Ford Transit Connect - Ford Motor Company

Just released from Ford Motor Company via WebWire at http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=134673

Rising Gas Prices Fuel Demand for Ford Compressed Natural Gas-Powered Commercial Vehicles

• Rising price of traditional gas coupled with significant government incentives and an increasing number of fuel stations is pumping up demand for compressed natural gas-powered (CNG) vehicles by commercial customers

• Ford meets demand by offering CNG as an option for Transit Connect, E-Series vans and F-Series Super Duty trucks

• An extremely clean-burning fuel, CNG usage can result in 30 to 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

DEARBORN, Mich., March 29, 2011 – – Higher fuel prices, increasing government incentives and more fueling stations are spurring interest in compressed natural gas-powered commercial vehicles offered by Ford Motor Company.

Consider Metro Taxi of West Haven, Conn., which soon will take delivery of 20 Transit Connect Taxis powered by CNG. Owner Bill Scalzi said he bought the CNG-powered Transit Connect Taxis because of rising gas prices, government funding and the fact that there will soon be more CNG fueling stations in Connecticut, including one he is adding to his facilities.

Scalzi is not alone in wanting to own natural gas fueled vehicles as orders for CNG Transit Connect Taxis are coming from companies in places like Las Vegas, St. Louis, Boston, Chicago and Hartford, Conn.

“Fleet managers are adding all the reasons up and concluding that it makes sense to switch to CNG now more than ever,” said Rod Phillips, Ford Commercial Business Manager of the New England area.

CNG is made by compressing natural gas, which is mainly composed of methane. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of 2,900 to 3,600 psi. About 85 percent of the CNG used in the United States is produced domestically.

CNG is used in traditional gasoline internal combustion engines that have been modified to operate on CNG. In addition to Transit Connect Taxi, CNG is an option for Ford E-Series vans and F-Series Super Duty trucks.

The benefits are numerous.

First, CNG is a nontoxic, extremely clean-burning fuel and significantly reduces CO, CO2 and NOx compared with gasoline. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, use of CNG can result in 30 to 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions.

“The ability to convert the Transit Connect to CNG is a big driving force for us,” said J.J. Bell, vice president of Las Vegas-based Whittlesea Blue Cab, which has ordered Transit Connect Taxis powered by CNG. “We are converting more and more of our fleet to this alternative fuel.”

Another benefit is cost. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, between September 2005 and January, the price per gallon equivalent of CNG peaked at $2.34 in the summer of 2008. The national average was $1.93 in January 2011, the same as it was in October 2010. That’s important at a time when the price of gas is flirting with $4 per gallon.

“Every time fuel costs start climbing, the level of interest in alternative fuels increases,” said Carla York, CEO of Reston, Va.-based Innovation Drive Inc., a company that manages alternative fuel-related projects.

She said her organization receives 12 to 20 percent more calls with every 50-cent increase at the pump.

Government incentive support
An additional benefit is the amount of funding available. Government incentives such as rebates or tax credits are prompting fleet owners such as Scalzi to buy or convert their vehicles to run on CNG at reduced rates.

For example, the federally funded Clean Cities Petroleum Reductions Program is providing $300 million in funding to regional projects across the United States. One project is the Connecticut Clean Cities Future Fuels Project, which partially covers the costs of converting a vehicle to CNG. That project alone plans to provide funding for a total of 264 alternative-fuel vehicles.

“Without the help of the government program I wouldn’t have been able to purchase so many CNG-powered Transit Connect Taxis at one time,” Scalzi said. “I like the Transit Connect Taxi for its spacious passenger area and cargo capacity, so the government assistance was timely.”

The incentives also are helping fund construction of CNG fueling stations. Nearly 1,000 CNG fueling stations are now spread across the United States.

As a result, cities such as Tampa, Fla., and St. Louis soon will have their first public CNG stations.

Gerald Koss, marketing manager for Ford fleet operations, said Ford anticipated the infrastructure to support CNG vehicles would evolve and remained committed to its plans to bring CNG-powered commercial vehicles to market – even during economically challenged times.

“We took the chance that infrastructure would expand when we introduced our Transit Connect Taxi CNG capability in advance of any incentives for infrastructure or CNG conversions,” said Koss. “It turns out our timing couldn’t have been better.”

Ford has invested billions in researching and developing new fuel-efficient engines, transmissions and electrified vehicles, even during the depths of the economic downturn when competitors dialed back product spending. Today Ford has 12 vehicles with best-in-class fuel economy and four models with at least 40 mpg – claims no other full-line automaker can match.
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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

West Haven CNG Station construction underway at Metro Taxi

The new CNG station in the City of West Haven, CT is now under construction. Crews are working quickly and within weeks, the station will be capable of pumping fuel.

