Southern California Gas Company Celebrates First Public Access CNG Fueling Station

April 29th, 2014 by Fiedler Group

There are currently more than 4,000 vehicles in the Southern California Gas Company fleet; 23 percent of those are CNG (compressed natural gas) vehicles. And by the year 2016, that figure will rise to 45 percent.

Following customer research campaigns in 2011, Southern California Gas Company laid plans to construct new — and upgrade existing — public access stations to encourage CNG vehicle adoption.

Up until recently, the Gas Company did all of their fueling “behind the fence” – private fleet fueling only – at nineteen CNG refueling stations, serving more than 1,000 NGV vehicles, with eleven of these stations open to the general public.

This month, Southern California Gas celebrated the opening of its first company-branded, public access CNG fueling station in Lancaster. Located at 44416 Division St.

This new retail station takes the Southern California Gas Company fuel offering to a new level, providing a true branded retail fueling experience, which is easily accessible to the general public.

Open 24-hours a day, this modern facility features a branded fuel canopy with a fast-fill dispenser and two dispenser hoses powered by a natural gas compressor to serve individual and fleet owners of natural gas vehicles. Additional site amenities include customer friendly nozzles, energy-efficient LED signage, and a drought-tolerant landscape design.

The cornerstone of the CNG vehicle adoption plan (which actively leveraged government incentives) recognizes with more CNG stations available (public access included), there would be more locations for vehicle operators to refuel CNG-powered vehicles.

What’s more, with the average price of natural gas holding near $2 per gasoline gallon equivalent, drivers of gasoline-powered vehicles may find the 50 percent cost savings an attractive feature of natural gas vehicles.

Based on our firm’s long standing reputation in the alternative fuel industry, Southern California Gas Company approached Fiedler Group to assist them with site design for new retail CNG fueling stations in Murrieta and the Company’s operating base in Lancaster, as well as retail fueling branding assistance for their public CNG fueling rollout.

Working jointly with Bedrock Consulting, Fiedler Group provided Southern California Gas Company with retail fueling image guidelines for free-standing identification signage, fuel canopies, dispenser elevations, and island amenities.