NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Clean Energy Fuels Corp., (NASDAQ: CLNE) announced that the City of Santa Monica has awarded Clean Energy a multiyear liquefied natural gas (LNG) contract to fuel its Big Blue Bus (BBB) fleet of vehicles. The 5-year deal, worth an estimated $3 million per year, will enable BBB to continue using Clean Energy’s Redeem™ brand of renewable natural gas (RNG), rated up to 90 percent cleaner than diesel and considered the cleanest transportation fuel available. BBB began using Redeem™ by Clean Energy in January 2015.
BBB, one of the first transit agencies in the nation to contract for Redeem™, will also become one of the first agencies to incorporate the new Cummins-Westport 8.9L ISL G Near-Zero 0.02 NOx engine, the first mid-range engine in North America to receive emission certifications from both U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Air Resources Board (ARB) in California that meet the 0.02 g/bhp-hr optional Near Zero NOx Emissions standards.
Big Blue Bus, which includes 200 natural gas buses, plans to replace over 100 of their existing bus engines with the new Near-Zero natural gas engine over a three-year period, making BBB one of cleanest transit agencies in the nation. When the transition is complete, BBB is expected to have reduced their NOx emissions by over 90 percent and their GHG emissions by 8,000 Metric Tons, annually. Introduced by CWI earlier this year, the new Cummins ISL G 8.9L Near Zero 0.02 NOx engine is designed for medium-duty truck, urban bus, school bus and refuse applications and is available on the market today. Cummins-Westport plans to begin delivering an 11.9L version that is also EPA and ARB certified for the heavy-duty trucking industry in 2018.
“The City of Santa Monica has a deep commitment to the people and environment in our community. By combining the environmental benefits of RNG with the technological advances of this engine, we are proud to say that we are in fact, one of the cleanest transit agencies in the nation,” said Ed King, BBB’s Director of Transit.
The City of Santa Monica is a nationally recognized leader for its sustainability policies and actions. BBB has progressively contributed to the City’s sustainability narrative through its use of alternative fuel and ultimate phasing out of diesel-fueled motor coaches. Through this commitment, clean burning RNG and the new 0.02 NOx engine will power BBB’s entire fleet.
“Big Blue Bus has always been a leader in sustainability and with our Redeem™ RNG and the implementation of the new Near-Zero engine, we are about to witness the future of the transportation industry and the incredible advances we’ve made in reducing the impact on the environment,” said Peter Grace, Clean Energy’s senior vice president for sales and finance.
For more information about the BBB’s Redeem fueling success story click here.
Clean Energy believes that Redeem™ is the cleanest transportation fuel commercially available in the U.S. according to EPA data regarding carbon emissions for transportation fuel. Redeem™ is a renewable natural gas vehicle fuel, often referred to as biomethane. It is derived from biogenic methane or biogas, which is methane that is naturally generated by the decomposition of organic waste. The methane gas is processed, purified and sent into the interstate natural gas pipeline and made available exclusively to Clean Energy customers. Redeem™ biomethane vehicle fuel is procured from biomethane production facilities, including two owned and operated by Clean Energy.
About Clean Energy
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (Nasdaq: CLNE) is the leading provider of natural gas fuel for transportation in North America. We build and operate CNG and LNG fueling stations; manufacture CNG and LNG equipment and technologies; develop RNG production facilities; and deliver more CNG and LNG fuel than any other company in the U.S. Clean Energy also sells Redeem™ RNG fuel and believes it is the cleanest transportation fuel commercially available, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 percent. For more information, visit www.CleanEnergyFuels.com.
About Big Blue Bus
Big Blue Bus operates a fleet of nearly 200 vehicles transporting more than 61,000 passengers daily across a 51-square mile service area. Nationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to a cleaner environment, the entire fleet operates on alternative fuels, including renewable natural gas (RNG) a form of liquefied and compressed natural gas (LNG/CNG), which helps to cut emissions by up to 90 percent. Serving Santa Monica and the Los Angeles area since 1928, Big Blue Bus has won numerous awards for its marketing, customer service, safety and efficiency.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including without limitation statements about numbers of buses expected to be deployed, the value of Clean Energy’s contract with BBB, the benefits of BBB’s use of RNG and the Cummins-Westport 8.9L ISL G Near-Zero 0.02 NOx engine and the availability of Near-Zero 0.02 NOx engines. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including, without limitation, the price of natural gas relative to gasoline and diesel, the cost and operating experience associated with natural gas vehicles and certification and other factors affecting engine development and availability. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date of this press release and, unless otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Additionally, the reports and other documents the Company files with the SEC (available at www.sec.gov) contain risk factors, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this news release.
