainstream still carries a lot of questions that have not yet been answered. For example, "What are the maintenance cost trends? We need to look at the history," he said, "[and] there isn't enough history yet. It is a very complex situation in the market with a lot of unknowns. There is no really good, definitive answer for anyone unless they are in fleet hauling, but I don't see [CNG] catching just yet." TINA GRADY BARBACCIA is a writer/ editor who has been covering the transportation/ construction industry for the past 10 years. She can be reached at tinabarbaccia@gmail.com. December 2013 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 55