Trillium CNG
Trillium CNG™ is a leading provider of compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling services as well as a single-source provider of CNG fueling facility design, construction, operation and maintenance. We specialize in fueling fleets that require high-performance solutions.
For over 20 years, our team of knowledgeable professionals has exceeded customers' expectations by delivering superior quality, reliability and dependability resulting in bottom-line savings. Trillium's consultative approach to problem solving, proprietary equipment and 24/7 maintenance ensures peace-of-mind that every aspect of the CNG infrastructure will be taken care of.
We're building a network of CNG fueling stations making compressed natural gas more accessible and convenient. As a transportation fuel alternative, CNG makes good financial sense for our country; it's domestic, abundant, and unlike gasoline or diesel it isn't impacted by the global issues that drive market price volatility.
Visit Trillium CNG if you need assistance in deciding if compressed natural gas makes sense for your fleet.
Trillium CNG Locations
= Public Station
= Private Station
= Under Construction
Download a printable map with a detailed desciption of our station locations.
Why CNG?
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is an abundant, clean-burning domestic fuel. It's a reliable, economical solution when compared with diesel and gasoline, which are driven by global market demand.
Transportation fuels have become increasingly costly as the price of oil has climbed from a low of $35 per barrel in 2009 to current prices. Certain sectors of the U.S. economy are particularly sensitive to the cost of transportation, including refuse haulers, freight haulers, municipal transit authorities and local distributors.
Fleet operators are economically motivated to manage their fuel expenses. They're in highly competitive industries where low marginal cost is critical in winning business. Collectively, they consume 50 billion gallons of diesel fuel annually, at an estimated cost of $147 billion (not including road taxes). So they actively look for ways to reduce their fuel budget.
Environmental and political factors also make conventional fuels (diesel and gasoline) less attractive:
- Increasing pressure to reduce carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions that are tied to oil.
- The possibility of oil spills and other environmental impacts associated with oil exploration, production and refining.
- U.S. trade deficit attributed to oil imports.
- Political unrest in OPEC countries.
All of these factors make clean, domestic energy sources such as natural gas quite favorable.
CNG Savings
CNG is a clean, domestic transportation fuel offering a substantial savings when compared with diesel or gasoline. By switching to CNG, a fleet operator can save $1.00 per diesel gallon equivalent (based on natural gas prices of $4 to $5 per million British thermal units (Btus) and diesel or gasoline at approximately $3 per gallon). An additional savings of $0.50 per gallon is possible if excise tax credits continue to be available, though they aren't necessary for CNG to be a smart choice economically.
For a vehicle using 15,000 diesel gallons per year, fuel savings can result in a payback of incremental equipment costs in 2 to 3 years.
The CNG Market
Right now, less than 1% of the on-road market we've discussed uses CNG as a fuel. That means about 200 million gallons per year — a small share of total fuel sales but still a significant amount of CNG. Nearly 20% of the total transit bus segment in the U.S. has adopted CNG. If the total on-road market were to do the same, sales of natural gas fuels for transportation could grow to 10 billion diesel gallon equivalents per year. If that growth happened over the next 10 years, the annual growth rate in natural gas as a transportation fuel would be nearly 50%.
The Best Vehicles for CNG
To enjoy the lower fuel cost and environmental benefits of CNG, vehicle owners must first invest in CNG-capable vehicles. The cost depends on the type of vehicle and whether the owner is retrofitting a diesel vehicle or purchase a new vehicle that's already capable of running on natural gas.
This table shows the types of fleet vehicles that are best suited for CNG conversion:
| Type of Fleet Vehicle | Fuel Use, based on diesel gallon equivalent (DGE) or gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) | Vehicle's Useful Life | Annual Savings (at $1.50 per gallon for CNG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refuse Hauler | 30-40 DGE/day | 8-10 years | $20,250 |
| Transit Bus | 50-60 DGE/day | 12 years | $17,850 |
| School Bus | 20-40 DGE/day | 20-30 years | $9,000 |
| Heavy-Duty Truck | 15,000-25,000 GGE/year | 7-8 years | $22,000-$37,000 |
CNG's Environmental Benefits
Natural gas is much cleaner than diesel. Natural Gas Vehicles for America estimates these reductions in vehicle emissions when switching from diesel to CNG or liquefied natural gas (LNG):
- 70% to 90% less carbon monoxide.
- 50% to 75% less non-methane organic gas.
- 75% to 95% less nitrogen oxides.
- 20% to 30% less carbon dioxide.
Because it's clean, using natural gas as a transportation fuel avoids the need for the selective catalytic reduction or exhaust gas recirculation to meet the 2010 EPA standards for vehicles that use diesel fuel.
CNG & Energy Security
The U.S. is the largest producer of natural gas in the world. U.S. shale gas production has increased 12-fold over the last decade, with shale gas now making up 25% of total U.S. production. Based on technically recoverable resources in the U.S. and annual domestic consumption numbers, the U.S. can be estimated to have about 107 years of natural gas reserves without considering imported gas.
If all the fleets in the markets we've addressed converted to CNG, this extra demand would reduce that number to 83 years of supply.
