West Michigan truck outfitter plans to convert 17,000 vehicles to CNG

The company plans to save the trucking industry millions of dollars by converting their trucks to the dual fuel system. That ambitious target is based on their belief they will be able to convert up to 17,000 trucks over the next five years and reduce diesel consumption by 50 gallons a day, published MLive.com.

To demonstrate the system’s power and performance in West Michigan, Valley has already converted a semi-tractor, which can be hooked up to any trailer used by their customers. The conversion uses a computerized system, developed by American Power Group (APG), to add natural gas to the fuel mix after a truck has been started on diesel. APG has given Valley exclusive distribution of the system in five Midwestern states.

According to Valley’s vice president of sales and marketing Randy Farmer, they are working with DTE Energy, which has recently opened a public CNG station in West Michigan, to build additional fueling sites throughout the state also over the next five years. “We’re going to place them so you’ll have a 200-mile range,” said Farmer. “As more fueling stations are built, they are counting on the acceptance of dual fuel conversions to grow, too.”