KIRKWOOD — Willow Run Foods, Inc., a Kirkwood–based food-distribution company, has added a group of compressed natural-gas (CNG) trucks to its fleet that seek to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and save the business money on diesel-fuel consumption. The firm announced, what it called, an “alternative-transportation project” in early September. The New York State Energy […]
KIRKWOOD — Willow Run Foods, Inc., a Kirkwood–based food-distribution company, has added a group of compressed natural-gas (CNG) trucks to its fleet that seek to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and save the business money on diesel-fuel consumption.
The firm announced, what it called, an “alternative-transportation project” in early September.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the U.S. Department of Energy provided $1 million for the project that includes 15 CNG trucks, which Willow Run Foods leases from Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R).
The funding was provided through Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative, the company said.
The 15 CNG vehicles comprise 16 percent of Willow Run’s fleet, and went online in October, the company said.
The trucks have been performing “great,” says Leonard (Len) Basso, vice president of transportation at Willow Run Foods.
Basso spoke with The Central New York Business Journal on Dec. 9
“Like anything technology-related, it starts on the West Coast and goes to the Midwest and finally ends up on the East Coast,” Basso says.
Company officials had been monitoring the progress through magazine articles and transportation-trade newspapers. It then started working with Ryder, and then pursued the grant funding, Basso explains.
The project also included $145,000 in upgrades to Willow Run’s on-site, Ryder-operated, maintenance facility to meet the specifications required to service natural-gas vehicles.
“We had to have those complete before we could put any CNG vehicles in the shop to work on them,” Basso adds.
Willow Run Foods estimates the trucks will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by about 500 tons annually, which it contends is the equivalent to removing 100 cars from the road.
Even after accounting for the increased cost of the CNG trucks, the project is still expected to save the company $100,000 annually through a reduction of 175,000 gallons of diesel-fuel consumption, Willow Run Foods said.
The company is mostly using the trucks in the New York City, Long Island, and northern New Jersey areas, helping to offset a high-traffic region with significant greenhouse-gas emissions.
The vehicles have up to a 500-mile range on a single fill-up, which is more than a typical CNG truck. That range allows drivers to complete a full delivery circuit from the company’s distribution center without having to refuel.
Each vehicle costs $234,000 which is about $80,000 more than a typical diesel heavy-duty truck. NYSERDA is funding about 75 percent of the difference between the cost of a diesel truck and the cost of a CNG truck.
The new CNG trucks are equipped with 150 diesel-gallon-equivalent (DGE) fuel tanks. The vehicles use 11.9 liter CNG Cummins engines, which are the “latest models of fuel-efficient engines,” the firm said.
CNG vehicles are cleaner than those that run on diesel; have lower emissions of greenhouse gases, particulates, and nitrogen oxides; and are quieter than diesel-powered tractor-trailer trucks, according to Willow Run Foods.
NYSERDA calls it a “major investment” in alternative-transportation fuels that will help the state in reducing its petroleum consumption while increasing its energy security, Janet Joseph, vice president for technology and strategic planning at NYSERDA, said in the Willow Run Foods’ news release.
The company couldn’t have accomplished this “environmentally responsible” project without the funding from NYSERDA, Terry Wood, president and CEO of Willow Run Foods, said in the release
“Willow Run Foods has been concentrating on clean-energy projects for the past few years with funding assistance from NYSERDA, and we will continue to seek out other clean-energy projects for the future,” Wood said.
Willow Run Foods cites information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that indicates natural gas can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 25 percent compared to petroleum fuels when used as a transportation fuel.
Natural gas is the cleanest burning alternative-transportation fuel commercially available today, the company said.
New York has 111 CNG filling stations, including 36 that are open to the public, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Founded in 1949 as a small egg-delivery business, Willow Run Foods specializes in customized food distribution for regional and national chains throughout the Northeast.
The firm delivers products from Maine to Virginia to Ohio, Basso says.
Willow Run Foods employs 360 full-time employees at its 255,000-square-foot facility. The company declined to disclose its revenue information.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com