Apopka will be 1st in area to fuel cars with natural gas


Sentinel Staff Writer

November 6, 2009


Apopka will soon become the first city in Central Florida — and one of just a handful across the state — to convert some of its vehicles to run on compressed natural gas instead of gasoline or diesel fuel.

The technology is touted as clean, green and cheap, with compressed natural gas typically costing half as much per mile as gasoline.

With a $153,000 federal grant, Apopka plans to build its own fueling station and convert about 15 city cars — most of them police vehicles.

The money, which is part of the federal stimulus package, can be used only for helping cities run vehicles with technology that produces little or no pollution.

"It's a proven technology, and without too much reconfiguring, you could turn a regular car into one that runs on natural gas," said Stephen Reich, a director at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

The engines operate the same as a regular automobile, but equipment is added to allow the use of compressed natural gas.

The fuel has almost none of the carbon emissions associated with air pollution and global climate change, Reich said. And, he said, the conversion makes almost no difference in the vehicle's power.

"The downside is that you need to find a place to refuel," he said. Apopka will build its station at the corner of Highland Avenue and Eighth Street.

Mayor John Land said that Apopka is trying to be on the cutting edge of technology that is better for the environment. Apopka, which is converting about a third of its total fleet, was the only Central Florida city to get the natural-gas grant.

"We think that if we start making these changes, in the long run it will inspire others to do the same," Land said. "Even though it won't change the world overnight, we hope in the long run we'll make a difference."

John Jreij, Apopka's public-works director, said, "We hope to get started in the next week or so. There aren't expected to be any costs to city residents."

Jreij, who is spearheading the project, said that with a push of a lever, each car can be switched back to regular gasoline.

The fuel-expense savings could be huge, with gasoline costing about $2.65 a gallon and the equivalent amount of natural gas costing about $1.32, said Christine Slager, president of Wise Gas Inc., the Fort Lauderdale company handling the conversion for Apopka.

"The city could cut its fleet's fuel budget in half," Slager said.

But those fuel-savings costs could be diminished by the $7,000 expense of converting each car.

With current fuel prices, an Apopka police officer would have to drive his Ford Crown Victoria 95,400 miles before the conversion would start paying off. Deputy Chief Robert Manley said he expects that most of the vehicles being converted will be driven more miles than that.

Jeff Greene, Wise Gas' business-development manager, said Apopka's costs for converting the vehicles is discounted because the city is buying in bulk. Converting a single vehicle usually costs $8,500 to $18,000, he said, depending on the configuration.

In Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale, the cities' residential and commercial trash contractor, Choice Environmental Services, recently began using natural gas in its garbage trucks. The company's fleet of CNG trucks is also expected to serve municipal customers in Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Collier counties. Broward County already has a fleet of more than 110 vehicles using alternative-energy sources, including CNG fuel.

"They were saving tons of money when gas was upward of $4 a gallon," Greene said.

Greene and others in the industry noted that California, with its strict emission standards to control air pollution, has been leading the nation in converting private and municipal vehicles to natural gas.

But he added that the company has been getting inquiries from other Central Florida governments, largely because of fuel-cost concerns.

"They all seem to be waiting and watching how it works out in Apopka."


Buck