Natural gas to shed ‘alternative fuel’ tag, speaker says at CU-ICAR

Published: March 13, 2013

image by: Clemson University

GREENVILLE — The use of natural gas as a fuel for vehicles is getting ready to take off, an industry leader said Tuesday at the SAE International Natural Gas Symposium at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR).

Michael Gallagher of Westport Innovations Inc. told the symposium that based on current prices, the savings per-gallon-equivalent of natural gas compared to diesel fuel is about $1.50.

The economy of natural gas as a fuel has become very competitive, Gallagher said. Current pricing shows savings per-gallon-equivalent of natural gas compared to diesel fuel is about $1.50.

Further, recent discoveries of natural gas reserves in the U.S. have caused prices to fall and boost research and development and infrastructure growth.

“The U.S. has gone from what was perceived as having a minimal natural gas supply to an abundant supply,” Gallagher said. “We’re now witnessing a transition from diesel to natural gas as the fuel for the heavy-duty truck market."

But challenges remain. 

The conference heard there are about 150,000 public gasoline and diesel filling stations in the U.S., but there are about only 1,000 compressed natural gas stations and fewer than 550 public fast-fill stations nationwide.

When you consider the nation’s diesel infrastructure took more than 30 years to build, any ramp-up will be steep, Gallagher said. Also, the cost of new natural gas-powered trucks still is more than new diesel-powered trucks, he said.

The symposium, which examines the feasibility of natural gas as an alternative fuel,  opened with a high-level overview session providing natural gas production forecasts, infrastructure development, government initiatives and technology trends.

CU-ICAR’s Zoran Filipi, the Timken Endowed Chair in Vehicle System Design who helped organize the conference, said the increased use of natural gas for transportation is the most cost-effective way to utilize the vast quantity of newly discovered domestic reserves.

“The industry is poised to unlock the full potential of this technology, including the possibilities to make engines run cleaner,” Filipi said.

The conference offers the perspectives of manufacturers, fuel-system suppliers, infrastructure providers and fleet owners. Topics include the development of natural gas fuel systems, engine-conversion technologies, home fueling options and fleet business cases.

An international lineup of speakers includes representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy, Volkswagen AG, General Motors of Canada Ltd., Navistar and primary event sponsor Piedmont Natural Gas.

The program also features Scott Myers, chief executive officer of CU-ICAR’s newest research partner, EcoDual Inc. Myers will share his company’s fleet experience developing dual-fuel engine technology.

Last week, CU-ICAR and EcoDual announced a collaboration to research the commercial availability of natural gas engine systems for heavy duty diesel trucks.

Symposium attendees toured CU-ICAR’s research and testing facilities and Piedmont’s fast-fill compressed natural gas refueling station.

The conference concludes today.

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