The document provides an overview of best practices for transportation end users regarding propane, compressed natural gas (CNG), and electricity as transportation fuels. It covers fuel basics, fueling station operations, safety hazards, and typical fleet applications for each fuel type. Recommendations include getting organizational buy-in, understanding fleet needs and characteristics, and utilizing resources from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Clean Cities coalitions.
2. 22
Objectives
A. Intro to Fuel Type – Fuel 101
B. Fueling Station Basics
C. Fueling Basics
D. Safety Hazards
E. “Typical” Applications
3. 33
Propane Autogas 101
oLPG or Propane or Autogas has the chemical
formula C3H8
oIt is transferred into a vehicle as pressurized liquid
and will vaporize at atmospheric pressure and
ambient temperature.
oLike gasoline or diesel, propane gas is heavier than
air.
oPropane is burned in internal combustion engine to
power vehicle.
oPropane is dispensed and sold by liquid gallon.
4. 44
Propane Fueling Basics
oService pressure of a propane system is at least
240 psi. At this pressure the LPG will stay a liquid
at temperatures of 120° F or less.
oBy code, LPG fuel tanks are only allowed to be
filled to roughly 80% of volume.
oPropane Autogas station is similar to gasoline
station.
oFueling time is similar to gasoline station; about
10 -12 gallons per minute.
6. 66
Propane Safety Hazards
oSimilar to gasoline, Propane is a flammable fuel
and ignition sources are forbidden in fueling areas.
oPropane is stored and pumped into vehicles in
pressurized liquid state. Hazards of pressure exist.
oOperators can be freeze burned from contact with
liquid propane.
oPropane is an asphyxiating gas which will displace
oxygen if trapped in enclosure.
7. 77
CNG 101
oCompressed Natural Gas (CNG) is predominately
Methane (chemical formula CH4).
oNatural Gas typically exists in a gaseous vapor form.
oUnlike gasoline, diesel, or propane; natural gas is
lighter than air.
oCNG is burned in internal combustion engine to
power vehicle.
o5.66 lbs (~125 SCF) of natural gas is a Gasoline
Gallon Equivalent (GGE)
8. 88
CNG Fueling Basics
oNominal pressure of CNG storage in U.S. is 3600
psi. Older 3000 psi systems are mostly phased out.
oCNG pressure is 3600 psi at 70° F (settled
pressure), and no more than 4500 psi at any temp.
oFueling is typically done as a “fast-fill”; about 5-10
“gallons” per minute. “Time-fill” for overnight fueling
can take 4-10 hours.
o“Fast-fill” station is similar to gasoline station.
oHome fueling can be done in residential garage.
10. 1010
CNG Safety Hazards
o Similar to gasoline, CNG is a flammable fuel and
ignition sources are forbidden in fueling areas.
o CNG is stored at high pressure. High pressure gas
is an energy hazard and poses risk to operators.
o Natural gas is an asphyxiating gas which will
displace oxygen if trapped in enclosure.
11. 1111
Electricity as Trans. Fuel 101
oAC power is delivered to the electric vehicle supply
equipment (EVSE) (often referred to as a charging
station) and is typically converted to DC power in
the vehicle.
oDC power is stored in a battery to drive the
vehicle’s electric motor.
oElectricity is sold per kWh. It can be sold in many
different ways commercially as a vehicle fuel (e.g.
subscription, per hour, per charge, per kWh, etc.).
12. 1212
EV Charging Basics
oFueling can be performed in a residential garage or
at commercial location:
o Level 1 - Standard household 120 VAC, 12 A, 7
to 16 hours for full charge.
o Level 2 - 240 VAC, 20 A, 3 to 7 hours for full
charge.
oDC Fast Charge - requires 480 VAC to charger, DC
current goes directly to battery, charges vehicle to
80% capacity in 30 minutes.
14. 1414
EV Safety Hazards
o Electricity poses an energy potential, fire, and
shock hazard to operators.
o Higher voltage and current can pose increased
risks.
