Gas (CNG) is a clean, affordable form of energy that is becoming increasingly
popular: there are already nearly 20 million Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) on the
road worldwide, and that is expected to rise to 70 million vehicles by 2020. In
the USA alone there are in excess of 10,000 CNG powered transit buses driving
safely and efficiently on our streets every day, and they can only keep running
if they have the right CNG suppliers. If you have decided to convert your fleet
to CNG or build a CNG station to fuel your NGVs, you have already made the
first step. Choose the right CNG vendor too and you will soon be driving your
company along the road to success.
CNG Station Engineering
Whether you have a
CNG fleet in Houston or want to build a CNG station in Mexico or Indonesia, you
need a reliable CNG vendor, a partner who shares your drive to succeed and has
the capacity to make it happen. Look for a CNG vendor with at least seven years
in business: CNG engineering is a
complex affair and experience of both the norms and the exceptions is vital. It
takes seven years to turn a student into an engineer: Why would you accept a
company with less than 7 years of experience? When it is your business on the
line, you need a partner you can trust to draw upon their own years of research
and development to get your CNG project right first time.
If you want to
construct a CNG station for fleets,
you want confidence that the vendor has an established reputation as a CNG
station builder, preferably having constructed multiple stations each year
since their foundation and mastering the technology and physics behind the CNG compressors and CNG dispensers. Building a CNG gas
station is not without its challenges, and it is reassuring to know that the
vendor you have selected understands all the permit processes, has been through
them before and can support you as you apply. This support might also include
working with you on the filing of grant applications: there are many government
programs for facilitating CNG adoption and inside knowledge on availability and
acceptance criteria will put you at the front of the funding queue.
Look for Benefits
Prioritize finding a
CNG station builder like CNG Source, who not only builds CNG gas stations but also operates their own branded stations. In
this case, at CNG Source use their own stations mostly for R&D, training
and testing equipment before shipping it. If the vendor already runs multiple
large CNG fueling stations, and is
proud to put their own name above the door, you can be sure of their ability to
deliver a CNG project on time, on budget and with due attention to quality
control, and that they are committed to running CNG projects in the long-term.
They will be able to share with you their real life experience, from training
CNG station staff in best practice, to collaborating with CNG equipment manufacturers, and this will undoubtedly give you a
head start in the CNG business. Such companies have a vested interest in the
CNG sector’s technological evolution, and direct exposure to this innovation
benefits their clients and will benefit you too.
Your new CNG gas
station is only as good as the CNG equipment installed: you want to be able to
guarantee that the CNG fueling systems
you buy will work efficiently throughout the lifetime of the CNG station. Think
about the value of proprietary technology and manufacturing: how much
importance do you attach to endurance and budget? Keeping the lowest cost per
dispensed gallon is the key to a successful business plan, but very few CNG
vendors can deliver upon that promise. Having equipment that works as hard as
you do and keeps going reliably day after day can be the difference between
make and break for your company. You need a CNG vendor who will be remain in
business to maintain your CNG equipment, honor its warranties and fix technical
issues, to monitor your CNG equipment 24/7 and to provide dedicated service and
maintenance staff to identify potential issues and help you resolve problems
quickly as and when things do go wrong. If in the future you want to update or
expand your CNG business, you will be able to work with the same
well-established vendor: they will know exactly what you already have installed
and how to integrate it with other CNG systems.
Find the right CNG Vendor
Finding the right CNG
vendor is not only important for those wanting to build a CNG gas station,
however. If you’re planning to convert your fleet to CNG, you might be looking
for a CNG turnkey solution. The
right CNG partner will have proprietary technology and a comprehensive
maintenance and service program. They’ll use their industry experience and be
honest about what you actually need: your company has specific needs and a
capital expenditure strategy. If these are not compatible with owning and
running a CNG fuel station, the right CNG vendor will tell you so, allowing you
to get on with running the core of your business, simply paying for the fuel
you use without further commitment or distraction.
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