Granite State Clean Cities Coalition is deploying natural gas vehicles and biodiesel in New Hampshire.
by Julie Sutor
July 6, 2012
2 min to read
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services uses a CNG Ford Transit Connect for air quality monitoring.
Freedom isn’t taken lightly in New Hampshire, a state where nearly every license plate enjoins residents to “Live Free or Die.” Granite State Clean Cities Coalition (GSCCC) is harnessing that fiercely independent spirit in the transportation arena, steering fleets toward reliable, cleaner, domestic sources of energy such as biodiesel and natural gas.
The coalition, administered by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services under the direction of Coordinator Dolores Rebolledo, saved more than 1.3 million gallons of petroleum fuels in 2010 through the work of about 100 stakeholders throughout the state.
Ad Loading...
Among the stakeholders are municipalities and state agencies that are rightsizing fleets, reducing vehicle miles traveled, and switching from gasoline and diesel to compressed natural gas (CNG). With help from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds through the State Energy Program, the New Hampshire state government recently upgraded its CNG fueling station, and several agencies and the City of Concord added 10 light-duty CNG vehicles to their fleets.
“The City of Concord is absolutely thrilled that it’s contributing to air quality and reducing fuel costs,” Rebolledo said.
The City of Nashua, N.H., a GSCCC stakeholder, is unrelentingly devoted to CNG, according to Rebolledo. With the help of funding from the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) programs, Nashua boasts 27 natural gas vehicles, including refuse and transit vehicles, and now provides publicly accessible CNG fueling at its Route 3 station — a first for the Granite State. The public station extends an existing CNG corridor along Interstate 93 from Massachusetts into New Hampshire.
The popularity of biodiesel in the state is also widespread, with Cranmore Mountain Ski Resort and the City of Keene, N.H., paving the way for fleet managers nationwide to use biodiesel in colder climates.
GSCCC helps deploy other alternative fuels and vehicle technologies as well, showcasing them at its “Green Your Fleet!” event. More than 100 public- and private-sector fleet managers attend the event, which covers topics such as electric vehicles, biodiesel, idle reduction, and fleet-management software. “I love spreading the word about the coalition, and this event is always a whopping success,” Rebolledo said.
Ad Loading...
Get Involved With Clean Cities Through the work of nearly 100 local coalitions, Clean Cities advances the nation’s economic, environmental and energy security by reducing petroleum use in transportation. Clean Cities is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy. Find out more at www.cleancities.energy.gov.
Fleet managers are done with the debate—and focused on execution. Learn how to build a practical electrification strategy that aligns infrastructure, operations, and financing while keeping costs controlled and deployment scalable with support from Blink Charging. Discover how smart planning today positions fleets for long-term performance and ROI.
New industry group data revealed that light-duty electric vehicle sales are hitting record market share and volumes, while commercial EV volume dipped. What’s driving the fluctuations?
For fleet managers, fuel is one of the biggest line items in the budget — and it's one hybrids can shrink without changing how your people work. Download the eBook to see the numbers, understand the technology, and get a step-by-step guide to making the switch.
With the expiration of federal incentives, EV success now hinges less on government policy and more on discounts, battery tech progress, increased range, and broader infrastructure.
Fleet operators shared their challenges during an annual conference that embraced the latest advances across all aspects of running private- and public-sector vehicles.
