WIH Resource Group 

Solid Waste Fleet Statistics

In the United States approximately 155,000 refuse trucks operate and burn approximately 1.2 billion gallons of diesel fuel a year, releasing almost 27 billion pounds of the greenhouse gas, CO2. Every gallon of diesel fuel burnt emits more than 22 pounds of CO2.

In addition to contributing to global climate change, diesel-fueled trash trucks are one of the most concentrated sources of health-threatening air pollution in virtually all cities.

WIH Resource Group can help you by conducting a comprehensive study (Feasibility Study and Fleet Evaluation) of your current fleet makeup,  fueling characteristics, duty cycles and work applications, operations and maintenance practices, combined with an analysis of existing regional alternative fuel resources and clean air considerations.

WIH Resource Group will find the most cost-effective ways to incorporate alternative fuels & vehicles into your existing fleet, and help you expand your green profile going forward.  

What Are Clean Alternative Fuels?

The U.S. Department of Energy has defined specific clean alternative fuels that can be easily incorporated into existing fleets, right away.  Matched with new energy-efficiency technologies, basic policies such as idle-reduction, driver training & incentives, fuel-conscious vehicle specification and route planning can give your fleet a “green profile” without a backbreaking investment.

LNG (Liquified Natural Gas)

Liquefied natural gas, or LNG, is natural gas in its liquid form. When natural gas is cooled to minus 259 degrees Fahrenheit (-161 degrees Celsius), it becomes a clear, colorless, odorless liquid. LNG is neither corrosive nor toxic. Natural gas is primarily methane, with low concentrations of other hydrocarbons, water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen and some sulfur compounds.

During the process known as liquefaction, natural gas is cooled below its boiling point, removing most of these compounds. The remaining natural gas is primarily methane with only small amounts of other hydrocarbons. LNG weighs less than half the weight of water so it will float if spilled on water.   

CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)

CNG is natural gas that has been compressed into a high-pressure container for transportation. Since the 1960s, CNG has become a vehicle fuel alternative to oil-based gasoline and diesel fuel. The International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles estimates that more than one million vehicles worldwide operate on CNG.

In the United States more than 1,300 CNG refueling stations are available. The total includes public service stations and private depot-based refueling stations intended to serve fleets.  Several companies provide CNG/LNG refueling infrastructure to fleets on a component or turnkey basis.

The CNG market is more stable than the gasoline market. CNG generally costs 15 to 40 percent less than gasoline or diesel. CNG requires more frequent refueling, however, because it contains only about a quarter of the energy by volume of gasoline. In addition, CNG vehicles cost between $1,500 and $3,500 annually more than their diesel-powered counterparts. This is primarily due to the higher cost of the fuel cylinders. As the popularity and production of CNG fuel refuse collection vehicles continues to increases, CNG vehicle costs are decreasing.

Once new natural gas trucks are in service, their operators stand to save money. Not only has the price of natural gas been significantly lower than that of diesel fuel for many years (approximately $.50 per diesel gallon equivalent (DGE) cheaper), but an excise tax credit available under the Energy Policy Act (2005) has made this fuel an even better bargain. Estimated savings for new 20 compressed natural gas trucks for the City’s Solid Waste Division is contemplating purchasing, may produce fuel savings of more than $157,894 per year over diesel fuel.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen fuel does not occur naturally on Earth and thus is not an energy source, but is an energy carrier. Currently it is most frequently made from methane or other fossil fuels. However, it can be produced from a wide range of sources (such as wind, solar, or nuclear) that are intermittent, too diffuse or too cumbersome to directly propel vehicles. Integrated wind-to-hydrogen plants, using electrolysis of water, are exploring technologies to deliver costs low enough, and quantities great enough, to compete with traditional energy sources.^[1]

Many companies are working to develop technologies that might efficiently exploit the potential of hydrogen energy for mobile uses. The attraction of using hydrogen as an energy currency is that, if hydrogen is prepared without using fossil fuel inputs, vehicle propulsion would not contribute to carbon dioxide emissions. The drawbacks of hydrogen use are low energy content per unit volume, high tankage weights, the storage, transportation and filling of gaseous or liquid hydrogen in vehicles, the large investment in infrastructure that would be required to fuel vehicles, and the inefficiency of production processes.

A hydrogen vehicle is an alternative fuel vehicle that uses hydrogen as its onboard fuel for motive power. The term may refer to a personal transportation vehicle, such as an automobile, or any other vehicle that uses hydrogen in a similar fashion, such as an aircraft. The power plants of such vehicles convert the chemical energy of hydrogen to mechanical energy either by burning hydrogen in an internal combustion engine, or by reacting hydrogen with oxygen in a fuel cell to run electric motors. Widespread use of hydrogen for fueling transportation is a key element of a proposed hydrogen economy.

A Word on Greening Your Fleet & Alternative Fuels Fleet Conversions

Incorporating clean fuels into a fleet is a process, on-going over time.  The results of an Alternative Fuels Study or "Green Fleet Study" will allow your organization to proceed— with ordering vehicles, setting procurement goals, using cleaner fuels—but over time factors change, budgets get cut, leadership evolves. 

WIH Resource Group has the management experience and tools to assist you along the way, in developing a fueling strategy, finding fuel distributors, incorporating protective clauses into your procurement policies, and numerous other services.

What does "Greening the Fleet" Mean?

You may not know what it means, however on top of everything else you’re responsible for in fleet maintenance and management, you’re now expected to be an expert on greening your fleet.

The good news is that you can be that expert—with our help. We specialize in helping fleet managers reduce their fuel costs, burn less gasoline and diesel fuel, and reduce their green­house gas emissions. Reducing your dependence on foreign oil, using less resources, creating less tailpipe pollution, or incorporating sustainable products into the fleet and shop environment—all these things make a green fleet.

