Intevacon is in the fleet card business, so we have the opportunity to see our customers meet fleet needs first-hand as industry demands change. Over the last few months, our retinue of customers providing Natural Gas has increased as more fleet vehicles are transitioned to the cost-saving fuel alternative of compressed natural gas—CNG. This is a perfect fit for our business, as we specialize in providing a fleet card system that offers flexibility and transparency in assigning drivers, vehicles, special pricing, and product restrictions.

CNG stations have been popping up all over the nation—according to Natural Gas Vehicles for America, there are now 1,436 CNG and 101 LNG natural gas stations operating in the U.S.  NGV for America projects that an additional 250 to 300 new stations will be built in 2014. The increase in natural gas stations is motivated by several factors, but cost savings seem to be the largest impetus for conversion. Vehicles equipped to use natural gas are shown to derive great savings on fuel over time, and government incentives make this conversion even more palatable to fleet managers looking to save on costs. A 2014 Department of Energy study on heavy-duty refuse trucks fueled by CNG showed that fleets can save as much as $0.90 per mile by using this alternative fuel. This equates to about a 50% savings on fuel. Other benefits included low criteria pollutant emissions, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and quieter operation.

According to the Department of Energy, natural gas fuels about 112,000 vehicles in the United States. Several notable companies have converted or are in the process of converting their fleet vehicles to natural gas, a few of which include Waste Management, CAT, UPS, and AT&T. Many municipal entities have also discovered the benefits of converting to CNG vehicles, as documented in a Department of Energy business case targeting municipal governments with fleets such as buses and refuse trucks traveling in routes conducive to refueling at the same station. The advantages touted by the study are many: long-term cost-effectiveness, more-consistent operational costs, increased energy security, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced local air pollution, and reduced noise pollution.

The Intevacon system can help you grow your natural gas fleet business by offering an all-inclusive system for fleet cards. By working within the Proprietary Network, you will have the controls to manage your customer relationships and foster loyalty at your sites across all POS and cardlock platforms. Intevacon system features include:

• Contract pricing
• Cost plus pricing
• Cents per gallon discounts
• Finance charges
• Tax tracking and exemptions
• Real time credit limits
• Product restrictions, site restrictions, usage restrictions
• Specific prompting to capture driver, vehicle, and odometer information
• Invoicing and statement generation
• Payment posting
• Reporting capabilities
• Online user access for fleet card customers

We love what we do, and our mission is to help you succeed.  For more information on how Intevacon can help you grow your business, call 678-739-4450 or email moreinfo@intevacon.com.