According to Sanbag’s press release, the implementation phase will involve $19.3 million from state and federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funding, which will be used by Ryder to execute a first-of-its-kind heavy-duty natural gas truck rental and leasing project in its Southern California operations.
For this project, Ryder will purchase and deploy approximately 200 heavy-duty ultra low-emission CNG powered trucks, which will be deployed into a network of 1,200 customers representing more than 6,000 commercial trucks, where Ryder’s commercial customers will access them through short-term rentals, long-term leases, or through Ryder’s dedicated logistics services.
Ryder will also soon purchase the first 70 LNG/CNG trucks. The infrastructure development stage will start with the construction –and following upgrading- of two new LNG/CNG fuelling stations, which will service their fleets in Orange and Rancho Cucamonga, California.
When fully implemented, this project will replace more than 1.3 million gallons of diesel use annually with 100 percent domestically produced low-carbon liquefied and compressed natural gas. It will also contribute to the maintenance and creation of more than 400 U.S. automotive jobs in regions of the country that have been the hardest hit from the current economic downturn.
The project is estimated to reduce more than 7.2 million pounds (3,626 metric tons) of greenhouse gas emissions per year, more than 131 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions annually and completely eliminate 2.3 tons of diesel particulate emissions from local neighbourhoods. «As partners on this ground breaking project, we hope to help lead the way to cleaner air for our region,» said Sanbag president Brad Mitzelfelt.
