Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
The Ford Transit Connect Taxi
There are a number of CNG powered vehicles hitting the market these days. Some have been more time tested than others. The word “fleet” doesn’t always have to denote trucks, it could also pertain to other service vehicles. This week we would like to highlight the Ford Transit Connect Taxi. These CNG run vehicles have been out several years and are very actively being used successfully in areas such as Chicago and Los Angeles.
What is Transit Connect?
Transit Connect is built on a dedicated commercial vehicle platform, tested to Ford’s toughest truck standards, offers a fuel-efficient 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine and is designed to meet the extreme demands of taxi service. A new engine prep package allows conversion to efficient, clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG) or propane (LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas). Transit Connect’s roomy, easy-to-access interior provides passenger comfort and ample luggage storage space, even after modification to contain CNG/LPG fuel tanks.
What is the interior of the vehicle like?
The Transit Connect Taxi offers an outstanding interior package for people and cargo. With its open architecture, the taxi provides excellent interior headroom and passenger visibility. The vehicle’s rear seat has been moved back three inches to maximize passenger comfort. Plus, with 6.5 inches of ground clearance, passengers step easily through the dual sliding doors. Additional climate control ventilation has been added for rear seat passengers.
The Transit Connect Taxi also features a wiring upfit package with a hole in the roof for signage, vinyl front and rear seats, rubber rear floor, sliding second-row windows and standard third-row windows – all of which are factory installed. Additional installation of technology and other taxi modifications such as roof signage and the optional seating partition are handled by taxi upfitters in local markets.
The vehicle’s cargo area easily accommodates compressed natural gas tanks directly behind the second-row seat, still allowing ample luggage storage.
What are the benefits of the Transit Connect Taxi?
Congested cities have a higher concentration of greenhouse gas emissions due to the amount of consistent traffic. This clean fuel burning vehicle can greatly reduce the pollution that normally results from gasoline powered vehicles of this caliber. Conversion to usage of CNG based taxi’s makes sense, especially since these service vehicles are constantly on the road.
You may see a more affordable cab fare. The bottom line is that CNG is less expensive than gasoline. With the high price of gasoline companies are forced to charge a higher rate to cover cost. The low cost of fuel for the company will trickle down to the customer.
Vehicle information sourced from: http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=31992
How does a CNG vehicle work?
It is common knowledge that having CNG vehicles will save you money in the long run, but how does it work? For all you mechanically oriented people out there this blog is for you. For those who are mechanically inclined and want to shrink themselves small enough to see the process at work, this is the best we can do to get you that far. Mark Deluca does a great job in explaining what makes CNG engines more efficient.
He says that “diesel explodes in the center bowl of the piston and leaves some oxygen and diesel unburned in the outside ring of the piston. CNG helps use the fuel and oxygen in the outside ring, giving you more power. Diesel engines compress hot air and CNG for a more complete burn of fuel and air in the compression stroke. Since adding the CNG venturi tube in the air snorkel after the air filter, the low pressure fumigation system, CNG fuel is sucked into the turbo and mixes air with CNG as it travels through the turbo and intercooler on it’s way to the engine. No CNG is used at idle and it takes about 1500 rpm to open the spring valve on the regulator for the gas to flow. Drawing CNG into intake manifold has advantages over bio-diesel or waste oil which goes thru pumps and injectors causing some problems on seals and o-rings or gelling from cooking oil waste/fuel
You can also convert your gas engine to CNG, a diesel conversion though doesn’t have problems with predetonation or need knock sensors like a gas conversion. Diesel engines is built for heavy duty use, exploding diesel with heat and combustion not spark. This all makes diesel engines the ideal CNG conversion candidate. “
You can read more about the mechanical aspects of CNG and some of the fantastic results he has personally experienced at http://www.mrtruck.net/cng.htm When you are ready to convert give us a call!
A Look Back at the Beginnings of Natural Gas…
1885
Robert Bunsen invented what is now known as the Bunsen burner. He managed to create a device that mixed natural gas with air in the right proportions, creating a flame that could be safely used for cooking and heating. The invention of the Bunsen burner opened up new opportunities for the use of natural gas in America, and throughout the world. The invention of temperature-regulating thermostatic devices allowed for better use of the heating potential of natural gas, allowing the temperature of the flame to be adjusted and monitored.
1891
One of the first lengthy pipelines was constructed in. This pipeline was 120 miles long, and carried natural gas from wells in central Indiana to the city of Chicago. However, this early pipeline was very rudimentary, and was not very efficient at transporting natural gas. It wasn’t until the 1920s that any significant effort was put into building a pipeline infrastructure. After World War II, welding techniques, pipe rolling, and metallurgical advances allowed for the construction of reliable pipelines. This post-war pipeline construction boom lasted well into the ‘60s, and allowed for the construction of thousands of miles of pipeline in America.
Once the transportation of natural gas was possible, new uses for natural gas were discovered. These included using natural gas to heat homes and operate appliances such as water heaters and oven ranges. Industry began to use natural gas in manufacturing and processing plants. Also, natural gas was used to heat boilers used to generate electricity. The transportation infrastructure had made natural gas easy to obtain, and it was becoming an increasingly popular form of energy. For information on modern methods of natural gas exploration, extraction, and transportation,
1938
The U.S. government first regulated the natural gas industry. At the time, members of the government believed the natural gas industry to be a ‘natural monopoly’. Because of the fear of possible abuses, such as charging unreasonably high prices, and given the rising importance of natural gas to all consumers, the Natural Gas Act was passed. This Act imposed regulations and restrictions on the price of natural gas to protect consumers.
