Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Vehicle Program 1993-Present

Transcription

1 Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Vehicle Program 1993-Present Hugh A. Mose, General Manager August 27, 2012

2 Our service area: Who is CATA?

3 CATABUS Conventional city bus service: Eighteen routes focused on downtown State College Four fare-free routes serve the Penn State campus

4 CATARIDE Curb-to-curb transportation: Shared Ride for seniors ADA paratransit for persons with disabilities

5 CATACOMMUTE Services for long-distance commuters: Carpool matching Vanpools Guaranteed Ride Home

6 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Vehicle Program

7 In the early 1990 s: Why did we do it? CATA s entire bus fleet needed to be replaced The natural gas industry was promoting NGVs CATA was looking for a hook to attract funding

8 How did we get started? Made the big decision: All future buses would be CNG-powered Developed funding partnerships: Columbia Gas of PA PA Dept. of Environmental Protection Federal Transit Administration PennDOT Bureau of Public Transportation Local municipalities

9 Construction started: 1995 CNG compressor, storage and fueling facility Building modifications in Maintenance area Columbia Gas handled the entire project

10 1996 The buses started rolling: CATA took delivery of its first 16 CNG buses Neighboring UniMart started providing CNG to the public

11 How did we grow the program? 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004 CATA purchased 34 more CNG-fueled buses

12 1999 CATA needed additional fueling capacity: Acquired a third CNG dispenser Donated by Columbia Gas Installed by CATA

13 2002, 2003 We enhanced our CNG fueling facility: Placed a canopy over the fueling island Installed a back-up CNG dispenser

14 2005 CATA completed the transition: Purchased two Ford CNG-fueled minibuses Achieved a 100% CNG bus fleet, one of the first transit systems on the East Coast to do so

15 And what did we do then? Research project: CATA and PSU s Larson Transportation Institute Converted a CNG bus to run on Hydrogen/CNG

16 Upgraded CATA s fueling facility: Replaced two of the original CNG compressors Added an integrated gas dryer

17 Expanded the fleet: Acquired ten used but still useful 35 CNG buses from Orlando Traded two of them for 40 buses from Indiana, PA

18 2012 Began to Replace First Generation Buses: Purchased 28 New Flyer Excelsiors Replaced 1996 Orions and 1997 Orlando New Flyers

19 So what s involved? Fueling Facility Storage Tanks Compressors Fueling Station

20 CNG Buses Clamshell Cowling Fuel Filler CNG Tanks

21 Building Improvements Natural Gas Sensors Emergency Shut-off Switchgear

22 Employee Buy-in Initial resistance gave way to skepticism, then tolerance, then support, now enthusiasm.

23 What are the benefits? Public Support More well-received by the general public than any program in CATA s history!

24 Locally Grown Fuel Even before Marcellus Shale, Centre County was a natural gas producing area

25 Energy Independence Over 90% of the natural gas America uses is domestically produced.

26 $$$ Savings CATA is buying natural gas for a fraction of the cost of diesel fuel Savings = $1,000,000 + annually

27 It s the Right Thing to Do! CATA is: Promoting energy independence Supporting the state s economy Saving money Helping to keep the air clean

28 Costs: What about the numbers? Infrastructure - $2.0+ million invested Buses cost an extra $50,000+ each Additional maintenance costs -??? Added maintenance staffing 0.5 FTE Savings: Current CNG cost = $1.00+/- per diesel gallon equivalent (DGE) Most recent diesel purchase = $3.37/gallon

29 What did we learn? You pay a penalty for taking the lead There s a lot to learn technologically It s critical to have a Champion Buying Natural Gas futures is interesting Lack of redundancy can be a concern Orphan Equipment can be a challenge

30 Where do we go from here? Putting 28 New Buses in Service CNG Tank Replacement Tanks are certified for only 15 years Replacement of Gas Detection System Promoting Public Access to CNG Restoration of the NGV Tax Credit Future Acquisitions CNG-electric hybrid buses CNG powered service vehicles

31 And what about safety? Our one incident had a happy ending

32 Questions? Hugh A. Mose CATA General Manager Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) 2081 W. Whitehall Road, State College, PA (814) 238-CATA(2282)