ANG Refueling Infrastructure

How can I refuel the ANG-RNG vehicle?

A refueling appliance, Fuelmaker FMQ 2.5, is available through Ingevity. This comes with two fueling nozzles to allow fueling of two trucks at once, and has dimensions of  21 in x 20 in x 39 in.¹ It is a redeployable appliance that can be installed near an existing natural gas access point. The typical refueling duration to fill an upfitted truck with an empty standard 6-GGE (gasoline gallon equivalent) ANG tank is 3.5 hours. Given this rate, ANG is ideal for fleets with private central hubs.

A comparison of charging durations for different AFV types is shown in the table below. For compressed Natural Gas (CNG), there are two types of refueling mechanism – time-fill and fast-fill. Time-fill refueling requires a direct connection to a gas line and a compressor. The refueling rate can be designed to cater to the intended use (i.e. 8-9 gallons per minute for transit buses, 3 gallons per minute for refuse trucks). Because it normally takes hours to fill CNG vehicles, time-fill set-up, like ANG refueling, works best for fleets refueling in a central location every night. Fast-fill refueling, on the other hand, fills directly from a storage tank that contains natural gas that is compressed at high pressures, usually at 4,300 psi. This set-up is ideal for retail situations where vehicles arrive randomly, as it can refuel at a rate as fast as 5 minutes per 20-gallon-equivalent tank.^2 ,3 

Electric vehicles have three charging equipment types. Level 1 equipment (cordset) usually comes with the EV purchase and is more suited for private refueling of individual EV owners. Level 2 equipment is offered in 240V which is typical for residential applications and in 208V for commercial applications while DC fast charging equipment is more suitable for high-traffic corridors and is what mostly installed in stations.⁴

Table Source: CSB author based on references cited

How much does it cost to build the refueling infrastructure?

Fuelmaker FMQ 2.5 costs $5000 and does not require large and costly infrastructure. The installation cost is estimated at $2000 and includes a regulator, a dryer, and the flowmeter that will also be used to account for RNG utilization. Note this is with the assumption that the user has an already available natural gas access point. For comparison, the US Department of Energy⁹ estimates the cost of building a Time Fill CNG station that can serve two sedans or pickups at a time at 5 gge per night at $10,000, while the installation of a Level 2 EV chraging station can cost up to $19,200. See table below for a summary of infrastructure installation cost for different AFV types.

Can someone steal the fuel I’m paying for while it is pumping overnight?

The refueling appliance comes with a proprietary nozzle developed by Ingevity and CuboGas and is used to load other natural gas vehicles. The appliance automatically shuts off the refueling when the tank reaches maximum capacity and cannot be restarted to fuel other vehicles unless the appropriate control buttons are pressed in the appliance's control board. The control board can be locked and keyed when the appliance is at use and also when not, thus preventing unauthorized use. ANG refueling facilities can be installed in private properties such as fleet base or headquarters. Therefore, the possibility of the fuel being stolen is highly unlikely.

Image source: http://www.transecoenergy.com/Pages/ANG-6.2L-page.html