The Natural Gas Vehicle Institute (NGVi), an ASE CASE-accredited provider of technical training for the CNG and LNG industry, is bringing its NGV technician training for the first time to Toronto, Canada. NGVi will offer NGV Essentials and Safety Practices on March 15 and CNG Fuel System Inspector Training on March 16-17. Both classes will be held at Toronto's Centennial College.

There has been growing interest in the use of natural gas vehicles in Canada over the past few years. According to Natural Resources Canada, the number of NGVs in the country has increased from 14,000 to more than 20,000 in the past three years.

Since 2012, NGVi said it has provided training for more than 15 Canadian companies, including Cullen Diesel Power Ltd., City of Medicine Hat, Natural Gas Technologies Centre, EBI Énergie, Inc., Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc., Espar Products Inc., Ever Green Ecological Services, Gaz Métro, Labrie Enviroquip Group, Novabus, and Stantec Consulting Ltd.

"We have been excited to see the progress of the Canadian natural gas vehicle industry in the last few years," said Leo Thomason, executive director of NGVi. "As more fleets convert to natural gas, fully-accredited training for vehicle technicians is the first thing fleet and dealership owners need to consider. We are very pleased to begin offering our technician training for open enrollment publicly in Canada."

There are several reasons for the NGV market growth in Canada: the country's estimated available natural gas supply of approximately 100 years, NGV availability from manufacturers such as Volvo, Mack, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Freightliner, NABI, and New Flyer, along with the operating and economic advantages of natural gas, according to NGVi.

There have been many new developments implemented among transit, refuse, and highway tractor fleets over the past several years, according to NGVi. The list of commercial fleets switching to NGVs in Canada is growing, and includes Waste Management, Emterra Environmental, Progressive Waste Solutions, EBI, Calgary Transit, Nanaimo Transit, Robert Transport, Cold Star Freight.

"Servicing NGVs requires fleet and dealership technicians to be aware of specific safety procedures and repair practices that are unique to these vehicles. Whether technicians require a basic foundational understanding of natural gas fuel systems or need to know how to perform detailed fuel system inspections, high-quality CNG and LNG training is critical," said Thomason. "Our NGV technician training programs provide our students with in-depth information that will help them perform their daily duties safely and accurately.”

NGVi's NGV Essentials and Safety Practices, which is designed for all technicians and support teams performing routine maintenance, inspection, diagnostic, and repair of natural gas vehicles, teaches the fundamentals of natural gas used specifically as a transportation fuel, CNG and LNG fuel systems and maintenance practices for NGVs. The course is prerequisite for technicians who also will take NGVi's CNG Fuel System Inspector Training or NGV Heavy-Duty Maintenance and Diagnostics Training. CNG Fuel System Inspector Training helps ensure fleet technicians are adequately trained on the entire process of fuel system inspection, all related components, and safety practices specific to NGVs.

For more information about NGV Technician Training, or to register for one or both classes, go to http://ngvi.com/public_registration.html.