Downs Energy partnered with Gladstein, Neandross, & Associates to develop a multi-agency project whose goal was to increase the availability of alternative fuel refueling stations along the Interstate Clean Transportation Corridor (ICTC). The ICTC is a public-private partnership dedicated to accelerating the market penetration of clean alternative fuel vehicles in interstate goods movement. Alternative fuel vehicles, such as those fueled by natural gas, provide direct reductions in emissions of ozone precuror pollutants and toxic air contaminants.
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Downs Energy was awarded MSRC Clean Transportation Funding in April 2005. The project represented a opportunity to provide a critical link in the network of natural gas stations in Western Riverside County. The closest natural gas station to Temecula is approximately 25 miles away.
Located less than one mile from Interstate 15 and two miles from Interstate 215, the L/CNG refueling station provides convenient access to heavy-duty fleet operators.
Chart Industries, Inc. was selected as the station construction contractor and will also provide ongoing maintenance. The station is equipped with 15,000 gallons of liquefied natural gas storage and 30,000 standard cubic feet of compressed natural gas storage. The station is equipped with one LNG single hose dispenser rated at 50 gallons per minute. CNG is dispensed using one dual hose dispenser with two nozzles providing both 3,000 psi and 3,600 psi fill pressures.
Downs Energy partnered with several funding agencies to secure sufficient resources to construct the L/CNG station. These included the City of Temecula, South Coast AQMD, and California Energy Commission, in addition to the MSRC.
The objective of the Down Energy project was to construct a publicly accessible liquefied and compressed natural gas (L/CNG) refueling station in Southwest Riverside County to support refueling of existing natural gas vehicles operated by fleets in the area, as well as encourage other fleets to purchase low-emitting natural gas vehicles. The selection of Temecula as the station's location provides the missing link in the network of natural gas stations in the South Coast AQMD region.
The station is currently fully operational and serving both CNG and LNG fleet customers. To date, no technical issues have been identified. The station has a projected fuel throughput of 300,000 gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE)for the first three years of operation; this is projected to grow to approximately 600,000 GGE by year five.
Construction completion and commissioning of the new refueling station occurred on April 16, 2009. The station is currently in full operation and dispensing both LNG and CNG using card-lock access. CNG users can purchase fuel using Visa/Mastercard, WEX, and Voyager credit card billing as well as the Downs Energy CFN card. LNG users will utilize a Downs Energy proprietary fueling card.
Current and anticipated users include refuse collection trucks, school buses, and transit buses that operate throught the greater Western Riverside region.
City of Temecula
California Energy Commission
County of Riverside