1980s and early 1990s
The industry gradually moved toward less regulation, allowing for healthy competition and market-based prices. These moves led to a strengthening of the natural gas market, lowering prices for consumers and allowing for a great deal more natural gas to be discovered.
Beginning of the 21st Century
It has brought with it significant regulation concerning gas quality, standards of conduct for interstate pipelines, and price reporting. Today, the natural gas industry is regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). While FERC does not deal exclusively with natural gas issues, it is the primary rule making body with respect to the regulation of the natural gas industry.
Today
The natural gas industry has existed in this country for over 100 years, and it continues to grow. Restructuring and the move toward cleaner-burning fuels have created an enormous market for natural gas across the country. New technologies are continually developed that allow Americans to use natural gas in new and exciting ways. With all of the advantages of natural gas, it is no wonder that it has become the fuel of choice in this country, and throughout the world.
Adapted from: http://www.naturalgas.org/overview/history.asp
This Week’s Round Up of CNG News
This week there was a lot of major milestones in the world of CNG. Here’s our highlights:
More U.S. Towns Are Requiring Natural Gas Garbage Fleets, in Boon to Truck Makers
Local ordinances mandating the conversion of diesel garbage trucks to cleaner fuels are providing new business for the country’s truck builders.
Five years ago, when the Long Island town of Smithtown passed a law requiring its garbage and recycling collectors to ditch their diesel haulers for trucks run on compressed natural gas (CNG), it was seen as a surprising step.
Love’s Travel Stops to Open 10 New CNG Fueling Stations with Chesapeake Energy across Oklahoma
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, an Oklahoma City-based and family-owned operator of 280 travel stops and convenience stores, announced plans to add 10 publicly accessible compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations at existing locations across Oklahoma. The stations will be built and operated in cooperation with Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy Corporation, the nation’s second-largest producer of domestic natural gas.
The addition of 10 new CNG stations at Love’s locations in Oklahoma will bring the company’s CNG station count to 11 and give Oklahoma more than 50 public CNG stations.
Fuel Systems Solutions (FSYS) Named Supplier For General Motors (GM) CNG Pickup Truck
Today Fuel Systems Solutions (FSYS) was selected by General Motors (GM) as a Tier-One supplier for a new compressed natural gas (CNG) bi-fuel commercial pickup truck. The company is already integrating its bi-fuel systems into the Chevy Express and GMC Savana cargo vans at its facility in Indiana and will add this new CNG pickup from GM into the mix. The vehicle is expected to launch in about a year.
Arkansas CNG Rebate Program now available to individual vehicle owners
The Arkansas Energy Office (AEO), a division of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC), today announced the Compressed Natural Gas Conversion Rebate Program is now open to Arkansas’s individual vehicle owners. The rebate program, announced in August 2011, was originally only available to vehicle fleets but a growing demand for individual conversion rebates brought a change to the program. All Arkansas licensed vehicles are eligible for conversion. Fleets are still eligible for the rebate.
Georgia Looks To CNG For Municipal Vehicles
DeKalb County, Georgia has joined the ever growing number of communities looking for relief from higher gas prices by converting municipal vehicles to compressed natural gas.
DeKalb takes great pride in describing itself as the “Greenest County in America” so the move to the use of cleaner burning CNG vehicles is in keeping with this identity. The county has ordered two dozen CNG Freightliner Business Class trucks which will be used primarily for sanitation and maintenance duties. The trucks are perfectly suited for the three-man sanitation routes that DeKalb uses for collection.
In another example of DeKalb’s commitment to “keeping it green” the fuel for their new trucks will be derived from the county’s own methane-to-energy process which was launched earlier this year. The project converts landfill waste into natural gas. This conversion process produces enough “free” electricity to power more than 2,500 local homes. The process also creates enough natural gas to fuel more than 600 CNG vehicles, more than DeKalb currently has in its fleet, but enough so they can eventually convert even more of their vehicles to CNG without worrying about finding a fuel source.
Freightliner Trucks is a division of Daimler Trucks North America. Daimler AG, a global manufacturer of commercial trucks, is the the parent company of Daimler Trucks North America. In 2007 Daimler launched its worldwide Shaping Future Transportation initiative which focused the company’s priorities on producing vehicles with reduced emissions such as carbon dioxide and offer lower fuel consumption. The one-two punch of reduced emissions and increased fuel economy is the answer many communities around the world are looking for and Daimler wants to corner the market.
The new trucks have a Cummins Westport ISL G 8.9-liter natural gas engine which has no need for a diesel particulate filter or regeneration The engine is also considered mostly maintenance-free and produces almost no emissions. They also offer increased fuel economy, no small feature in today’s economy, with fuel costs rising every year. This coupled with the new DeKalb fuel processing facility means the Atlanta area community will dramatically reduce their fuel expenses, something which will not go unnoticed by tax payers in the district.
The new trucks will refuel at the new DeKalb-based re-fueling station which is the process of being built right now. The new CNG fueling stations will be available to both commercial vehicles and passenger cars. This means that not only will DeKalb have anew fleet of CNG vehicles, but it will also have the means of supplying its own fuel, making trips out of county for fuel obsolete.
The cost of the new trucks is being fully offset by the investment in lower cost fuel production facilities and making fuel use of energy resources within the county. As the core of the five county area which comprises the Atlanta metropolitan area, DeKalb is setting an example for other communities to follow.
DeKalb is just one example of how new ways of thinking are changing the way communities serve their citizens by cutting costs, reducing pollutants and making best use of all available resources.
Interested in converting your fleet to CNG? Give us a call and we’re happy to discuss your options.
