California Natural Gas Vehicle Partnership

The California Natural Gas Vehicle Partnership (CNGVP) is an alliance of air quality, transportation and energy agencies, vehicle and engine manufacturers, fuel providers, transit and refuse hauler associations, and other stakeholders interested in increasing and strengthening the deployment of low-emission natural gas vehicles throughout California.  

The Critical Need to Transform Heavy-Duty Transportation Emissions

Nearly 4 in 10 people live in areas where pollution levels are too often dangerous to breathe. The issue is magnified here in California, home to 7 out of 10 of the nation’s most polluted cities. Living in areas with poor air quality increases the risk of asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, and premature death.  California is a major global goods movement hub with massive port complexes, expansive warehouse distribution centers, and sprawling agricultural industry. In addition, with nearly 40 million residents, California has a booming service industry, including public transportation, waste management, and schools.  The heavy-duty vehicles servicing these industries are the leading cause of smog-precursor emissions and toxic air contaminants in California’s metropolitan areas. In several areas of the state, air quality regulators, including the California Air Resources Board (CARB), San Joaquin Valley Air District, and South Coast Air Quality Management District have stated that getting to healthy air will require the immediate deployment of HDVs that meet CARB’s lowest-tier optional low-NOx emission standard (0.02 g/bhp-hr NOx). Natural gas offers an affordable and commercially available option to medium- and heavy-duty fleet operators.

The CNGVP Mission

The future envisioned by the CNGVP is one in which clean transportation is widely accepted and supported. By initiating efforts in California, we are helping to deliver the promise of NGVs by promoting research, development, demonstration, deployment, accessibility, commercialization, and legislative support. The success of our efforts in California will serve as a model for low-emission, alternative fuel initiatives in metropolitan areas across the country. 

WHY NATURAL GAS?

California is a major global goods movement hub with massive port complexes, expansive warehouse distribution centers, and sprawling agricultural industry. In addition, with nearly 40 million residents, California has a booming service industry, including public transportation, waste management, and schools.

#1 Source of Harmful Emissions

In several California regions, including the Central Valley and South Coast air basins, the transportation sector is the number 1 source of toxic air contaminants and ozone-forming emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). Transportation plays an important role in the state, as California is home to some of the world’s largest seaports, thousands of warehouse distribution centers, and the nation’s largest agricultural industry.In addition, the state’s 40 million residents are serviced by large-scale public transportation and waste management industries.

LOW-CARBON, RENEWABLE FUEL

Renewable natural gas (RNG) is not a fossil fuel. RNG (biogas or biomethane) is an ultra-clean and ultra-low-carbon natural gas alternative. It is produced by harnessing the methane emitted when organic waste breaks down (e.g., livestock manure, forestry, food waste), allowing California to sustainably manage its vast volumes of waste products and mitigate short-lived climate pollutants.

Made from 100% renewable sources

Renewable Natural Gas is pipeline quality gas that is fully interchangeable with fossil natural gas but is produced from a renewable feedstock and can be used as a 100% substitute for, or blended with, conventional natural gas.

The Lowest Carbon Intensity Fuel

As a transportation fuel, RNG is fully interchangeable with conventional natural gas. Currently in California, nearly 60% of the natural gas transportation fuel comes from renewable sources.  RNG has the lowest carbon intensity rating of key transportation fuels when comparing the well-to-wheels GHG emissions of various fuels in heavy-duty trucking applications. Based on the California Air Resources Board’s carbon intensities, RNG can reduce GHG emissions by 40 to 125% or more, depending on the feedstock.  Various government, industry and academia studies have found that America has sufficiently technically recoverable feedstock to produce from 35 to 70 billion diesel gallon equivalents (DGE) of RNG per year. Focusing on California, multiple reputable sources have found that sufficiently large volumes of RNG can be produced today to displace the state’s on-road heavy-duty truck diesel usage.