In the United States (US), Clean Energy Fuels Corp., the largest provider of the cleanest fuel for the transportation market, has announced the opening of a new renewable natural gas (RNG) station in Baltimore, Maryland (MD).
RNG (aka biomethane) is made entirely of organic waste and dramatically reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The station opening comes at a time when RNG is gaining momentum in the heavy-duty vehicle space with the introduction of the Cummins X15N natural gas engine in 2024.
The new 15-liter engine is currently being tested by a handful of the largest and most demanding fleets in the country, such as Walmart, Werner, Knight Swift, and UPS.
The early reaction to the X15N has been very positive at a time when the heavy-duty truck market continues to struggle to find affordable and reliable alternatives to decarbonize their fleets.
Large fleets fueling with RNG have the ability to realize immediate and significant carbon reduction, especially in the heavy-duty truck sector. The opening of our station in Maryland and others around the country demonstrates the demand for an affordable, clean fuel that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and is available today, said Chad Lindholm, SVP of Clean Energy.
Strategic location
The new station is strategically located near the Pulaski Industrial Area and provides heavy-duty truck fleets access to a low-carbon, sustainable fuel in the busy East Coast trucking corridor.
It includes four fast-fill dispensers for easy in-and-out fueling of RNG; private time-fill hoses for up to 156 trucks, which allows for cost-effective fueling and the most advanced technology transmitting real-time data to customers; and 156 additional parking places for drivers’ personal vehicles.
The multi-million dollar investment in the Baltimore area will put it on the map as a hub for clean, sustainable fueling.
Clean Energy currently has a network of 590 fueling stations around North America and is steadily expanding that number with stations purposely built and strategically located for heavy-duty truck fleets.
Negative carbon-intensity
Clean Energy is also making substantial investments in the production of RNG at dairy farms. Agriculture accounts for nearly 10 percent of US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the transportation sector accounts for another 28 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Capturing methane from farm waste lowers these emissions. RNG, produced by captured methane and used as a transportation fuel, significantly lowers GHG emissions on a lifecycle basis when compared to diesel.
This allows RNG to be one of the only transportation fuels to receive a negative carbon-intensity score based on the reduction of emissions at the source and at the vehicle.
