COMPTON, Calif., Aug. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, August 22, 2012, City officials met with Niyato Industries executives to consider a Bi-fuel (gasoline and CNG) pick-up truck referred to as the Compress Natural Gas 150 or N-150. The City of Compton is currently exploring the use of CNG vehicles by updating its fleet of trucks extensively used by the City's Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Fire and Water Departments.
Leslie Stencil, President and CEO of Niyato Industries, indicated that the introductory N-150 model is available to travel approximately 650 miles using both fuel sources before refueling. If equipped with the larger CNG tank, the N-150 pick-up truck can travel up to 880 miles before refueling.
"I was able to drive the N-150 pick-up truck from Las Vegas to Compton and used only 1/3 of my total fuel supply," Stencil stated.
Niyato Industries is in the pre-production stages of the N-150 and is targeting municipalities like Compton to consider updating its fleet to CNG vehicles to save fuel costs. G. Harold Duffey, Compton City Manager, met with Niyato Industries officials and agrees that action should be taken to reduce fuel costs.
"With the rising cost of gasoline, the idea of using alternative fuels such as CNG is plausible," stated Duffey. "The City pays around $3.35 per gallon for gasoline but the cost of CNG in Compton is around $1.85. We are in the process of identifying our fuel needs in the City and we are encouraging the Compton Unified School District and El Camino College Compton Center to do the same. If we consider CNG as a viable option, collectively, we can all do our share to reduce overall vehicle tailpipe emissions in the City and save money for fuel costs at the same time," Duffey concluded.
Niyato Industries and the City of Compton meeting occurred at the recommendation of Ben Rainwater, CEO of Starpoint USA, Inc. dba Daewoo Motors America. "We have a long standing partnership in Compton where we established our North American headquarters in the City in 1997," stated Rainwater. "Since our start in Compton, Starpoint USA has evolved as a company that recognizes the need to explore alternative fuel sources such as CNG and all-electric vehicles as viable alternatives for U.S. consumers."
Niyato Industries has signed an Exclusive Vehicle Distribution Agreement with Starpoint USA to distribute the N-150 truck through its nationwide independent retail dealership network. "We are projecting that we can distribute 6,000 N-150 vehicles during the first year alone and by the end of third year approximately 36,000 vehicles nationwide", stated Rainwater. "Compton is a great location to kick off this initiative."
For the City, this is not the first time it has experimented with CNG vehicles. During the 1980's the City operated a CNG ambulance for a number of years before it was commissioned out of service. As the cost of gasoline remained relatively low during the 1990's, the City opted to purchase a gasoline power ambulance as its replacement. With the rising costs of gasoline in recent years, converting City fleet to CNG vehicles could be a major savings. Compton has a CNG station located on Bullis Road at the SoCal Gas facility. Before Compton can consider purchasing the N-150 truck, the City will work with Niyato Industries to adopt alternative fuel options that could support vehicles like the N-150 pick-up for consumer use.
SOURCE City of Compton
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