Egg Harbor Township – The Atlantic County Utilities Authority
(ACUA) continues to expand its fleet of clean, green vehicles with the
addition of a compressed natural gas (CNG) roll-off truck. The new truck will
haul large containers used to store commercial recyclables from businesses
throughout the county. ACUA began using CNG trucks to collect trash and
recycling across the county and region in 2010.
The newest CNG vehicle brings the total number of ACUA compressed natural gas
vehicles to 22. ACUA’s first five CNG collection vehicles hit the road in
2010, and the Authority has since added an additional 14 CNG packer
collection trucks. ACUA’s CNG fleet also includes two CNG pick-up trucks.
Eventually, ACUA plans to convert its entire fleet of collection vehicles to
CNG. “ACUA has embraced natural gas for three important reasons:
compared to diesel, it’s cleaner, it’s cheaper and it’s domestic,” said ACUA
President Rick Dovey. “CNG reduces particulate matter emissions by 94
percent, carbon monoxide emissions by 75 percent, nitrogen oxide emissions by
up to 49 percent, and carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent. These
environmental benefits are coupled with significant cost savings for fleet
operators,” Dovey added. Current retail prices for CNG provide a savings of more than
$1.00 per gallon equivalent compared to diesel. Since making the switch to
CNG in 2010 the ACUA has saved more than $540,000 in fuel costs, displaced
over 318,000 gallons of diesel fuel, and reduced CO2 emissions
by more than 844 metric tons.
Fleets across the country, including Waste Management, UPS, AT&T, Verizon
and the US Postal Service are moving to this clean, less expensive
alternative to diesel.
“CNG is making more sense for fleets every day, especially as the fueling
infrastructure continues to expand across the region. Publically accessible
CNG fueling stations are currently located in Atlantic City, Millville,
Camden, Glassboro and Egg Harbor Township,” said Dovey.
“Anyone considering the switch to CNG can contact ACUA for assistance. Our
staff is well-versed on the subject and can help navigate the available
options and calculate the expected cost-benefit savings. Given all of the
benefits of natural gas, we hope that other fleet owners will look to ACUA’s
experience and consider switching to this greener, cheaper fuel source when
replacing or upgrading vehicles,” Dovey added.
For additional information, contact ACUA at 609-272-6950 or go to www.acua.com |