Glossary of Terms

  • CNGV: Conventional Natural Gas Vehicle.
  • LFG: Landfill Gas.
  • RNG: Renewable Natural Gas.
  • WWTP: Wastewater Treatment Plant.
  • BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle.

Fleet Location

"Oregon" calculations include credits potentially available from Oregon's Clean Fuels Program. "Other States" calculations assume no low carbon fuel program.
$
$
$
%
%
%
%
NO
$
$
%
%
$
$/kWh
$
$

For information purposes only. This calculator yields preliminary approximations only and is not to be used for investment or other financial decisions.

By submitting this information, you agree to the NWGA's privacy policy

Results

Results compare to diesel base case and include estimates of incremental vehicle, equipment and infrastructure costs.

Years to Breakeven:
Years
Years
Years
Years
Years
Years
Lifetime Per Vehicle Savings Using Various Fuels:
$
$
$
$
$
$
% GHG Reductions Over Diesel-powered Scenario:
%
%
%
%
%
%

To learn more, please reach out to: info@nwalliance.net.

Selection of Oregon vs. Other states:

Oregon-based fleets should select “Oregon.” By doing so, your fleet will share in revenue from sale of Oregon Clean Fuels Program (CFP) credits. Selecting “Oregon” also means that Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reductions will be measured against the blended Carbon Index Score of 90.48 gCO2e per MJ associated with Oregon’s 2020 – 2035 Clean Fuels Program. When a fleet selects “Other State”, your proposed fleet-conversion project will not share in revenue from sale of CFP credits, and your fleet’s anticipated GHG reductions will be measured against fossil Diesel’s Carbon Index Score of 101.1 gCO2e per MJ. Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program is closely based on California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). As such, California-based fleets that use this tool may wish to select “Oregon” to ensure that they share in revenue from sale of LCFS credits. When doing so, California-based fleets should recognize both that the value of LCFS credits is significantly greater than the per Metric Tonne value of Oregon CFP credits, and that the blended CI Score for California’s transportation fuel mix will differ from the CI Score for Oregon’s transportation fuel mix.

Accuracy Disclaimer:

This online calculator is intended to help fleets quantify financial and environmental outcomes associated with a proposed conversion from Diesel to Conventional or Renewable Natural Gas (CNG/RNG). As such, this tool should be used for estimation purposes, only. If preliminary results obtained through use of this tool seem promising, we strongly encourage fleet managers to conduct a thorough fleet-conversion assessment. Most fleets that operate in Oregon, Washington State, or Idaho may secure assistance preparing detailed fleet-conversion analysis from the NW Alliance, free of charge. For further inquiries, please reach out via e-mail at: info@NWAlliance.net. Thank you.

Results

This section quantifies the number of years it will take the fleet to recover the incremental vehicle, fueling-, and maintenance-infrastructure costs associated with converting from Diesel to CNG/RNG or battery-electric fuel technology. It also estimates potential financial savings or losses and GHG reductions associated with the conversion from Diesel to the listed alternative fuels. Again, these are estimates, only, and we strongly encourage preparation of a fleet-specific analysis prior to committing to a fuel switch from Diesel to alternative fuels.

"CI," or "Carbon Intensity," is a scale that indicates the relative carbon intensity of fuel, where fossil-based diesel has a CI score of approximately 101; traditional gasoline has a CI score of roughly 97, and alternative fuels have CI scores that vary from roughly -250 for dairy-derived Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) to approximately 80 for fossil-derived natural gas.

RINs, or "Renewable Identification Numbers," are generated when biomass-derived transportation fuels are produced and registered with the US Environmental Protection Agency's Renewable Fuel Standard. Approximately 1.5 RINs are earned when one Diesel Gallon Equivalent (DGE) of biomass-based fuel is used as transportation fuel. Conservatively, RINs may be sold for $2 each, and fleets may earn a percentage of the revenue from the sale of RINs, e.g.: 5%. This additional revenue can help to cover costs associated with fleet conversion.

States like California, Oregon, and Washington have Low Carbon Fuel Standards. Oregon's program is the Clean Fuels Program (CFP), and Washington's program is the Clean Fuel Standard. Under these programs, the overall CI score of each state's transportation fuel must decrease over time. To meet these goals, low-carbon fuels, like RNG and some forms of hydrogen, are introduced into states' transportation fuel mix. Companies that produce and fleets that use low-carbon fuels earn credits for producing and using low-carbon fuels. Producers and importers of fossil-based transportation fuels must buy these credits to ensure that the CI score of their overall fuel mix meets each state's standard. For purposes of this online calculator, the value of CFP credits under Oregon's Clean Fuels Program is $140 per metric tonne (MT) of GHG reductions. Regarding Washington's Clean Fuels Standard, we have estimated the credit value at $50 per MT. These values change regularly. For example, as we write this, the value of Oregon's CFP credits is greater than $160 per MT. Because Washington state's Clean Fuels Standard is so new, credit values are not yet clearly understood.

The AFTC, or "Alternative Fuel Tax Credit," is earned when certain low-carbon fuels, including RNG, are used as transportation fuel. One AFTC is earned for each Gasoline Gallon Equivalent (1 GGE = approximately 125,000 BTUs), and each AFTC earns the fleet $0.50 – either as a tax credit or as a cash payment. The US Congress must periodically renew the AFTC program.