| From: Hawkmoon | 7/17/2015 8:36:50 AM | | | | | | Aug 18th ends the 60 day comment period for the heavy trucking industry to respond to new Federal guidelines on emissions and fuel economy in the trucking industry.
It's interesting that the article omitted any mention of CNG/LNG, but the logic stands on it's own merit.. CNG reduces emissions, as well as costs to industry in fuel expenditures.
The challenge remains in how to cover the extra costs for CNG fuel storage/management, but we're seeing some creative solutions by NG suppliers who incorporate those costs into long-term CNG/LNG fuel supply contracts.
There's really no other viable solution at this time (that I see) other than CNG/LNG.
U.S. proposes tighter emission standards for big trucks
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration proposed new rules on Friday to slash greenhouse gas emissions from heavy, long-haul trucks, a move to attack climate change that prompted a wary response from industry groups worried about the costs.
The complex proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would apply to 18-wheel tractor-trailers, buses, delivery vans, beefy heavy-duty pickup trucks and other commercial vehicles. They are part of the administration's broader effort to cut carbon dioxide emissions from the transportation and power sectors of the economy, and precede a new round of global climate change talks in Paris later this year.
Public stakeholders, including industry and environmental groups, will have 60 days to comment on the rules, which regulators are expected to finalize early next year.
Transportation-related greenhouse gases are the second-largest source of emissions after power plants, accounting for roughly 27 percent of total emissions.
Administration officials said the rules would reduce carbon pollution by 1.1 billion tons (1 billion metric tons), conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil and cut fuel costs by $170 billion from 2018 to 2027. But the administration could accelerate targeted improvements as new fuel-efficient technology becomes available.
The new standards call for a 24 percent reduction in the fuel consumption of truck tractors by 2027 from anticipated 2018 levels. The proposed rules also require an 8 percent reduction in carbon emissions from new aerodynamic truck trailer designs.
Industry groups expressed concern that the proposal, which would increase the cost of a tractor-trailer rig by $10,000 to $12,000, would be a burden to vehicle makers, fleet operators and dealers.
The American Trucking Associations said the new goals could lead to the development of unreliable technology that could slow the intended environmental benefits.
“To prevent this, truck and engine manufacturers will need adequate time to develop solutions to meet these new standards,” said Glen Kedzie, ATA's energy and environmental counsel.
Among the companies the rules would affect are Cummins Inc , Eaton Corp , Daimler AG and Volvo AB .
Environmental organizations and consumer groups praised the action, but some said it might not go far enough.
"It's an ambitious rule that will accomplish a critical step forward by 2027," said Phyllis Cuttino, director of the clean energy initiative at Pew Charitable Trusts.
The rules might be a profit generator for manufacturers of fuel-saving technology such as automatic transmissions, lighter-weight axles or high-mileage tires.
Under the proposal, emissions targets will vary for different classes of truck, and will be designed to account for the diverse types of work commercial vehicles do, Chris Grundler, director of the EPA’s office of transportation and air quality, said in a teleconference.
Grundler said there would be separate standards for "vocational trucks" such as cement mixers, garbage trucks or delivery trucks, and for heavy-duty pickups, such as a Ford F-250 or Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD to reflect the types of hauling and driving they do.
The proposed standards would measure emissions for tractor-trailers based on grams of carbon dioxide emitted per mile for every ton of freight hauled, for example. A large truck that hauls several tons of freight will burn more fuel per mile than a smaller vehicle but could be more efficient than others carrying the same loads.
Agency officials said the common benchmark of miles of travel per gallon of fuel consumed was not a “useful” way to describe the proposed performance targets.
However, Grundler said that if current long-haul trucks average about five to seven miles per gallon, the best-performing tractor-trailer in 2027 should average about 10 miles per gallon hauling 68,000 pounds of freight at 65 miles per hour.
Other sectors are also in the administration's sights.
Last week, the EPA took the first steps toward regulating aircraft emissions by confirming their health risks. The agency is expected to finalize sweeping greenhouse gas standards for power plants in August.
(Additional reporting by Joseph White in Detroit and Valerie Volcovici in Washington; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
news.yahoo.com |
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| To: Hawkmoon who wrote (244) | 8/10/2015 10:19:14 PM | | From: Hawkmoon | | | | Ryder's Vice President of Supply Management and Global Fuel Products will be speaking at the conference about Ryder’s industry-leading experience with natural gas vehicles and fueling infrastructure at the Fleet Technology Expo on the 24th-26th in Long Beach.
Considering that QTWW is the leading CNG tank and fuel management systems provider to Ryder, it should open up some real exposure to their product.
