Fuel Smarts

Natural gas truck engine producer Westport Innovations plans to stop taking orders for its North American 15-liter model after Nov. 15., citing weak sales.

Tags: Volvo, Cummins, Natural Gas, Natural Gas Vehicles, Liquefied Natural Gas, Engines, Westport Innovations, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has proposed regulations to allow the construction and operation of new liquefied natural gas facilities under DEC permits, according to the New York Motor Truck Association.

Tags: New York, Natural Gas, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids, Fuel and Oil

Lowe’s has launched a dedicated fleet of natural gas-powered trucks at its regional distribution center in Mount Vernon, Texas, working with NFI. Lowe’s dedicated fleet at Mount Vernon is among the first serving a major retail distribution center in North America to run solely on natural gas.

Tags: Natural Gas, Lowe's, Liquefied Natural Gas, NFI, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids

Converting more fleets of trucks to natural gas is one of the outcomes expected from the region's industry-wide summit on natural gas in trucking opening this Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Early Brown Center in Brooklyn Center. Details at www.mntruck.org.

Tags: Volvo, Kenworth, Ryder, Natural Gas, Minnesota, UPS, Clean Energy, Daimler, Events, Cummins Westport, Kwik-Trip, MTA

UPS plans to invest approximately $50 million to build an additional nine liquefied natural gas fueling stations, bringing the total number of stations to 13. Four were announced in April, and all should be operational by the end of 2014.

Tags: Natural Gas, UPS, Natural Gas Vehicles, Fleets

Fleets that want to use an even "greener" alternative fuel than natural gas can now purchase renewable natural gas fuel, made from methane that comes from landfills, large farms and other waste streams, from Clean Energy.

Tags: CARB, Natural Gas, California, Clean Energy Fuels, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids

Rumors that Westport Innovations was cancelling production of its 15L LNG engine were given wide exposure at the 1st Annual Natural Gas Vehicle Canada Conference on Tuesday.

Tags: Volvo, Natural Gas, Peterbilt, Engines, Westport Innovations

General Motors will offer bi-fuel versions of the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty trucks and dedicated compressed natural gas versions of the 2014 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana full-size passenger vans next year.

Tags: Chevrolet, Natural Gas, Natural Gas Vehicles, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids, GMC Sierra, GMC Savana, Chevrolet Express, Chevrolet Silverado

A panel of heavy-duty truck maker representatives will discuss what they're doing to meet greenhouse gas/fuel economy regulations for 2014 and beyond, the current and future status of alternative fuels, hybrid/electric and more at the Green Fleet Conference Oct. 2 in Phoenix.

Tags: Natural Gas, Green Fleet Conference, Events, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids

Heavy Duty Trucking is looking for fleets that have made a commitment to sustainability, alternative fuels and greenhouse gas emissions for its November issue on Top Green Fleets.

Tags: Fleets, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids, Natural Gas, MPG, Emissions

The City of Columbus plans to build a second compressed natural gas fueling station scheduled to open in March of 2014. The new station will service the City’s northern refuse fleet operation, which has more than 65 vehicles, its Planning & Operations Division, which has more than 45 vehicles, and other City divisions.

Tags: Fueling Station, Natural Gas Vehicles, Natural Gas, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids

As interest in natural gas power broadens, Freightliner is adding options that appeal to fleets wanting greater range and fuel savings technologies. The company plans to increase the operating range of some natural-gas-fueled trucks out to 800 miles.

Tags: Freightliner Cascadia, Agility Fuel Systems, Natural Gas, Liquefied Natural Gas, Cummins Westport, Freightliner, Daimler Trucks North America, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids

CORRECTED -- Kenworth Truck Co. sees a lot of promise in natural gas-powered vehicles, so it featured them last week at gatherings for dealers, customers and trade press writers at its plant in Chillicothe, Ohio. But diesel-powered trucks form a huge majority of those on the road and will continue to dominate the Class 8 business, one of the company’s executives commented to reporters.

Tags: Kenworth, Cummins, Paccar, Natural Gas, Alternative-fuel vehicles, Natural Gas Vehicles, Liquefied Natural Gas, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids

Ryder System has opened the first natural gas fueling stations in its North American network to serve both the general public and Ryder lease and rental customers, located in Orange and Fontana, Calif.

Tags: Ryder, Natural Gas, California, Natural Gas Vehicles, Liquefied Natural Gas, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids

United Parcel Service is so committed to using low-emissions fuels that all of the 700 Class 8 vehicles it has ordered for delivery late this year and into 2014 will run on liquefied natural gas.

Tags: Natural Gas, UPS, Liquefied Natural Gas, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids, ACT Expo

If you’re skeptical about the future of natural gas in trucking, meet Thomas O’Brien, president and CEO of TravelCenters of America. “The math is close enough and we’re moving on,” said O’Brien Tuesday in an assertive message to hundreds of fuel and transportation experts gathered in Washington, D.C., for the 2013 Alternative Clean Transportation Expo.

Tags: Natural Gas, Liquefied Natural Gas, TravelCenters of America, Alternative Fuels & Hybrids, ACT Expo