All About Alternate Fuel Vehicles (AFV)

Source: Bangkok Post/ Oct 28, 2007
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=123071

The demand for natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in Thailand is expected to rise in response to rising oil prices, and in anticipation some fuel refiners have already started to up their production output to cope with the coming demand. Led by Metta Banturngsuk, director-general of the Energy Business Department, Thai government Energy Ministry officials on Sunday inspected a large automobile garage and service centre in this eastern resort which also offers a specialised service for installing NGV engines.

The company now has only four NGV installation branches, but plans to set up six more in Thailand’s northeastern and southern regions. Investment at each branch will require about Bt25 million. On the other hand, the ministry has drawn up a plan to encourage all taxi drivers to switch to using NGVs within two years from the liquefied petroleum gas they are using now.

Mr. Metta said his department planned to boost the number of skilled mechanics to install NGV machines by another 400 persons next year. It has now provided training to 480 persons. Also, the department has joined with government-related PTT and the Land Transport Department to issue a standard of quality certificate to entrepreneurs offering the installation and servicing of NGV equipment and parts. At present, there are 21 such services and the number will be increased to 50 next year, Mr. Metta said. (TNA)

By Automotive World staff writer (ANK), 5 November, 2007
Source: Automotive World
http://www.automotiveworld.com/WVMA/content.asp?contentid=64604

Renault Trucks and its partner PVI (Ponticelli Vehicules Industriels) will provide most of the vehicles to operators working for an experimental logistics scheme in Paris for Monoprix, a major retailer.  The OEM is to supply four Midlum NGVs (GVW 16T) and ten Premium Distribution NGVs (GVW 28T) for Bourgey Montreuil-Geodis, along with four Premium Distribution NGVs for GT location. The arrangement is an experiment in delivering merchandise, mostly by rail, to Parisian shops. Monoprix and Fret SNCF will use the fleet of 20 natural gas-powered trucks to transport merchandise from warehouses located in the city’s suburbs. The partners are expected to begin the trial in December.
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By Cesar C. Villariba Jr., Inquirer,
Manila, Philippines, 12 Nov 2007

The first fleet of “Clean” buses is now rolling on the roads of Metro Manila. Marked “Hapi Bus,” the colorful vehicles have been plying the Manila/Cubao to Laguna/Batangas routes since Oct. 24 in a campaign to promote clean air in the heavily polluted metropolis.  Each capable of ferrying a maximum of 55 passengers, the buses run on compressed natural gas (CNG) supplied by the Philippines’ own gas fields off Palawan. Using energy from compressed natural gas results in zero toxic gas emissions and, thus, a clean air environment, says Nicky Hidalgo Jr., vice president for public relations of KL-CNG Bus Corp.
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Correspondant, Telegraph India,
New Delhi Sept 26, 2007
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070927/asp/business/story_8365957.asp

Piaggio Vehicles Private Limited, the local arm of the Italian automobile major, plans to introduce two mini trucks in India by 2010.  “One has to grow the platform (of four-wheelers). In the next two years we should be able to introduce variants of the sub-one-tonne truck … The vision is to create another platform beyond the sub-one-tonne but less than two tonnes by 2010,” said Ravi Chopra, chairman and managing director of Piaggio Vehicles.  “We are going to develop more four-wheeler products and plan to be a full-range light commercial vehicle player,” he said. (more…)

Express news service, Ahmedabad, September 27, 2007
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Piaggio-to-roll-out-Ape-LPG-next-month/221651/

In order to meet the growing demand for environment-friendly vehicles in the country, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd, the Indian arm of the Italian auto major and world’s pioneer of three-wheelers, said it planned to launch LPG version of three-wheeler in Bangalore next month, a top official of the company said here on Wednesday.  J.  Narayanan, General Manager (Customer Care & PI), who formally launched the CNG variant said : “The cargo version of ‘Ape CNG’ is priced at Rs 1.39 lakh and the passenger version priced at Rs 1.3 lakh both ex-showroom in Ahmedabad. Since CNG is available in Gujarat we have selected Ahmedabad for our national launch.”
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QINGDAO, China, Oct. 9, 2007
Source: PR Newswire / CNNMoney.com
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/CNTU01409102007-1.htm

Sinoenergy Corporation , (”Sinoenergy”), a manufacturer of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle and gas station equipment and a designer, developer and operator of CNG filling stations in China, is pleased to announce today that its first two CNG filling stations are now open and have begun distributing compressed natural gas to vehicles as of September 30, 2007. The two stations are located on Changfeng Street and on Baibuting Street of Wuhan City, Hubei Province. Each station has four filling outlets and both are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The company has staffed each station with 12 to 14 employees to handle daily operations.
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By John Dunlop, Oct. 23, 2007
Source: The Energy Tribune
http://www.energytribune.com/articles.cfm?aid=653

Compressed natural gas (CNG) is one of the oldest petroleum technologies, going back well over 100 years in pipeline applications. CNG has also been used for the bulk movement of gas, including a marine transport project in the late 1960s. Today, other CNG applications, such as natural gas vehicles and truck-based transportation systems, are commonly used worldwide.  In 2001, EnerSea introduced a major breakthrough in CNG marine transport technology: its VOTRANS (Volume Optimized Transport and Storage) system. The patented innovations advanced by VOTRANS include a 60 to 100 percent increase in the gas that can be stored per unit of containment steel, along with a 10 to 20 percent increase in the quantity of gas cargo that can be cost-effectively evacuated from the CNG storage system, compared with conventional CNG concepts. This performance is made possible with VOTRANS’s optimization of storage conditions and by employing its proprietary gas-loading and discharging processes.
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Calgary, Alberta October 19, 2007
Source: Dynatek.com / press release
http://www.dynetek.com/press_releases.php

Dynetek Industries Ltd. (“Dynetek”), a leader in developing,  producing and marketing lightweight compressed natural gas (CNG) and compressed hydrogen storage cylinders, announced today that it has completed the delivery of the previously announced 450 bar Hydrogen Tube Trailer System to the IWHUP project.  The delivery of the Dynetek “BT450” Tube Trailer System to the IWHUP project, is a further demonstration of how Dynetek’s “Instant InfrastructureTM” products, can enable customers to refuel Hydrogen powered vehicles easily and cost effectively.
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Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada − October 22, 2007
Source: New Flyer.com press releaese
http://www.newflyer.com/index/07-10-22-bus-orders
New Flyer Industries Inc., the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit vehicles in Canada and the United States, announced today that it has received new orders for up to 1,180 buses for a combined value of over US $624 million.  Of these new orders, 794 buses are firm orders and 386 are options.  These orders are for a variety of vehicle configurations, including 35-, 40- and 60-foot buses and diesel, hybrid-electric, natural gas and fuel cell propulsion systems. (more…)

Also Launches Biodiesel Initiative At Worldport Air Hub
Atlanta GA, Oct. 8, 2007
Source. UPS press release
http://pressroom.ups.com/pressreleases/current/0,1088,4937,00.html

UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced it was adding 306 alternative fuel vehicles to its “green fleet” by placing an order for 167 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) delivery trucks while taking delivery of 139 new propane delivery trucks in North America. Additionally, the company has launched an initiative to use biodiesel fuel in its ground support vehicles at the UPS Worldport® air hub in Louisville.  The CNG trucks will be deployed early next year in Dallas, Atlanta and four California cities - Los Angeles, Ontario, San Ramon and Fresno. They will join more than 800 such vehicles already in use in the United States. The propane vehicles are joining nearly 600 propane trucks already operating in Canada and Mexico.
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