Nikola Motors Takes Wraps Off Nikola One Zero Emissions Truck

When last we heard about Nikola Motors, it was threatening to build a Class 8 truck intended for towing semi-trailers long distances mostly on electric power. The truck would have 6 individual wheel motors making a total of 1,000 horsepower and 2,000 lb-ft of torque. It would have an onboard range extender engine in the form of a natural gas powered turbine and a range of 1,200 miles.

So far, so good. Heavy trucks spew a lot of nasty stuff out of their chrome plated exhaust stacks. Nitrous oxides, for one, which are linked to asthma and shortened life spans. Particulates, for another, also bad for lungs and other living tissue. And of course there’s still good old carbon dioxide in great abundance. Transforming the fleet that hauls America’s freight has long been an important concern for the trucking industry.

So what has Nikola Motors been up to in the interim? This week, it held a a gala unveiling party for its first ever prototype. The futuristic tractor dubbed Nikola One is loaded with goodies to gladden the  heart of any trucker — dual full size beds, a real refrigerator/freezer, a 40″ curved screen TV, wifi, and 4G connectivity. Up front in the “office,” an array of sensors offer the driver a 360º view around the cab and attached trailer so there are no blind spots where ordinary vehicles can hide.

At the reveal, the company said it has struck a deal with Ryder Systems to be its exclusive distribution and service provider. One of the largest trucking companies in North America, Ryder has 800 locations. “We are extremely excited to finally show off the Nikola One to the public for the first time,” said Nikola’s founder and CEO Trevor Milton. “There are many out there that wondered if we would deliver, but today we proudly show off the most advanced semi-truck ever built. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have one of the best brands in America, Ryder, as our trusted partner providing nationwide sales, service and warranty for Nikola Motor Company.”

Wow. An actual truck for the press to ogle. A deal with Ryder to distribute and service its trucks. What could be better than that? Nikola says its trucks will lease for between $5,000 and $7,000 a month, including free scheduled maintenance and fuel. Now it’s time for the other shoe to drop. Since we last heard from Nikola, the company has dumped the gas powered turbine idea and substituted a hydrogen powered fuel cell and rebranded its trucks as “zero emissions” vehicles.

Is that true? Yes it is, if you only consider what happens on board the truck itself. Most of us know the only byproducts of a hydrogen fuel cell are water vapor and heat. But where does the hydrogen come from and where are the refueling stations the trucks will need to complete their routes? Trevor Milton told the press this week that his company would begin building a hydrogen refueling structure made up of 350 hydrogen stations beginning in 2018.

A typical hydrogen station cost $2 million to $3 million to build. Who is putting up the money to build the system? Milton is silent on that point. Here’s another thing to think about. Most commercial hydrogen today is made from natural gas. Instead of spending billions building refueling stations, why not just stick with the natural gas powered turbines originally proposed? Toyota and Honda have spent years and billions of dollars figuring out how to build fuel cells. Where is Nikola suddenly getting high power fuel cells from? Will they spring full grown from the brow of Trevor Milton at night while he sleeps?

Hydrogen made from natural gas can hardly be called a “zero emissions” fuel. America gets most of its natural gas from fracking, a process that takes an enormous amount of energy and leaves the land scarred and the local groundwater highly polluted. It also leads to local earthquakes and tap water that can catch on fire. This is what we are supposed to welcome with cheers and open arms?

Milton says he is looking at a number of locations to build the Nikola One. He expects to manufacture 50,000 of them a year by 2020. “Nikola will build a world-class advanced manufacturing facility which will create thousands of new jobs,” he says. He claims to have received billions of dollars in refundable $1,500 deposits.

If it wasn’t for the tie-in with Ryder, I would say the Nikola One is vaporware. It helps to have a major corporation on board to give the whole project a certain respectability but Ryder is not putting up and money or resources that anyone is aware of. The Nikola One is great design and it looks terrific rendered full size. But will it ever see production? “We’ll see,” said the Zen master.

Source: Electric Cars Report.  Photo credit: Nikola Motors

Ryder to fuel natural gas fleets in California with 100% biomethane from Clean Energy Fuels

Ryder System, Inc. and Clean Energy Fuels Corp. announced an agreement for Ryder to switch the fuel at their stations in Orange and Fontana, CA, to Clean Energy’s Redeem renewable natural gas (RNG)—i.e., biomethane. The fuel at the two stations will be available in both compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to individual and public fleet vehicles.

Clean Energy’s renewable natural gas vehicle fuel is derived from biogenic methane or biogas—methane that is naturally generated by the decomposition of organic waste. The methane gas is then processed, purified and sent into the interstate natural gas pipeline and made available exclusively to Clean Energy customers.

