Sugar Land to Roll Out Plan for Compressed Natural Gas Fleet

Sugar Land, TX – Sugar Land’s plan to retrofit City vehicles to run on compressed natural gas is expected to reduce operating costs and reduce harmful emissions.

A plan for the phased implementation of alternative fuel was shared with the City Council at the July 3 workshop meeting.

The recommended conversion to natural gas is the result of an extensive evaluation of technologies, including hybrid, propane, full electric, extended range electric, diesel, gasoline and liquefied natural gas.

The standard used to compare gasoline to alternative fuels is known as gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE), the amount of alternative fuel it takes to equal the energy content of one liquid gallon of gasoline.

Sugar Land’s analysis showed that compressed natural gas will cost $1 to $2.25 per GGE compared to $4.80 to $5.50 per gallon of gasoline.
Conservative forecasts project $1.5 million in savings over 20 years.

Conversion to compressed natural gas will require the immediate purchase of a fueling pump and conversion kits that enable City vehicles to operate on natural gas. A series of grants combined with existing money in the City’s Fleet Replacement Fund is expected to pay for the project’s startup cost.

A phased approach would be utilized to convert the City’s fleet, with
99 non-public safety vehicles being converted first.  Other vehicles, including heavy equipment, would follow.

Sugar Land will continue to supplement its compressed natural gas fleet with hybrid vehicles used for general administration purposes.