15. 1515
Best Practice and Application
o All of these alt fuels are a triple win:
o Economic advantages
o Environmental benefits
o Energy security benefits
o All of these alt fuels offer “dedicated” and “bi-fuel”
options; option to use traditional fuel and/or alt fuel
o Idle reduction and driver training are first steps
towards greening your fleet
o Training is key to every safe deployment
16. 1616
Best Practice and Application
o Getting “buy-in” from the whole organization (drivers,
maintenance personnel, management) is key to
every successful deployment
o Knowing vehicle needs and driving characteristics is
critical in selecting the correct alternative fuel(s)
o If you don’t know your fleets characteristics, let the
National Renewable Energy Lab help through the
Fleet DNA Program.
http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/fleettest/researc
h_fleet_dna.html
17. 1717
Propane “Typical” Applications
o Low fueling station cost and
maintenance garage similarities
leads to low upfront capital
investment
Propane Fleet
“Sweet Spot”
Range Limits
(miles)
400 to 800 (varies
by vocation)
Fleet Size Small to Large (>5)
Vehicle Class Light Duty; Medium
Duty
Fuel Usage High (>1000 gal/yr.)
Time of Day Ops 24/7
Station Cost $30,000 (Small Fast
Fill) - $175,000 (100’s
of vehicles/day)
Fuel Cost per
year1
(LD Fleet vehicle)
$2,533 (25,000 miles
; 26.4 mpg; $2.67 /
gallon)
1. Fuel cost from Clean Cities Alt Fuel Price Report (Oct 2013, Midwest); Fuel Economy 85% of LD vehicle
18. 1818
CNG “Typical” Applications
o High Fuel use vehicles have very
fast Return On Investment
because of low per gallon cost
CNG Fleet
“Sweet Spot”
Range Limits
(miles)
200 to 600 (varies by
vocation)
Fleet Size Medium to Large
(>10)
Vehicle Class LD; MD; HD
Fuel Usage High (>2000 gal/yr.)
Time of Day Ops 24/7
Station Cost $40,000 (Small time-
fill) - $2M (100’s of
vehicles/day)
Fuel Cost per
year1
(LD Fleet vehicle)
$1,508 (25,000 miles
; 31 mpg; $1.83 /
GGE)
1. Fuel cost from Clean Cities Alt Fuel Price Report (Oct 2013, Midwest); Fuel Economy of 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas
19. 1919
EV “Typical” Applications
o Zero tailpipe emissions and high
motor efficiency lead to local
environmental benefits
EV Fleet
“Sweet Spot”
Range Limits
(miles)
30 to 100 (varies
by vocation)
Fleet Size Small to Medium
Vehicle Class Light Duty;
MD/HD (limited)
Fuel Usage Low
Time of Day Ops 8 hours / day
Station Cost $1,000/vehicle
(Level 1) - $75,000
(DC Fast Charge)
Fuel Cost per
year1
(Light Duty Fleet
vehicle)
$1050
(25,000 miles;
.35kwh/mile;
.12/kwh)
1. Fuel cost from EIA (Midwest, 2013); Fuel Economy from US DOE eGallon
22. Gene Keck & Bob McGuire
Alpha Baking Company, Inc.
5001 W Polk St, Chicago, IL 60644
(773) 261-6000
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Propane) Fleet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7TM034W89k
23. • Headquarters in Green Bay, WI – Over the road, truck load carrier
• Currently operating 330 diesel tractors and 80 CNG tractors
• Over 7,000,000 miles on CNG trucks
• First CNG truck placed in service in February 2010
• CNG benefits = Economic, Environment, American Fuel
• Making a change to CNG takes a commitment to change and a
desire to be better.
Jeff Shefchick, President
Paper Transport, Inc.