WIH Resource Group' staff of alternative fuel experts will help you select the element or elements that are right for your situation. Whether it’s basic tweaking or a full scale feasibility study that’s in order, WIH Resource Group helps you optimize your fleet’s green profile.

WIH Resource Group, Inc. Issues  Industry White Paper on the Use of Alternative Fuels in Refuse Collection Vehicles (Garbage Trucks)

WIH Resource Group (WIH) and was initially released in 2008 after WIH was retained by the City of Boise, Idaho to conduct research on the topic of alternative fuels.  WIH was since retained by the City of Tucson, Arizona to complete a more comprehensive study and review the use of alternative fuels in the City’s owned and operated garbage truck fleet.  The current findings from industry research performed for the Study for the City of Tucson are included in the updated version of the White Paper.

The White Paper was created from industry research and
 analysis of the current use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in refuse (municipal solid waste - MSW) collection vehicles by both public sector agencies and private sector service providers throughout the United States.  The waste management industry's interest in this information is to assess the potential for utilizing CNG and LNG fueled refuse collection vehicles in their own organizations or subcontracted solid waste and recycling collection vehicles and operations as an alternative to traditional diesel and biodiesel fuels.

About the White Paper

The White Paper was developed from industry research and analysis of the current use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in refuse (municipal solid waste – MSW) collection vehicles by both public sector agencies and private sector service providers throughout the United States. 

The surveys and interviews conducted by WIH’s Staff with various cities and other private sector companies that currently utilize and operate CNG and LNG fueled fleets, centered on securing industry experience, data and knowledge on the following key items of interest including:

• CNG & LNG Engine reliability;
• Optimal CNG & LNG engine type (manufacturer)
• Average age of CNG & LNG fueled fleets & life expectancy of CNG & LNG fueled fleets;
• Average R&M and operational costs of CNG & LNG fueled fleets;
• Determination of the overall reliability of CNG & LNG fueling systems;
• Assessment of the legal payload impacts, i.e. contrasting standard diesel collection vehicle payloads to that of CNG & LNG fueled trucks (CNG & LNG fueled vehicles have heavier tare weights due to the need for larger fuel tanks), including transportation routing cost impacts to and from disposal sites;
• Review of the available grant funding from the State, EPA and Federal agencies to assist in capital costs of fleet acquisition and ongoing operating costs;
• Assessment of the effects of CNG & LNG fuels and fueling in cold winter climates and elevation changes which require full trucks to transport up inclines of between 300 and 500 feet in elevation difference.

For more information on the White Paper or to order your own copy visit WIH Resource Group's online store.

WIH's Alternative Fuels and Green Fleets Services

Fleet Feasibility Studies and Analysis: WIH Resource Group will provide a comprehensive study of your current fleet makeup,  fueling characteristics, duty cycles and work applications, operations and maintenance practices, combined with an analysis of existing regional alternative fuel resources and clean air considerations. WIH will find the most cost-effective ways to incorporate alternative fuels & vehicles into your existing fleet, and help you expand your green profile going forward.  These reports are referred to as Feasibility Studies or Fleet Evaluations. 

Clean Fuel Studies: Analyzing annual fuel usage, existing or potential in-house fueling, fueling patterns, and determining the easiest way to bring in clean fuel options.

Creating a Policy for Your Department: Looking at organizational considerations, fleet vehicle makeup and options for increasing alternative fuel usage to create an internal guide for developing a green fleet.

Vehicle Options: How to use alternative fuels in your existing fleet and incorporate new clean fuel vehicle procurement practices.

Medium-and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Strategies: Cleaning up older vehicles and setting a road map for acquiring new vehicles, incorporating alternative fuel use, idle reduction technologies and telemetric asset management systems.

Light-Duty Fleet Composition: Breaking down the light-duty fleet segment by department allocations, work application and proximity to alternative fuel sources, and planning future vehicle replacement and infrastructure development.

How to Use Biofuels: Looks at local availability of biofuels and future trends; assists in finding supply sources, and cost evaluation of the fuel. Explains misinterpretations about biofuel sustainability, performance and handling characteristics.

Project Development: The hardest part of any alternative fuel project is determining what really suits the organization, and what that organization can realistically afford to do.  We can bring you together with others in your region who have gone down this road, assist in finding project partners and local assistance from Clean Cities and local sources, and present a set of options with which you can use to move towards “greening your fleet”.

Infrastructure Development Consulting: Assists with defining the scope of work for your fueling facility, providing engineers and contractors estimates, determining potential utility needs, and setting the groundwork to bring your project to bid.

Saving Money and Clean Air Benefits: Finding alternative fuel applications which take advantage of existing and potential fuel supplies and infrastructure, identification of potential fuel distributors, and emissions reductions from use of clean fuels

Green Shop Reviews: Analyzing materials usage and disposal patterns, energy efficiency of shop heating and cooling systems, and operational activities in order to increase recycling opportunities, save precious operating budget dollars and create a better working environment

Green Maintenance Recommendations: Leverage green fleet best practices to reduce maintenance costs and extend vehicle service life

Procurement and Bidding: Advice on obtaining optimum pricing for alt fuels, specification clauses pertinent to alternative fuels, bidding considerations for fuel contracts, and cost effective approaches to developing new infrastructure

Navigating Alternative Fuel Tax Credits for Both Taxable and Non-Taxable Organizations: Provide and explain tax forms for capturing infrastructure and fuel tax credits for new vehicles, fueling facilities, and fuel suppliers- even if you are a non-taxable entity!

Public Relations/Press Releases/Websites: Generate specialized content to bring your fleet project or technical service the notice it deserves.  With a strong knowledge of the alt fuel field’s technical components, we offer the ability to reach the market and audience most applicable for your organization.