As more and more AFVs find

their places in the transportation industry, the need for

qualified technicians to service these

vehicles continues to grow. To help

meet this need, transportation industry and education experts are working

together to develop standards for

AFV technician training, standards

that will serve as a valuable tool for

AFV technician training programs

now and in the future.

Background

Section 411 of the Energy Policy

Act of 1992 (EPAct) requires that the

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

ensure the availability of training

programs for voluntary certification

of alternative fuels technicians. To

meet this requirement, DOE entered

into a 5-year cooperative agreement

with the National Automotive

Technicians Education Foundation

(NATEF) to develop and implement

such a program.

Goals

AFV program standards will:

• Serve as a guide to schools 

that wish to provide alternative

fuels training

• Provide a mechanism to 

certify and recognize programs 

that meet industry expectations

(standards)

• Assist industry in locating quality

training providers and potential

future technicians.

Participants

The National Institute for

Automotive Service Excellence

(ASE)

The automotive industry established this nonprofit organization in

1972. ASE’s mission is to improve

the quality of vehicle repair and service in the United States through the

voluntary testing and certification of

automotive repair technicians. ASE’s

40-member board of directors is

made up of representatives of the

automotive industry.

Volume 5, Number 1

Industry and Education Experts Work Together

to Establish Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV)

Technician Training Standards

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Developing LNG Refuse

Trucks ..................................3

Breaking Down the Barriers

to Alternative Fuels.............4

I-35 Corridor Coalition

Supports LNG......................5

Midwest Ethanol

Demonstration Project ........6

Detroit Diesel Developing

Propane Engine...................7

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has prepared a 

case study on heavy trucks for the U.S. Department of Energy,

included as a bonus with this issue of Alternative Fuels in

Trucking. The case study, Running Refuse Haulers on

Compressed Natural Gas: The New York City Experience,

describes the results from the successful demonstration of 

these refuse haulers on the streets of New York City. Stay tuned

Bonus for more case studies as results continue to become available.

with this Issue!
Currently, there are about 370,000

ASE-certified technicians working in

every segment of the automotive

industry: car and truck dealerships,

independent garages, fleets, service

stations, and franchises. To remain

certified, technicians must be retested

every 5 years. Automotive service

facilities display the ASE Blue Seal

of Excellence logo to indicate that

they hire ASE-certified technicians.

The National Automotive

Technicians Education

Foundation

This 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is a separate foundation within

ASE. NATEF’s primary mission is to

improve the quality of automotive

technician training programs nationwide through voluntary certification

(accreditation). NATEF is directed by

a 14-member Board of Trustees

appointed by the ASE Board.

How ASE Certification

Works

Secondary and post-secondary

institutions conduct an extensive 

self-evaluation of their automotive

training programs against national

standards, developed by industry

experts through a series of workshops

facilitated by NATEF. This is 

followed by an on-site evaluation conducted by specially trained evaluation

team leaders and local technicians.

Once a program has met the standards, NATEF recommends the 

program to ASE for certification.

Programs must recertify every 

5 years, and the standards are

reviewed and revised by industry

groups every 3 years. All 50 states

endorse ASE certification of their

training programs, and more than

1200 programs are currently certified

to NATEF program standards for automobile repair, auto collision repair,

and medium/heavy truck repair.

Developing AFV Standards

During the first 2 years of 

its agreement with DOE (April 1995–

April 1997), NATEF is developing

certification programs for compressed

natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural

gas (LNG), and liquefied petroleum

gas (LPG) vehicle technician training.

By the close of 1995, NATEF had

already completed and implemented

the Light-/Medium-Duty CNG/LPG

Certification Program for entry-level

training programs. In 1996, NATEF

will complete and implement standards to certify heavy vehicle CNG,

LNG, and LPG training, as well as

standards to certify in-service technician training.

To develop the standards, NATEF

is facilitating a series of workshops

with technical experts from each

segment of the industry, such as 

original equipment manufacturers,

conversion equipment manufacturers,

conversion companies and technicians, fuel suppliers, AFV educators,

and end users. During each workshop, the participants identify the

tasks a technician must perform on

the job and the associated tools and

equipment. Safety issues, instructor

qualification requirements, and program hours are also identified in

these workshops.

Progress to Date

The first workshop, on 

LNG, assembled in Los Angeles,

California, on April 1–3, 1996. The

NATEF program director opened the

workshop by explaining its purpose

and methods. Participants were also

briefed on the American Trucking

Association Foundation’s ongoing

work to develop industry-recommended practices for construction,

operation, and maintenance of LNG

heavy trucks because that work 

will contribute to the development 

of LNG truck program standards.

