Photo: FortisBC

Switching from diesel to natural gas reduces both greenhouse gas emissions and fuel costs.

BC Transit, UPS Canada and a handful of municipal governments and business with truck fleets are making the switch from diesel to compressed or liquefied natural gas.

In total, 144 trucks and buses have made the switch this year, according to FortisBC, which will provide the natural gas for the fleets.

The biggest customer is BC Transit, which has switched 78 of its buses from diesel to compressed natural gas (CNG), FortisBC said in a press release.

UPS Canada, meanwhile, is piloting a project that will use a mix of renewable natural gas and gasoline. Ken Johnson Trucking has switched six of its trucks to liquefied natural gas (LNG). All of the others have switched to compressed natural gas (CNG).

“BC’s commercial transportation sector accounts for around 40 per cent of the province’s total greenhouse gas emissions each year, so it’s a significant area of opportunity for us to reduce emissions quickly,” Sarah Smith, director of regional LNG and Renewable Gases with FortisBC, said in a press release.

FortisBC estimates that switching from diesel to LNG or CNG reduces carbon emissions by 25%.

“In total, these organizations are expected to reduce more than 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in emissions annually, about the same as removing just over 430 gasoline-fuelled passenger vehicles off BC roads each year,” the company said in a press release.

“These adoptions also come with financial benefits, as these organizations are expected to save up to 45 per cent in fuel costs each year.”

FortisBC offers incentives to business and public bodies that switch to LNG or CNG. In 2020, it provided  close to $2.3 million in incentives.

There are currently 900 natural gas vehicles on the road today in B.C.