TruStar Energy, one of the leading designers and builders of CNG fueling infrastructure, and the Muncie Sanitary District (MSD) are excited to announced the grand opening of their first large public fast-fill compressed natural gas (CNG) station.
The public station will serve to fuel 10 MSD vehicles, comprised of seven garbage trucks and three grapple trucks. In addition, the public will also be encouraged to fuel their CNG vehicles at the station, which houses two fueling dispensers, similar to what a consumer would see at a gasoline fueling station.
Muncie's decision to begin migrating away from diesel is yet another example of the growing importance of a domestic fuel source – and a way to extend municipal budgets.
"Like any municipality, we operate under a defined budget. With that in mind, CNG represented a substantial cost savings to us when compared to diesel fuel," said Muncie Sanitary District Administrator Nikki Grigsby, adding, "Given that these trucks run five days per week and the cost of CNG is roughly half that of diesel, the fuel savings is substantial."
With more CNG fueling infrastructure being built throughout the country, more municipalities are finding the benefits of CNG hard to ignore – even with other forms of alternative fuel available.
"When we looked at all of the available alternative fuel options, CNG was the clear choice as there was a proven track record in place – from the engine OEM's to end users across the country. We felt it was a pretty straightforward direction to take," said Grigsby.
TruStar Energy is seeing a growing trend in the private / public station design concept – which provides additional validation for those considering the migration to domestic CNG.
"TruStar Energy is proud to bring the first CNG fueling station in the area to the Muncie Sanitary District," said TruStar Energy vice president, Scott Edelbach. "We're seeing more cities across the country looking toward CNG – as well as planning for dual-use stations that provide for public fueling."
"Converting from diesel to CNG is a game changer for enhancing the profitability of transportation operations," said TruStar Energy President, Adam Comora. "Fuel savings from 30 percent to 50 percent create significant value for fleet operators and their partners. Natural gas is better for the environment, better for domestic energy independence and better for the bottom line – truly a win-win-win solution."
TruStar Energy began building private "behind the fence" fueling stations in 2008, but has expanded their product offerings to include public / private station builds along with fuel supply contracts and TruStar Energy-owned stations for those customers that are not interested in station ownership, but want access to low-cost CNG fuel.
Comora said TruStar Energy has the capability of building 40 CNG stations per year and expects to double that capacity over the next few years.
"The company's successful growth is being driven by being the preferred partner for companies desiring to convert their fleets from diesel to CNG. Given the significant cost savings, "speed is of the essence" in order to capture these cost savings as quickly as possible."
