DTE Energy, a diversified energy company based at Detroit, has obtained a federal grant of $5.4 million from Clean Energy Coalition, a not-for profit organization engaged in supporting clean energy technologies, to convert over 170 gasoline-driven vehicles to be driven by compressed natural gas (CNG).
The grant was awarded to Green Fleets program of Clean Energy Coalition under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), by the U.S. Department of Energy. The award also requires Clean Energy Coalition to build two new CNG fueling facilities and reconstruction of 11 other facilities all over Michigan. The two new CNG facilities will be located in East China Township and Melvindale. The Green Fleets initiative of Clean Energy Coalition will assist Michigan companies to use vehicles that run with clean fuels and to construct needed fueling facilities to support the initiatives.
Michigan Consolidated Gas (MichCon), a unit of DTE Energy is engaged in changing 173 new gasoline powered Ford service vehicles to operate using CNG. The company has invested around $6.8 million to match the grant for the purpose of buying base service vehicles and extra CNG station upgrades.
CNG fuel is available at around $1.95 per gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) whereas a gallon of gasoline is $3.70. Moreover the CNG powered vehicles release less quantity of carbon dioxide when compared to gasoline or diesel-operated trucks and cars.
Source: http://www.dteenergy.com/