NATEF is preparing the outcome of

the workshop for presentation at the

first combined heavy vehicle workshop, planned for August 1996.

When complete,

the certification program for AFVs will

not simply meet the

legislative requirements of EPAct,

but will mirror successful existing programs for automotive

technician training.

2 Alternative Fuels In Trucking—Volume 5, Number 1
In the early 1990s, Southwest

Research Institute (SwRI) developed

a compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel

system and installed it in tandem

with a Mack E7 engine on a refuse

vehicle for test purposes. The CNG

fuel tanks required were less than

ideal—they were large and heavy. To

put their size and weight into perspective, the fuel system required on

a CNG vehicle is approximately five

times heavier and occupies a volume

of six times that required for a given

diesel fuel capacity based on energy

content. Because weight, space, and

vehicle range are extremely important parameters in Class 8 vehicles,

CNG is at a disadvantage in heavy

trucks. In addition, the fuel economy

of current natural gas trucks is lower

than that of a diesel truck because the

engine thermal efficiency of a sparkignited engine is inherently lower

than that of a compression-ignition

engine of similar power.

This experience seems to indicate

that liquefied natural gas (LNG) may

be a better choice for Class 8 trucks.

LNG occupies a volume approximately two times that required for a given

diesel fuel capacity, and the weight is

approximately 1.5 times that of diesel

fuel based on Btu content.

However, because LNG is a cryogenic liquid, technical and safety

challenges must be addressed before

LNG can be a viable Class 8 alternative fuel. To address these challenges,

Mack Engine Company has set out 

to improve engine efficiency and

develop and test a complete LNG

fuel system that satisfies its design

requirements. The fuel system also

must comply with the American

Trucking Association (ATA)

Foundation’s LNG Technical

Subcommittee’s “Recommended

Practices for LNG Powered Heavy

Duty Trucks.” These practices are

being developed with the Society of

Automotive Engineers for adoption

as an industry-recommended standard

(see Alternative Fuels in Trucking,

Volume 4, Number 4).

Two cryogenic tank manufacturers, CVI, Inc., and MVE, Inc., have

agreed to work with Mack to develop

and test a complete truck fuel system

that incorporates LNG fuel tanks.

Mack is working with SwRI and the

Gas Research Institute to develop and

evolve the next-generation natural

gas Mack E7 engine to achieve a

higher level of engine efficiency,

especially at part-throttle loads. As

part of this work, the second-generation natural gas engine and fuel system will be integrated with a Mack

LE chassis to produce a prototype

refuse hauler for a demonstration

project with the Chambers

Development Company-USA Waste. 

The objectives of this work are to:

• Improve the Mack E7 natural gas

engine to run more efficiently and

to increase vehicle range, especially in refuse applications, while

meeting 1998 emissions regulations and producing equivalent

diesel power and torque

• Develop a Mack LE refuse vehicle

with an E7 engine that will operate

on LNG as dedicated fuel and

serve as a prototype for six additional vehicles that will be operated

in a more comprehensive vehicle

evaluation program

• Produce a vehicle that is safe,

durable, reliable, and compliant

with all proposed and applicable

regulations

• Design and install a vehicle fuel

system capable of safely supplying

adequate fuel to the engine for all

operating conditions

• Include a fuel capacity volume 

of LNG that is no more than double that of diesel for equivalent

vehicle range 

• Produce a vehicle that can undergo

short- and long-term servicing

indoors.

After the first vehicle is tested

extensively, plans call for six 

Alternative Fuels In Trucking—Volume 5, Number 1 3

Developing LNG Refuse Trucks

Continued on page 8

The first Mack LE refuse hauler being

fitted with the natural gas E7 engine

Photo courtesy of Mack Trucks/PIX 02372 Photo courtesy of Mack Trucks/PIX 02371
4 Alternative Fuels In Trucking—Volume 5, Number 1

Costs Improving

Not long ago, Class 8 trucks with

alternative fuel engines were mostly

aftermarket conversions. Engines

were installed by someone other than

assembly line workers, somewhere

other than a truck factory. This resulted in a complicated and costly process that might cost as much as

$50,000 to $70,000 more per vehicle,

a fact that had deterred trucking companies from making major conversions and investments in alternative

fuel vehicles. With time, however,

this is changing.

The first Class 8 trucks with production-line natural gas engines

became available from Volvo GM

Heavy Truck Corporation this year.

In January, Volvo introduced the

Cummins Engine Company’s naturalgas-powered L-10G engine as a factory option on its Xpeditor refuse

trucks. Volvo has put about 50 of

these trucks into use. 