Mr. Perry is responsible for Ryder’s advanced fuel vehicle offering, which includes leading the company’s successful commercial natural gas truck deployment into 12 markets in North America. He will participate on a debate-style panel titled, “A CNG Debate: Invest Now or Later,” which will take place on August 26 at 10:30 a.m. PST inside Room 103 of the convention center. The panel, which is being sponsored by Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT)magazine, will provide a point/counterpoint debate about the right time to invest in the natural gas vehicles and infrastructure. During the panel, Mr. Perry will discuss the fuel-saving benefits of current CNG vehicle technologies and how to facilitate the deployment of alternative clean technology vehicle fleets with outsourced transportation solutions such as rental and leasing.
businesswire.com
They also have UPS on board, it would seem.. so these are two heavy hitting companies that are showing their dedication to shifting towards CNG.
Hawk |
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| From: Hawkmoon | 10/1/2015 11:15:08 PM | | | | | | It's been astounding just how much they have pummeled the CNG stocks, to include Quantum..
All while CNG per BOE equivalent is hitting a new intermediate low of $14.52 ($2.42 x 6) Mbtu equivalent..
So long as NG continues lower, it remains cost competitive to diesel..
And I'm looking at the Middle East getting VERY interesting, with Russian (Chinese?) and Persian Iranian army forces deploying into Syria..
Hawk |
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| To: Hawkmoon who wrote (249) | 12/8/2015 2:09:55 PM | | From: Sdgla | | | | Any way to find out who's tank is being used here :
ft.com
Toyota bets the future car will be fuelled by hydrogen
Andy Sharman, Motor Industry Correspondent
 ©BloombergA Toyota worker checks a Mirai fuel-cell vehicle on the production line of the company's Motomachi plant
Toyota showed off a special version of its new Mirai saloon this week to celebrate Back to the Future day.
The Japanese carmaker’s take on the time-travelling DeLorean from the popular movie series has the trademark gull-wing doors and the same, bare-metal bodywork seen in the Hollywood film.
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| To: Sdgla who wrote (250) | 12/8/2015 8:46:31 PM | | From: Hawkmoon | | | | THAT is a very good question!!
I lay odds that the tank is from Quantum, given past historical company interactions.
Hawk |
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| From: Hawkmoon | 12/20/2015 11:34:38 AM | | | | | | It's been a tough year for QTWW shareholders.. There's no doubt about it..
However, I still think, over a longer period of time, we're going to see increasing use of CNG in the transportation fleet. When NatGas is trading at $11/BOE (barrel of oil equivalent), it still presents a compelling alternative to Diesel..
And it doesn't hurt that tax credits for CNG have been extended, retroactive to 2015, and into 2016...
thestreet.com
I'm also beginning to think that Quantum's move into virtual pipelines has a major application for creating CNG fill-up stations until such a period when pipeline distribution is more widely available at gas stations.
It's still my belief that the real bottleneck in the CNG conversion remains the lack of adequate fuel tank production, which for Quantum is a longer-term plus..
And I think this will become an even greater challenge if WPRT is able to perfect their NG injectors for use in existing Diesel vehicles. This is what ZHRO was attempting, and it appears that WPRT has the lead.. If they can convince the market that these are reliable and credible alternatives to dedicated CNG/LNG engines, it could lead to a major expansion of demand for CNG/LNG fuel tanks in order to take advantage of those tax credits, as well as to reduce operational fuel costs.
westport.com
westport.com
To drive demand, CNG/LNG has to be widely available, hence Virtual Pipelines which can be stationed at point of sales with little infrastructural investment, AS WELL AS being replaced, or refueled in place, by larger delivery vehicles. This will alleviate trucking fleets concerns about fuel availability.
Now also, think about this.. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles face a similar issue, but can also benefit from a Virtual Pipeline concept.. In both cases, Quantum benefits..
One more point of consideration that remains in my mind.. With recent legislation that permits oil exports from the US to global markets, eventually the supply/demand equation will balance out the current decline in oil prices.
Furthermore, if we have a major disruption in oil supplies around the world due to Middle East turmoil, Natural Gas will become a primary source of domestic energy since it remains, essentially, landlocked to the US markets. In such a scenario, Virtual Pipelines will be in EXTREMELY HIGH demand..
Hence, I continue to believe that QTWW remains an undervalued company, with a bright future.. regardless of oil prices.
Hawk |
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| From: Hawkmoon | 12/23/2015 11:22:16 AM | | | | | | I'm thinking that Quantums Virtual Pipeline solution is what UPS requires to expand it's CNG vehicle deployments..
“In order for us to continue fleet deployment, we have to continue station deployment – one goes hand in hand with the other,” explains Casteel.
ngtnews.com |
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