Dive Brief:
- Lexington, KY added 11 compressed natural gas (CNG) powered vehicles to its municipal fleet.
- The city also has a filling station in the works that is in the early stages of development. In the meantime, the trucks will use a fueling station at the city’s Waste Management headquarters.
- Lexington said it will eventually replace all of the 126 sanitation trucks in its fleet with CNG vehicles.
Dive Insight:
The city has budgeted a total of $2.9 million for an additional 10-12 trucks that will be purchased within the next year. It plans to buy about 10 new trucks every year.
Lexington received a federal grant worth $1.25 million to construct a public compressed natural gas fueling station that will be available to all.
Cities across the nation, from Woodbine, NJ to Dayton, OH, are making the transition to CNG. The rapid expansion can be attributed to lower emissions, cheaper operational costs, and quieter ride as compared to traditional fleets that run on diesel.
