An important barrier to natural gas vehicle deployment in California is the lack of supporting fueling infrastructure. United Parcel Service’s liquefied natural gas fueling station in Ontario is a public-private access station providing liquefied and compressed natural gas. The area is located adjacent to the Ontario International Airport in a predominantly industrial and commercial zone. Ontario is located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California and is one of the many regions comprising the South Coast Air Basin.
The Ontario station has been in service since 1997. While natural gas fueling stations exist in the Inland Empire, only a limited number of these stations provide public access to liquefied natural gas fuel. This station represents one of the first alternative fuel stations in this region and is part of the established network of alternative fuel stations in the Inland Empire. Liquefied natural gas fueling infrastructure is critical for the expanding fleet of natural gas-powered Class 8 vehicles that are involved in goods movement between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and cities and distribution centers both inside and outside of southern California.
The goal of upgrading the Ontario station was to create incentives for heavy-duty trucking fleets to adopt or expand the use of advanced natural gas technologies and enable the accelerated replacement of heavy-duty diesel trucks with low-emission natural gas in Southern California. Upgrading the Ontario natural gas fueling station project supports a region-wide transition opportunity for heavy-duty fleets interested in alternative fuels and allows for the reduction of diesel fuel use and vehicle emissions in California.
Author(s)
United Parcel Service, South Coast Air Quality Management District