Although they cost less than earlier one-of-a-kind trucks, these trucks

are still somewhat more expensive

than a similar diesel truck, according

to David Shrader, senior engineer and

marketing specialist for Volvo. He

indicated that the higher cost is more

closely associated with the fuel tanks

and the engine, rather than the manufacturing. Costs have run high primarily because of low volume, but as

production volumes increase, costs

will decrease. In addition, fuel systems are undergoing rapid development, which should bring costs

down. It is unlikely, however, that

liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel tanks

will ever be as cheap as their diesel

counterparts. 

Shrader also noted that Volvo will

be introducing the Cummins C8.3

natural gas engine in the Xpeditor

this year, and expanding its alternative fuel demonstrations to several

other natural gas engines.

ATA Looking at Safety 

Uncertainties about the safety of

alternative fuel vehicles have led to

caution in their adoption, but the

American Trucking Association

Foundation, through its Alternative

Fuels Task Force’s LNG Subcommittee, is now leading an effort to dispel the uncertainties. Bill Peerenboom,

vice president of the foundation,

directed the subcommittee’s efforts in

performing a detailed failure modes

and effects analysis (FMEA) on LNG

heavy-duty trucks. This work has been

supported by the U.S. Department of

Energy through the National

Renewable Energy Laboratory. 

The FMEA attempts to discover

all possible failures with a system in

any given circumstance, and methods

to prevent such failures. These data,

along with an extensive review of

codes and regulations, are being used

to establish an industry-recommended

practice for constructing, operating,

and maintaining an LNG truck. These

will be provided to the Society of

Automotive Engineers for review and

adoption for the trucking industry.

Manufacturing Solutions

Original equipment manufacturers

have to date offered limited numbers

of factory-built alternative fuel heavy

trucks because it has been difficult to

integrate changes into the standard

engineering and manufacturing processes. Putting a natural gas engine

into a chassis is not a problem on a

production line, but installing the

necessary LNG and compressed 

natural gas (CNG) fuel systems 

presents a challenge. Volvo has 

come up with a solution: the company will install the engines on the

assembly line at one plant and then

tow the unfinished Xpeditor refuse

trucks to its vehicle modification

Alternative Fuels: Breaking Down the Barriers

Volvo offers a natural gas engine factory option on its Xpeditor refuse haulers

Photo Courtesy of Cummins Engine Company, Inc.
center next door, where the fuel systems will be installed. This process,

however, is still somewhat more

expensive than normal practice.

Fuel Availability to Improve

Some alternative fuels have not

been readily available to trucking

fleets. However, the natural gas

industry has recognized the potential

growth of the natural gas vehicle

market, and several studies have

noted this fact. A report by the Gas

Research Institute calls for nearly

55,000 Class 3–8 vehicles operating

on alternative fuels by 1998, a figure

that is expected to jump to 151,000

by 2003. The size of this potential

market is sparking more interest in

fueling station installation.

Steps Toward the Alternative

Fuel Future

Many alternative fuels expositions

continue to be held across the country,

displaying an increasing number of

LNG- and CNG-powered trucks. Such

events reach out not only to trucking

companies but to the general public.

These steps pave the way 

for more and more companies to

experiment with alternative fuel

fleets. Such experimentation will be

essential in the face of the expected

alternative fuels regulations for the

transportation industry.

The Interstate 35 Corridor

Coalition was formed in 1994 to gain

congressional approval for a NAFTA

Superhighway System designation,

calling for I-35 to serve as the trade

route’s trunk because of its central

location and ties to the Mexican

PanAmerican Highway System. The

proposed superhighway route runs

from Mexico City north through

Monterrey and Laredo to Dallas,

Oklahoma City, Kansas City, and on

to Minnesota and the Canadian border.

The I-35 coalition is led by Jeff

Mosely, judge of Denton County,

Texas, and Mercurio Martinez, Jr.,

judge of Webb County, Texas. The

coalition convened in Austin, Texas,

recently, and endorsed a resolution

submitted by the Texas General 

Land Office to promote convenient

natural gas fueling. The resolution

states that the coalition “supports 

the development of LNG and CNG

fueling facilities at regular intervals

along the entire I-35 Corridor and

elsewhere along the Superhighway

system. Such development will enable

convenient natural gas fueling for

heavy-duty trucks and automobiles.”

