Archives

The world's largest private user of electricity is trying to make sure its diesel fuel consumption does not achieve the same title. ( http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN1731421820080918)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Walmart_Tractor_Trailer_Rig.jpgReuters - Sept. 17, 2008

Wal-Mart Tractor Trailer rig delivering the goods we consume daily.

Due to an NGV’s shorter range, maybe not all of the Wal-Mart fleet could be converted but enough so as to make a real difference in both SMOG forming emissions and diesel consumption within the US. -- Ed.

HOUSTON - Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens said on Wednesday he has convinced the head of Wal-Mart Stores Inc to study the possibility of switching the fuel used for the retailer's huge fleet of delivery trucks to compressed natural gas, from diesel.

Wal-Mart officials confirmed that Pickens was a guest speaker at a monthly associates meeting September 13 in Bentonville, Arkansas, with chief executive Lee Scott and thousands of Wal-Mart employees.

According to a weekly e-mailed update promoting wind power and the use of natural gas for transportation as a way to pare U.S. reliance on imported crude, Pickens said Scott was "impressed by the Pickens Plan."

Told that Wal-Mart, the world biggest retailer, currently operates 8,500 trucks, Pickens said Scott then asked an executive to study what would be involved in replacing the diesel fleet with trucks that run on natural gas… http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN1731421820080918

Range definitely seems to be THE issue. Don't know how well CNG/LNG could work for Wal-Mart as it is largely an OTR fleet. But there are plenty of local operation opportunities.
Drayage (container) operations are perfect candidates for Natural Gas.

Ports of LA and Long Beach are pushing hard with their clean truck program.

Sterling is marketing a truck that uses a spark ignited natural gas Cummins ISL (8.9 liter) with an Allison 6 speed. It's rated at 80k gross, but that's knowing it won't see many hills in the LA basin. The $50,000 cost for the nat gas option goes mostly towards the fuel tank, not the engine. The tank has to keep the fuel at -260, and at 119 gals is almost twice as large as an equivalent ranged diesel tank. Expected mpg of 4.7 mpg.

One LA area drayage operation is using Kenworths with converted Cummins ISXs (15 liter). The engines use 5% diesel, 95% LNG for combustion. They are claiming similiar FE to regular diesel trucks.

(pulled most of this info from Heavy Duty Trucking magazine-Sept 08)
Keith

It's possible. The new NG systems are pretty good. Cummins already has engines that would "bolt-in".

I think one concern is going to be a collision, as a CNG fire would not be pretty.

Just the same - I hope this can work inspite of that.