2701 Executive Drive
Green Bay, WI 54304
(800) 317-3650
24. Milwaukee’s CNG & EV Experience
Best Practices for End Users for CNG, LPG, and Electricity
Jeffrey A. Tews, CPFP
Fleet Operations Manager
City of Milwaukee
Department of Public Works
Operations Division, Fleet Services Section
25. Diverse Fleet
123 different types of equipment,
from aerial lifts to welders
City of Milwaukee Fleet:
– Diesel units 929 pieces
– Gasoline units 1,670 pieces
– Propane units 138 pieces
– CNG Units 29 Pieces
– Non-Fuel units 995 pieces
Annual Fuel Use:
– Diesel fuel 1,000,000 gallons/year
– Gasoline 600,000 gallons/year
– Propane 17,000 gallons/year
– CNG 165,000 DGE’s
26. CNG Equipment
21 Refuse Packers w/Plows
22 more Refuse Packers on Order
5 Cargo Vans
3 Mid-Size Cars
27. 1980, 1992 CNG Initiatives
Low Power
3,000 PSI
Conversions
Slow-Fill Station
Short Range
28. Current Refuse Units
15 Rear-Loading Refuse Packers
6 Automated Side-Loading Refuse Packers
320 HP engines, automatic transmissions
42, 75, 80 DGE Tanks
30. CNG Fueling Stations
Compressor drives both public and City access
Dual 250 Hp electric motor driven compressors
Two 3-stage storage cascades
31. CNG Fueling Stations
Front – Public Access
3000 / 3600 PSI
Credit card access only
Open 24/7
32. CNG Fueling Stations
Rear – City Access
3600 PSI
Employee card access
RFID or Mag-Stripe
34. CNG Problems
Leaks at Cascades
O-Ring
Relief Valves
Leaks in Systems
Relief Valves
ESD Switches
Connected Drive-Offs
35. EV Equipment
1 Plug-In Hybrid Car
– 11,586 miles per year
– Previous gasoline 23.48 mpg
– Current MPG: 277.7
16 Hybrid Cars
– 8,119 miles per year
– Previous gasoline 23.48 mpg
– Current MPG: 36.9
19 Hybrid SUV’s
– 8,602 miles per year
– Previous gasoline 18.48 mpg
– Current MPG: 25.3
43. • Information about
alternative fuels,
vehicles, and fueling
infrastructure.
• Laws and Incentives
• Interactive Online
Tools
• Maps and Data
• Deployment Case
Studies
• Searchable
Publications
Database
Alternative Fuels Data Center
55. • Clean Cities
– www.cleancities.energy.gov
• Alternative Fuels Data Center
– www.afdc.energy.gov
• FuelEconomy.gov
– www.fueleconomy.gov
• AFLEET Tool
– http://greet.es.anl.gov/afleet
• Clean Cities Technical Response Service
– Email: technicalresponse@icfi.com
– Phone: 800-254-6735
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• www.epa.gov
Websites & Resources
• Wisconsin State Energy Office
• www.stateenergyoffice.wi.gov
• Illinois State Energy Office
• www.ilenergynow.org
• Indiana State Energy Office
• www.in.gov/oed/
• Natural Gas Vehicles for America
• www.ngvc.org/incentives/federalNGV.html
• U.S. Department of Transportation
• www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/air_quality/
cmaq
• National Renewable Energy Lab Fleet DNA
Program
• http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/fleette
st/research_fleet_dna.html
56. Sustainability Summit
March 26-28, 2014
Milwaukee, WI
Energy Independence Summit
March 30 - April 2, 2014
Washington, D.C.
Green Vehicles Workshop & Showcase
April 22, 2014
Milwaukee, WI
GREEN DRIVE: Natural Gas Roundtable
May 19, 2014
Oshkosh, WI
GREEN DRIVE: Natural Gas Roundtable
May 19, 2014
Oshkosh, WI
Upcoming Events
GREEN DRIVE: Alternative Fuels Workshop & WSF
Recognition Lunch
May 20, 2014
Madison, WI
GREEN DRIVE: Chicago Area Clean Cities
May 21, 2014
Chicago, IL
GREEN DRIVE: WPCA Extravaganza
May 22, 2014
Milwaukee, WI
http://www.wicleancities.org/events.php
http://www.southshorecleancities.org/events.php
http://www.wicleancities.org/events.php
57. Contact Information
Wisconsin Clean Cities
231 W. Michigan Street, P321
Milwaukee, WI 53203
Lorrie Lisek, Executive Director
Office: 414-221-4958
Lorrie.lisek@wicleancities.org
Chicago Area Clean Cities
30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60601
Samantha Bingham, Executive Director
Office: 312-744-8096
Samantha.bingham@cityofchicago.org
South Shore Clean Cities
9800 Connecticut Drive
Crown Point, IN 46307
Carl Lisek, Executive Director
Office: 219-644-3690
clisek@southshorecleancities.org