The committee resolution that

resulted from the Austin meeting designated Mexico, along with Texas,

Oklahoma, and Kansas, as offering

an abundance of inexpensive, domestically produced natural gas. The resolution also stressed that long-haul

trucks operating on liquefied natural

gas (LNG) emit very few particulates

and nearly less than half the NOx of

diesel trucks.

Texas Land Commissioner Gary

Mauro took coalition members to the

LNG and compressed natural gas

(CNG) fueling stations in the Austin

area, and said “Natural gas fueling—

compressed natural gas and liquefied

natural gas—already is practical.”

Alternative Fuels In Trucking—Volume 5, Number 1 5

I-35 Corridor Coalition Supports LNG

Mexico City

Ottawa

Quebec

Winnipeg

Monterrey

San Luis Potosi

Denver Indianapolis

Oklahoma City

Salt Lake City

St. Paul Toronto

Guadalajara

Saltillo

Chicago

Portland

St. Louis

Calgary

Montreal

Vancouver

Dallas

Detroit New York Omaha

Pittsburgh

Seattle

Fargo

Duluth

Laredo

Sioux Falls

CANADA

MEXICO

U.S.A.

I-35 corridor (LNG 

and CNG fueling 

facilities are under 

construction on the

branches)
For the past few years, Hennepin

County in Minneapolis, Minnesota,

has been participating in the Midwest

Ethanol Demonstration project to test

the feasibility of using ethanol (E85)

in heavy trucks in a cold-weather

environment. The 3-year project is

funded by the U.S. Department of

Energy through the American

Trucking Association Foundation.

The study, which is in its final year,

examines engine and vehicle performance, fuel and fuel storage, and

safety and emissions. 

Hennepin County has three trucks

in this project—two run on ethanol

and the third on diesel fuel. The

trucks are International Paystar 

5000 tandem-axle dump trucks with 

a 15-foot aluminum dump body. 

They are powered by Detroit Diesel

Corporation (DDC) 6V92 TA DDEC

engines. The trucks and the project

were initially described in Alternative

Fuels in Trucking in 1994 (Volume 2,

Number 4). The trucks are mainly

used for snow plowing, but also 

perform a variety of road maintenance duties in the spring and summer months, such as paving, hauling

sand and gravel, and assisting in tree

and brush removal.

Overall, the trucks have consistently performed their assigned work

from the time of their inception, and

they have also performed in two of

the coldest winters on record. Each

truck has logged more than 50,000

miles of use, typical for a 2-year 

service period for county trucks.

Several conclusions have been 

drawn from this

demonstration:

Engine and Vehicle Performance

• The trucks have adequate power

for snow removal. They move

snow with the same ease as other

trucks, and certainly have enough

power for the hauling applications.

The trucks have had no problems

operating even in extremely cold

temperatures. 

• Maintenance costs have been

about 20% higher for the ethanol

trucks, primarily because of fuel

filter, fuel pump, and electrical

problems with the trucks.

Midwest Ethanol Demonstration Project

by Barb Sutey, Hennepin County Bureau of Public Service

6 Alternative Fuels In Trucking—Volume 5, Number 1

Hennepin

County E85

heavy trucks,

used for snow

plowing and

various road

maintenance

duties

Warren Gretz, NREL/PIX 00243

Warren Gretz, NREL/PIX 00246

Warren Gretz, NREL/PIX 00244
• Fuel usage is near predicted levels,

meaning ethanol trucks use about

twice the fuel as diesel trucks.

This differential results from the

lower energy content of the fuel,

rather than from a deficiency in

the engines.

Fuel and Fuel Storage

• Ethanol is a convenient fuel to

use; it utilizes the same transport,

storage, and dispensing system 

as diesel fuel. In fact, Hennepin

County converted one of its existing underground tanks to ethanol

to avoid any initial expense for

the use of this fuel. Because

Hennepin County is in the

Midwest where ethanol production is higher, and because it 

has a centralized fueling operation, substantial amounts of fuel

have always been available. 

• The delivery response for ethanol

has been the same as for any other

fuel purchased, and its fuel quality

has always been quite high.

However, the cost of ethanol has

averaged $1.22 per gallon, compared with $0.63 per gallon for

diesel, excluding taxes.

Safety

• Ethanol poses no hazardous risk 

to drivers or the community, and

requires no special handling. Also,

since the project began, the trucks

have remained accident and incident free.

Emissions

• All of the demonstration 

trucks meet U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency standards for

diesel emissions, as certified by

DDC. In addition, West Virginia

University has twice conducted

emissions tests on the trucks, and

the results were the same both

times. The ethanol engines have

lower particulate matter and oxides

of nitrogen emissions than diesel

engines, but higher carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions.