Clean Energy Fuels has filed nine separate application packages overs the past few years with the California Air Resources Board (ARB) for pathways under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program.

According to the packages, the carbon intensity (CI) of the various types of biomethane fuel (CNG, L-CNG and LNG) ranges from a low of 13.29 gCO₂e/MJ for a landfill gas to CNG pathway to 45.95 gCO₂e/MJ for a L-CNG pathway. CI values vary depending upon the location and energy sources used for processing.

ARB’s base CI for North American natural gas delivered via pipeline (and compressed in California) is 68.00 gCO₂e/MJ. The 2014 baseline CIs for gasoline and diesel are 96.48 and 95.58 gCO₂e/MJ, respectively.

By making the switch to Redeem, Ryder is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 6,300 metric tons per year using current fuel volumes. This would be the equivalent of removing approximately 1,319 passenger cars from the road annually.

As part of the fuel agreement, Clean Energy also will be providing fuel station maintenance services at Ryder’s natural gas fueling stations in Fontana and Orange, CA. Ryder has a history of innovation and customer service and is the first and only truck leasing and logistics company to have on-site CNG and LNG fuels available to the public. Ryder selected Clean Energy for its experience maintaining its own network of public access stations as well the “behind the fence” fueling operations at more than 34 customer stations.

Ryder is a leader in natural gas vehicle solutions for the commercial transportation industry, with more than 40 million miles of experience, 18 strategic natural gas vehicle maintenance markets, and more than 4,000 natural gas vehicle trained personnel. Ryder has been the pioneer in transitioning their fleets to cleaner fuels and today operates both CNG and LNG vehicles supported by 34 Clean Energy locations.

Redeem biomethane vehicle fuel is procured from more than 15 biomethane production facilities, including two owned and operated by Clean Energy. Clean Energy is on track to deliver 40 million gallons of Redeem in 2015.

Ryder sees increasing demand for heavy-duty natural gas trucks; expanding California program to other states

Ryder System, Inc., a leader in commercial transportation and supply chain management solutions, has already secured lease agreements for 87 heavy-duty natural gas trucks from customers looking to take advantage of the fuel cost savings and environmental benefits of alternative fuel powered vehicles. Sixty-five of those vehicles are part of Ryder’s natural gas fleet in Southern California, made available through the Ryder/San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) Natural Gas Vehicle project.

Due to the leadership Ryder has established with the SANBAG project, the Company has also been able to expand its alternative fuel program outside of California and has already secured a lease agreement with customer, Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc., for 22 natural gas vehicles in Arizona.

The Ryder/SANBAG project is part of a joint public/private partnership between the US Department of Energy, the California Energy Commission, San Bernardino Associated Governments, Southern California Association of Governments, and Ryder. The $38.7-million project includes a total of 202 natural gas vehicles available for lease or rent; three strategically located natural gas compliant maintenance shops in Rancho Dominguez, Orange, and Fontana; and two fueling stations. Ryder took delivery of 70 vehicles in May and is expected to have the balance of the full 202 SANBAG natural gas vehicle order in its fleet by the end of 2011.

Three Ryder customers opting for natural gas within the project are Dean Foods, Mohawk Industries and CEVA:

• Deans Foods is a dairy processor and owner of one of the largest refrigerated direct-store delivery distribution networks in the food and beverage industry. It was also the first customer to take up leased vehicles as part of the Ryder-SANBAG agreement. The company has leased five natural gas fuelled delivery trucks, the first trucks of this type in its fleet of 3,000 refrigerated delivery trucks and 2,000 delivery tractors. The trucks produce up to 27% less greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional diesel vehicles. Dean Foods has committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 20% by 2013. Ryder delivered the compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks to Dean Foods’ Alta Dena Dairy division in Southern California in early June.

• Mohawk Industries, a leading supplier of flooring for both residential and commercial applications with one of the largest fleets in the US, has leased five liquefied natural gas (LNG) tractors to support its day-to-day customer delivery operations in Southern California. The vehicles, to be delivered in July, will be serviced out of Ryder’s maintenance facility in Fontana, CA.

• CEVA, a leading supply chain company and a Ryder full service lease customer for more than 30 years, will be taking delivery of two LNG tractors. The vehicles will be used to support a customer operation in Southern California.

  CEVA offers Full and Less than Truckload (FTL and LTL) transportation along with dedicated fleet services. As a member of the EPA SmartWay vehicle program, CEVA participates in the nationwide initiative to optimize fuel efficiency, improve equipment and track MPG for its truck fleet.

