GE Driving Gas Vehicle Adoption in Canada

Seeking to meet the demand for natural gas used for fueling vehicle fleets, Chelsea Natural Gas Ltd. purchased 20 GE Oil & Gas CNG In A Box™ fueling systems as part of the Canadian energy company’s efforts to develop the country’s natural gas fueling infrastructure. This order marks the first entry of GE’s compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling solution into Canada.

Chelsea Natural Gas, a leader in Canada’s CNG industry, specializes in expanding public use of natural gas as a transportation fuel as an abundant, reliable and cleaner-burning source of energy alternative to diesel or gasoline. The company plans to use GE’s CNG fueling stations in a semi-private “card lock” format to address the need in Canada for shared fueling stations by smaller fleet owners, ensuring the conversion to natural gas vehicles makes sense economically. The first units will be delivered in December 2013 to one of Chelsea Natural Gas’s new fueling stations scheduled to open in the spring of 2014.

“In Canada, where commercial fleets are smaller, it is hard for individual fleet operators to justify the expense of building their own natural gas refueling facilities,” said Steve Carmichael, CEO of Chelsea Natural Gas. “GE’s CNG In A Box solution allows us to offer a cost-effective way for vehicle fleet operators to take that first step in taking advantage of the economic and environmental benefits that come with using natural gas as a transportation fuel.”

CNG fueling through the GE ecomagination qualified CNG In A Box solution reduces CO₂ emissions by 24 percent (2.2 metric tons per vehicle, per year as compared with gasoline), and its CO, NO_x, PM and VOC reduction benefits are even greater. A vehicle using CNG can reduce annual fuel costs by up to 40 percent.[1]

GE’s CNG In A Box solution is a fully integrated, modular natural gas production system that offers rapid “plug-and-play” simplicity to promote the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel for both fleet and retail fueling stations. For Chelsea Natural Gas, several of the CNG In A Box units will feature a specialized cold-weather design to withstand the harsh conditions of the Canadian climate. The solution also features commercial quality GE Wayne CNG fueling dispensers that are payment enabled and as user friendly as traditional diesel dispensers.

This flagship order is a result of a broader GE Canada initiative to work collaboratively with industry leaders to help transportation companies integrate natural gas fueled vehicles in their fleet. Combined with financing from GE Capital, customers can benefit from GE’s wealth of expertise and financing options in the transportation sector to help move toward a cleaner, economic fuel for their vehicles.

“By combining the natural gas expertise of our GE Oil & Gas business with GE Capital’s knowledge of the Canadian transportation industry, GE Canada brings more than just a fueling product to the market,” said Keith Triginer, president & CEO of GE Oil & Gas Canada. “We believe this holistic approach to promoting natural gas vehicles will help companies capitalize on what we expect to be a major game changer in the transportation sector. Although achieving scale remains a key challenge in Canada, we are fortunate to collaborate with companies like Chelsea Natural Gas that are actively working to develop the country’s natural gas fueling infrastructure.”

The project is GE’s first CNG In A Box system order in Canada and follows the recent order for the technology by China’s Endurance Industry. GE continues to work with its customers to provide localized solutions that address regional natural gas and fueling challenges, promoting the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel around the globe.

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LNG World News Staff, October 2, 2013; Image: GE