From the June 2013 Print edition of Canadian Automotive Review
The Vancouver area has had no shortage of conferences over the years dealing with alternate fuels and technology, but the recent first annual Green Transportation Conference in Surrey took a slightly different approach.
Organized by a company out of Portland, Oregon called TransEnergy Solutions, the conference was a first foray into the Canadian market. TransEnergy, through shows like this, seeks to serve transportation professionals, such as fleet operators, who need information about technologies and vehicles available in their local markets.
With large electricity and natural gas distributor Fortis BC on board as the presenting sponsor, it should come as no surprise that the most prevalent theme at the Conference was that natural gas is the way to go for fleet operators, and that diesel isn’t. After all, there are several compelling reasons for the fleet operator to take a good look at replacing diesel with natural gas, not least that an existing diesel engine can be converted to run on natural gas.
Present at the show, both in the modest display area, as well as participating in presentations and seminars, were companies that offer natural gas-fuelled engines (Westport), fuelling station-building services (Clean Energy) and compression technology (IMW and ANGI), so the clean-burning fuel was prominent.
So, too, was electricity. Mark Dubois-Phillips of Powertech Labs, a division of BC Hydro, gave a presentation on the electrification of commercial fleets, which share many issues with the potential purchaser of an electric passenger car. He was not shy in saying BC Hydro is a bit scared about the potential impact on the power grid if electrification continues its growth curve without proactive management of charging protocols.
In an informative breakout session dealing with fleets that made the switch to natural gas from diesel, Frank Mainella of Smithrite Disposal Ltd outlined the progression his company has followed, from running two or three waste disposal trucks at a time to the same landfill depending on their contents, to soon having 18 natural gas-powered trucks and their own natural gas refuelling station being built, the output of which they hope to offer to smaller fleets in the area, with the support of operator Fortis. This all entails a large capital investment, obviously, but Mainella looks forward to a lower carbon footprint, reduced fuel costs, and less noise pollution, which has important public relations ramifications when you factor in trucks running down urban alleys early in the morning.
The Green Transportation Conference gave a few hundred local fleet operators a lot of useful information, and examples of ways they can “green up” their own fleets with the latest fuel and technologies.