Golden Eagle. To support distribution operations in Tucson, AZ, Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc., a large distributor of Anheuser-Busch products in the US and a Ryder full service lease customer for almost 40 years, has agreed to lease 22 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. The vehicles are part of a strategic alternative fuel program at Golden Eagle focused on reducing transportation-generated emissions, and reducing fuel costs.

This initial order is a first step in converting our entire fleet to natural gas. After evaluating a number of different alternative fuels, we determined that compressed natural gas made the most sense for our operation. Not only is it a cleaner fuel, but we also expect to see real fuel cost savings over time.

—Bill Osteen, Senior Vice President of Business Operations for Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc.

All 22 vehicles will be delivered to Golden Eagle by December 2011. In support of the agreement, Ryder will be converting two outdoor bays in its maintenance facility in Tucson, AZ to be compliant for servicing natural gas vehicles.

Golden Eagle Distributors is a member of the Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition.

Source: Green Car Congress

Corporate Vehicle Fleet Managers Looking To Add EV's

Fleet managers rated rising, volatile fuel prices as their top concern for 2011, over driver safety and cost savings, according to a survey conducted by General Electric Capital Fleet Services during the 2011 NAFA Institute and Expo. The survey shows that 28% of the 105 corporate fleet managers they questioned will introduce electric vehicles into their fleets within a year, possibly as one solution to the spike in gas prices.

Fleet vehicle heavy hitters like Ryder, UPS, FedEx (and even the USPS!) already boast EVs in their fleets. Back in November, General Electric Co. (GE) pledged to purchase 25,000 electric vehicles for its own fleet and for global fleet customers by 2015- almost have of which will be purchased from General Motors Co. The first model will be the Chevrolet Volt- which has been earning rave reviews from owners.

While 25,000 vehicles may be a drop in the bucket, Deb Frodl, Chief Strategy Officer for GE Capital Fleet Services, claims that GE might be in a “strong position” to promote EV adoption and growth, presumably by example. GE owns one of the largest fleets, operates a global fleet management business, and offers a multitude of EV-related products that may contribute to the development of an EV infrastructure. There are also now more plug-in and electric vehicle options for fleet managers to choose from than just five years ago, giving the market more choice in which direction they choose to go.

Source: Gas2.0

Ryder orders more than 200 heavy-duty natural gas trucks as part of SANBAG project

- Orders more than 200 heavy-duty natural gas trucks as part of a project estimated to displace 1.5 million gallons of diesel fuel with 100% domestically produced natural gas and reduce more than 9.2 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year -

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in commercial transportation and supply chain management solutions, today announced that it reached a key milestone in a major alternative fuel initiative with the order of 202 heavy-duty natural gas vehicles. The vehicle order is part of Ryder’s agreement with the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) to launch a groundbreaking heavy-duty natural gas truck rental and leasing project in Southern California. Ryder will begin taking delivery of the vehicles in April, and expects to have the full order integrated into its fleet by September. Ryder will also begin work this month to upgrade the first of three existing maintenance facilities in its network to be properly equipped for the indoor servicing of natural gas vehicles and will soon commence construction of two natural gas fueling stations.

“We are proud to play a role in an important project in which each partner has made a contribution. This project confirms SANBAG’s commitment to creative problem solving and enhancing the quality of life for our residents.”

In addition to reducing emissions, businesses that incorporate natural gas vehicles in their fleet have the opportunity to realize additional cost savings because natural gas fuel prices are significantly lower than diesel fuel prices, which are currently on the rise.

“We are excited about taking these first important steps to kick off what is proving to be one of the most innovative and large-scale commercial natural gas truck projects in North America,” stated Robert Sanchez, President of Global Fleet Management Solutions for Ryder. “This project reinforces our ongoing commitment to deliver environmentally-sound and cost-effective transportation solutions, while serving as a model for how to successfully implement alternative fuel programs in large commercial truck operations.”

“This project is a great illustration of the potential for success when the right project partners assemble and work as a team,” said SANBAG President and San Bernardino County First District Supervisor, Brad Mitzelfelt. “We are proud to play a role in an important project in which each partner has made a contribution. This project confirms SANBAG’s commitment to creative problem solving and enhancing the quality of life for our residents.”

About the Project

The SANBAG project, awarded to Ryder in April 2010, is being conducted in partnership with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Clean Cities Coalition. It is intended to increase the use of domestically produced alternative fuels and reduce emissions by bolstering the existing regional infrastructure in Southern California. When fully implemented, the project will displace more than 1.5 million gallons of diesel annually with 100 percent domestically produced low-carbon natural gas. The project will contribute to the maintenance and creation of more than 400 U.S. green automotive jobs located in regions of the country that have been the hardest hit by the recent economic downturn. Based on estimates using California’s Carl Moyer program guidelines, the project will reduce more than 9.2 million pounds (4,195 metric tons) of greenhouse gas emissions per year, more than 131 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions annually, and completely eliminate 2.65 tons of diesel particulate emissions from local neighborhoods.