The station is located at Metro Taxi, a member of the Greater New Haven Clean Cities Coalition and project partner in the historic Connecticut Clean Cities Future Fuels Project. The project, a public private partnership with funding from the ARRA and administered by the US Department of Energy is the largest project in the history of the state to deploy alternative fuels vehicles and infrastructures across the state. Innovation Drive, Inc., is the project manager for the statewide initiative. The station partner is Clean Energy - they will operate and maintain the station once it is opened later this Spring. This station will offer public access CNG fuel.

Meriden RibbonCutting-19Oct2010

The City of Meriden gets a CNG station. Congressman Chris Murphy was there to help celebrate the occasion.

CT CleanCitiesExpo 21Oct2010

Great pictures from the 6th Annual CT Clean Cities Expo!

Enviro Express RibbonCutting 10Dec2010

Event day at Enviro Express in Bridgeport, CT

Today at 11:00 am at 555 Wordin Avenue in Bridgeport, CT, Enviro Express Natural Gas will host a historic ribbon cutting event as part of the Connecticut Clean Cities Future Fuels Project. The event will mark the commissioning of the 1st LNG transportation fueling center East of the Mississippi River. The station will also offer CNG fuel to both fleets and consumers.

Special guests scheduled to speak at the 11:00 am event include; Congressman Jim Himes, Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch and U.S. Department of Energy representative Mark Smith.

The weather may be cold this morning, but the event will be HOT! There is a heated tent on site to keep everyone warm.

Hope to see you there.

1st LNG Fueling Station Opens December 10, 2010

Public-Private Partnership L/CNG Fueling Station Opens in Bridgeport
Enviro Express Natural Gas Station Supports Business, Government and Citizen Access

Bridgeport, CT—(December 10, 2010) Citizens and businesses in the Connecticut, New York and New Jersey tri-state area go cleaner and greener this week, celebrating the opening of the Enviro Express combined Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station at 555 Wordin Avenue in Bridgeport. The station is the first LNG transportation fueling center to open east of the Mississippi River, marking a significant step forward in the availability of alternative fuels in the Northeast Region.

An 11 a.m. ribbon cutting kicks off the alternative fuel infrastructure innovation, a part of the Connecticut Clean Cities Future Fuels Project (CTCCFF). City of Bridgeport Mayor, Bill Finch will speak at this historic event. Special invited guests include Governor-elect Dan Malloy, Senator Joe Lieberman, Congressman Jim Himes, and Congressman John Larson. Mr. Mark Smith will represent the U. S. Department of Energy. Leadership members of the CTCCFF Project and Executive Management of Enviro Express Natural Gas, LLC, (EENG) the principal funding arms of the public-private partnership that made the station a reality will also be attending the event.

“We are really excited about this partnership and the opportunity to launch this exceptional station and deploy the first of our new Class 8 LNG Tractors, “ said Bill Malone of Enviro Express Natural Gas, LLC. “This station is a paradigm shift in commercial transportation fueling technologies and capabilities. We are hopeful this initiative will be the first of many fleet replacements or conversions by our nation’s fleet owners,” Malone added.

Located adjacent to I-95 in Connecticut’s largest city, the L/CNG station stores up to 14,760 gallons of LNG. The fueling station is a showcase project for others to follow and provides a variety of commercial, government and private fueling opportunities. The initial fleet of 18 LNG Class 8 tractors will displace over 500,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually and more than 675,000 pounds of harmful particulate emissions.

“It (the station) really is something unprecedented,” said Greater New Haven Clean Cities Coalition Coordinator and CTCCFF Principal Investigator Lee Grannis. “With the help of the USDOE, we have built an entirely new fueling infrastructure, serving Connecticut, New York and New Jersey as well as travelers throughout the I-95 corridor. Nothing would make me happier than to see this plan replicated over and over again so we can wean America off foreign oil and capitalize on the nearly boundless supply of natural gas available here in the U.S.,” Grannis added.

Part of the $29 million Connecticut Future Fuels Project, the $6.2 million station project will dispense Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to commercial vehicles. Most visible of the station’s immediate new customers are a fleet of 18 new, LNG-powered, Kenworth™ Class 8 tractors. The “green machines” service Enviro Express Inc., a company co-located with EENG, which operates numerous transfer stations and provides collections services for ash, trash and solid waste for municipalities and large commercial accounts in both Fairfield and New Haven counties.

The EENG station also offers Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) service for municipalities, most notably Bridgeport’s 4 Heavy Dump Trucks which are being converted from diesel to CNG as part of the CTCCFF Project, and vehicles from the general public. “The Enviro L/CNG station will contribute significantly to the reduction of diesel emissions and the associated growth rate of childhood respiratory disease in Connecticut,” said Southwestern Connecticut Clean Cities Coalition Coordinator Ed Boman. “This opening represents the beginning of many opportunities for fleets and citizens to convert to natural gas vehicles,” Boman added. Multiple fleets and vehicles are expected to use the station as its existence is known and technologies come online.

For more information about the projects of the Connecticut Clean Cities Future Fuels Project, please visit www.ct-futurefuels.com.