Natural gas vehicles took the stage as part of both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. It is in the news again today with the launch of the FuelMule, a mobile fast-fill compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station. Developed by Gas Technology Institute (GTI), the station allows fleets fueling capability at their home base, or anywhere, without the need to build a fueling station.  GTI worked with Ultimate CNG to bring the technology to the marketplace.

Tony Lindsay, R&D Director at GTI said, “This technology helps to overcome the capital investment issues associated with building new fueling infrastructure. In the past, there haven’t been enough NGVs to justify the high investment in building many fueling stations, and there are too few stations to allow widespread growth and adoption of NGVs in various fleets. This new innovation can work to balance things out with its ability to bring fueling capability to where it’s most needed.”

In Tampa, NGV buses transported convention participants to several hotels and local attractions. Peoples Gas partnered with Ultimate CNG to provide CNG fuel for the buses. A better showcase of the technology, though, may be that the NGV buses were driven 1,372 miles from Janesville, Wisconsin to Tampa, Florida without one single fuel stop. When the buses then headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, Piedmont Natural Gas Company keep the buses rolling.

“With FuelMule CNG fueling services, no longer must fleets choose between the convenience of diesel and clean natural gas. They can have access to CNG with no capital investment required and no fueling infrastructure maintenance,” said Dennis Pick, President of Ultimate CNG.

According to GTI, CNG fuel costs about $1.69 less per gallon equivalent compared to diesel.