If you’ve been following industry reports over the last few months, you may have seen predictions of a decline in compressed natural gas (CNG) infrastructure. Despite sales of heavy-duty natural gas trucks increasing over the past year, it’s been reported that fueling infrastructure has continued to decrease. Reports from the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) say that on a year-over-year basis, the number of planned private CNG stations has remained unchanged while planned public stations have declined more than 38%.
Although this may be true, it is important to keep in mind that AFDC’s calculations are based on the municipal light- and medium-duty fleet market. Data showing a decline in CNG infrastructure is due in part to closures of CNG stations tailored to those municipal fleets. CNG infrastructure catering to heavy-duty vehicles including transit and school buses and refuse trucks, however, is continuing to grow in parallel with the increase in natural gas truck sales.
Trillium Energy Solutions (Trillium) is a leading provider of renewable fuels and alternative and innovative energy solutions for fleets and offers CNG, including low- and negative-carbon renewable natural gas (RNG), at both public and private onsite fueling stations nationwide. Trillium currently owns and operates more than 250 CNG locations nationwide, 64 of these are public retail locations. Love’s Travel Stops, Trillium’s parent company, has more than 600 total truck stop locations and 30 of these stations have CNG available. The Love’s Family of Companies offer the most variety of fuels and on highway fueling solutions. The searchable Station Map provides more details on these locations.
Trillium supplies both low-carbon and carbon-negative RNG to fleet operators throughout the U.S., currently providing RNG to fleets across 26 states. In addition to those currently in operation, Trillium has plans to open 10 new public retail CNG stations across the U.S. in 2023. Two of these stations’ locations have been confirmed in Fresno and Madero, California and will be built to accommodate future electric vehicle charging and hydrogen fueling. Trillium is actively working with customers to determine the ideal locations for the remaining stations to be constructed.
These new stations will all be fast-fill stations for over-the-road customers that need to refuel quickly. Fast-fill stations receive fuel from local utilities at a low pressure and use on-site compressors to compress the gas to higher pressures. The compressed CNG then moves to a series of storage vessels, so the fuel is available for a quick fill-up.
“We want to put CNG where it is needed, whether that is a travel stop or at your terminal,” says Marc Rowe, general manager of Fuel Sales at Trillium Energy Solutions. “There is another wave of natural gas growth on the horizon, particularly with the introduction of new heavy-duty natural gas engine options from major manufacturers, and Trillium is excited to play a part.”
For more than 20 years, Trillium Energy Solutions has exceeded customer expectations by delivering superior quality, reliability, and dependability at alternative fueling stations nationwide. Trillium specializes in designing, building, and operating these facilities and provides 24/7 maintenance services for various types of professional fleets. To learn more about existing and future CNG infrastructure, visit loves.com/Trillium.