The $38.7 million project will be funded as part of a joint public/private industry partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, the California Energy Commission, and Ryder. $19.3 million of the total project funding will be provided by state and federal sources, including $9.95 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel and Advanced Vehicles Pilot Program funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and $9.3 million via the California Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel & Vehicle Technology Program. Demonstrating Ryder’s strategic commitment to alternative fuels, the Company is also committing $19.4 million of its own capital into the project.

Vehicle Configurations

Ryder worked extensively with its OEM partners to determine the right vehicle mix and configurations to meet the needs and applications of customers in the Southern California market. The order includes 182 Freightliner M2-112 tractors, featuring the Cummins ISL-G engine, in both single-axle and tandem-axle day cab configurations. This represents the largest single heavy-duty natural gas truck order for Freightliner in North America. The balance of the order will include a mix of other unit configurations supplied from a variety of manufacturers. The trucks will be equipped with either liquefied or compressed natural gas (LNG and CNG) on-board fuel storage systems.

All 202 vehicles will be equipped with RydeSmart®, Ryder’s proprietary GPS fleet location, tracking, and vehicle performance management system. The RydeSmart® onboard telematics technology continuously monitors each vehicle’s location, mileage and speed, as well as other performance and diagnostic data. That information is communicated every 15 minutes and on-demand, as necessary, via a dedicated and secure cellular connection to fleet operators’ desktops. Using this depth of real-time fleet information and visibility down to individual vehicles, fleet operators can make a quantum leap in saving labor, time and money, while improving productivity and customer satisfaction. More information about RydeSmart® can be found at www.rydesmart.ryder.com.

These ultra low-emission trucks will be deployed into Ryder’s Southern California operations network, where Ryder’s 1,200 customers will be able to access them through short-term rentals, long-term leases, or through Ryder’s dedicated logistics services.

Infrastructure

As part of Ryder’s agreement with SANBAG, the Company will also maintain the vehicles at three strategically located maintenance shops in Rancho Dominguez, Orange, and Fontana. The upgrade of the first facility in Rancho Dominguez will begin this month and is expected to be completed and ready to service natural gas vehicles in April. A number of important steps are required to ensure the facility will meet stringent industry and government safety standards for natural gas vehicle maintenance. These include upgrades of shop electrical and lighting systems, as well as the installation of enhanced air handling and ventilation systems and natural gas refueling stations. Ryder’s professional maintenance technicians are also receiving extensive, specialized training on the maintenance and repair of heavy-duty natural gas vehicles.

Technical and administrative support for this project is being managed by Gladstein, Neandross and Associates, an environmental consulting firm that is widely recognized throughout the United States for its expertise on air quality issues, alternative fuel vehicles, and infrastructure and energy projects.

For information and ongoing updates about the project, please visit www.thengvproject.com.

About SANBAG

SANBAG is the council of governments and transportation planning agency for San Bernardino County. SANBAG is responsible for cooperative regional planning and furthering an efficient multi-modal transportation system countywide. SANBAG serves the two million residents of San Bernardino County. SANBAG supports freeway construction projects, regional and local road improvements, commuter rail and bus transit, freeway service patrol, ridesharing and congestion management efforts. SANBAG administers Measure I, the half-cent transportation sales tax approved by county voters in 1989 and again in 2004. For more information on SANBAG, visit www.sanbag.ca.gov.

About SCAG

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is the nation's largest metropolitan planning organization, representing six counties, 190 cities and more than 19 million residents. SCAG undertakes a variety of planning and policy initiatives to encourage a more sustainable Southern California now and in the future. For more information about SCAG projects, plans, services and initiatives, visit www.scag.ca.gov.

About Ryder

Ryder is a FORTUNE 500® commercial transportation, logistics and supply chain management solutions company. Ryder’s stock (NYSE:R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Inbound Logistics magazine has recognized Ryder as the top third party logistics provider and included Ryder in its 2010 “50 Green Partners” listing. Ryder also ranked 114 out of the top 500 U.S. companies and sixth in its industry sector in the 2010 Newsweek Green Rankings. Security Magazine has named Ryder one of the top companies for security practices in the transportation, logistics, supply chain, and warehousing sector. Ryder is a proud member of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program, supporting national and local disaster preparedness and response efforts. For more information on Ryder System, Inc., visit www.ryder.com.