Clean Energy Provides Grant Application Support For 168 Near Zero RNG Trucks
Clean Energy Fuel Corp. has facilitated the filing of grant applications for 168 heavy-duty trucks equipped with the latest near zero engine technology and powered by Clean Energy’s Redeem renewable natural gas, which will contribute to lowering emissions on Southern California roads, thanks to funding made available by the Carl Moyer Grant Program. The program funds clean technologies aimed at improving air quality and is administered by the South Coast AQMD. With the support of Clean Energy, grant applications for 168 vehicles were submitted for a diverse array of trucking applications including port trucks that service the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, regional delivery trucks, and concrete mixers.
“Trucking companies are looking for solutions that will help them meet California’s stricter emissions regulations. By pairing near zero engine technology with Redeem, fleets can achieve near zero tailpipe emissions without sacrificing power, speed or reliability,” said Greg Roche, Clean Energy’s vice president of sustainable trucking. “Clean Energy’s grants team is dedicated to assisting fleets with obtaining grants and providing financial support to fleets, so they can easily transition to the cleanest trucks available powered by the cleanest fuel available.”
New trucks that receive Carl Moyer funding are taking advantage of Clean Energy’s Redeem Dollar Deal Program, which is helping customers switch to a zero emissions solution, a combination of the new CWI natural gas engine and Redeem renewable natural gas (RNG) fuel. The first 250 qualifying trucks are locking in a $1 per gallon rate on Redeem for one year, available at all Clean Energy stations throughout California.
Clean Energy worked with the Harbor Trucking Association (HTA) to provide education on the availability of grants and the benefits of applying. The HTA is the leading voice of port drayage with over 100 member companies operating more than 10,000 trucks in America’s West Coast ports.
The transportation sector is responsible for about 40 percent of California’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and more than 80 percent of the state’s NOx, or smog-forming emissions. Making the switch from diesel to near zero RNG trucks is vital to achieving the state’s GHG reduction goals and cleaning the air around California’s transportation corridors. Near zero engines are certified by the EPA and California Air Resource Board to have 90 percent lower emissions of smog-forming NOx than today’s heavy-duty engine standard. Studies by the University of California, Riverside have found that NOx emissions from near zero engines are 99 percent cleaner than in-use diesel engines.
When near zero emission trucks are fueled by RNG, GHG emissions can be reduced by 60 to 400 percent. In 2017, over 67 percent of natural gas fleet fuel consumption in California was with RNG, and this number is expected to climb to about 90 percent by the end of this year.
