GE and Peake Fuel Solutions, an affiliate of Chesapeake Energy Corporation, have launched the CNG In A Box system, a compressed natural gas refueling product for retailers that comes in an 8 foot x 20 foot container.
The CNG In A Box system is a plug-and-play, on-site fueling product that comes with everything retailers need to add natural gas fuel to their operations quickly and simply, the companies say. The system compresses natural gas from a pipeline into CNG on-site at a traditional automotive fueling station or industrial location. CNG-powered vehicles such as taxis, buses or small trucks, as well as individual consumer vehicles, can then refill their tanks using a dispenser with the same look and feel as a traditional diesel or gasoline dispenser.
A vehicle fleet operator that uses the CNG In A Box system for natural gas fueling instead of traditional gasoline fueling can save about 40 percent in fuel costs, the companies say.
Financing for the CNG In A Box system is offered by GE Capital. By combining an entire acquisition - including equipment, delivery and installation - into a single monthly payment, Peake Fuel Solutions' customers can structure payments according to their cash flow and eliminate the costs and time associated with paying multiple vendors, the companies say.
In May, Waste Management announced the addition of 35 compressed natural gas-powered vehicles to its Houston fleet by the end of 2012, and plans to open its CNG fueling station in Conroe, Texas, to consumers. The company currently operates five CNG-powered collection vehicles in Houston’s north suburban communities, and more than 1,400 CNG vehicles in North America, which it says is the largest fleet of CNG recycling and waste collection trucks on the continent.
Also in May, Frito-Lay announced the deployment of CNG vehicles at seven Frito-Lay North America distribution centers in the coming months, and Sunny Delight Beverages put into service a fleet of three CNG vehicles for distribution in southern California.