Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and Food Express, Inc. (FXI) announced the addition of 11 new ultra-low emission natural gas trucks to the FXI fleet. The company, with the assistance of SoCalGas, applied for and received $1.1 million in grant funding for the new Kenworth T680 trucks (earlier post) which started making deliveries today. The company has an additional 35 trucks on order.

Funding was received from the Prop 1B program administered by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and the California Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program (HVIP).

The purchase of 46 new trucks represents about 50% of FXI’s California fleet. The company is on the wait list for an additional $900,000 in Prop 1B grants from the San Diego Air Pollution Control District, which would be used to purchase another 9 trucks. Replacing 55 diesel trucks with new ultra-low emission natural gas trucks is the equivalent of taking more than 3,100 passenger cars off the road.

The transportation sector is responsible for about 41% of California’s greenhouse gas emissions and more than 80% of the state’s NO_x emissions. These new heavy-duty natural gas trucks cut smog-forming emissions by more than 90% compared to the cleanest heavy-duty diesel trucks on the road today.

When these ultra-low emission natural gas trucks are fueled by renewable natural gas, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by at least 80 percent. Already, close to 70% of natural gas fleets in California are fueled with renewable natural gas.

Results from a recent study conducted by the University of California, Riverside showed that NO_x (smog-forming) emissions from diesel trucks are “actually much higher” than California Air Resources Board certification standards. The study cited poor performance of aftertreatment systems for diesel vehicles as the main reason.

FXI transports flour and malt barley throughout California for use in products such as bread, ramen noodles, tortillas and craft beer.