Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has announced new efforts to help California fleets obtain funding for the purchase of new heavy-duty natural gas trucks.
As of March 5, fleets operating within the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) are eligible to apply for incentive funding to replace diesel trucks with new near-zero-emissions natural gas trucks through the Carl Moyer Program.
Fleet owners whose applications are accepted will receive $100,000 toward the purchase of the new trucks. The program grant is competitive, meaning funds are distributed on a rolling basis until all money is awarded. According to the SCAQMD, almost 8,000 tons of NOx (smog-forming emissions) and more than 232 tons of particulate matter have been reduced each year with the air district as a result of the Carl Moyer Program.
Last year, the program was expanded to include infrastructure projects, such as fueling and charging stations, and SoCalGas representatives are available to assist with applications for compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations and new trucks. In 2018, SoCalGas says its customers received more than $1.4 million to build three new CNG stations thanks to the Carl Moyer Program. In addition, SoCalGas customers received funding for 116 new near-zero natural gas trucks through the Carl Moyer Program in 2018.
“Incentive programs like the Carl Moyer Program are vital tools to help California reduce emissions and can help the state reach its established climate goals,” says Sharon Tomkins, vice president of customer solutions and strategy for SoCalGas. “Studies show that replacing 250 diesel trucks with new, near-zero-emissions natural gas trucks is the equivalent of removing more than 13,000 passenger cars from the road.”
SoCalGas notes that the Cummins-Westport near-zero 12-liter natural gas engine is the only heavy-duty engine in the category to not only meet but exceed the California Air Resources Board’s cleanest optional low-NOx standard of 0.02 g/bhp-hr.