Hennepin County will continue 

to observe these trucks in real-world

applications, and document engine

and vehicle performance. The demonstration project will conclude in

the fall of 1996.

Alternative Fuels In Trucking—Volume 5, Number 1 7

The first U.S. original equipment

manufacturer (OEM) heavy-duty

propane engine for many years,

called the Detroit Diesel Corporation

(DDC) Series 50P, will go to field 

trials in 1996. The engine has the

potential to make propane the

nation’s foremost alternative fuel for

medium and heavy trucks, as well as

other applications in the 250 to 275

horsepower (hp) class.

A consortium of more than two

dozen organizations began engine

development in 1994. The consortium, made up of participants interested in introducing a heavy-duty

propane engine into the marketplace,

has contributed more than $4 million

to fund the project.

Sponsors include demonstration

sites (Corpus Christi Regional

Transportation Authority, Corpus

Christi, Texas, and the Hertz

Corporation, Denver, Colorado),

propane industry sponsors (Propane

Vehicle Council, National Propane

Gas Association), and government

agencies (Texas Railroad Commission, U.S. Department of Energy

through the National Renewable

Energy Laboratory). Sponsor participation ranges from in-kind services

to funding for tank installation and

engine maintenance. All sponsors are

also influential in project direction.

The Adept Group of Los Angeles

manages the program.

The diesel version of the 8.5-liter

unit produces anywhere from 150 to

300 hp and 1000 foot pounds (ft-lb)

of torque. The new propane version,

targeted toward Class 8 trucks,

transit buses, and generator sets,

will produce 250 to 275 hp and 

890 ft-lb of torque at 1200 rpm.

After 18 months of development, field-testing will begin this 

fall. Transit buses and trucks in both

Corpus Christi and in Nova Scotia

will be equipped with the Series 50P

engine. After several months of realworld applications in medium and

heavy trucks, DDC will formally

decide on commercial production 

of the Series 50P.

Along with publicizing the

engine’s characteristics and availability through trade publications 

and other media, project partners are

planning an event at the International

Transit Expo 1996, which will be

held in October in California. Events

are also planned for each of the

engine demonstration sites.

Detroit Diesel Developing Propane Engine

by Gina Scherffius, Texas Railroad Commission
additional LNG and seven diesel

vehicles to be placed in service to

yield more comprehensive data. This

planned fleet will operate from

Chambers-USA Waste’s Washington,

Pennsylvania, facility, which has 

a state-of-the-art LNG refueling 

system. The refueling facility was

designed and installed by CVI.

Additionally, Chambers-USA Waste

has outfitted its Washington site with

a new maintenance facility designed

specifically to support its natural gas

trucks. This integration is the first of

its kind in the trucking industry. 

A consortium was formed to 

contribute supplemental funds for 

the fueling facility, to build six 

additional LNG vehicles, and to collect pertinent data. Consortium members are: Mack Trucks, Inc.; Columbia

Gas of Ohio, Inc.; Consolidated

Natural Gas Service Company;

Equitable Gas Company; ATA

Foundation; Chambers-USA Waste

Company, Inc.; the U.S. Department

of Energy through the National

Renewable Energy Laboratory; and

the Pennsylvania Department of

Environmental Protection.

Volume 5, Number 1

René Texeira, Editor

Dean Armstrong, Graphic Designer

Alternative Fuels in Trucking is published quarterly

by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

(NREL), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 

national laboratory. The newsletter is written by 

the American Trucking Association Foundation’s

(ATAF’s) Trucking Research Institute.

The aim of Alternative Fuels in Trucking is to

inform fleet owners and operators, equipment suppliers, government officials, and other interested parties

about important developments in the use of alternative

fuels in heavy-duty trucks. Suggestions and comments

are welcome and may be directed to the National

Alternative Fuels Hotline at 1-800-423-1DOE. Views

expressed by guest authors are their own, and not

those of ATAF, DOE, or NREL.

NREL/TP-425-20823

August 1996

Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper

containing at least 50% wastepaper, including

20% postconsumer waste

UNITED S AT

FO SET

MA

ERICA

• DEPAR MT

EFOTNE

NERGY •

U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Office of Transportation Technologies

How to Reach Us

• The AFDC World Wide Web address

is http://www.afdc.doe.gov

• The Alternative Fuels in Trucking

newsletter is available on the WWW

at http://www.afdc.doe.gov/1/trknews

It is available on-line 2 or 3 weeks

before the newsletter is mailed.

• To speak to a human being, call the

National Alternative Fuels Hotline at

(800) 423-1DOE.

Continued from page 3