Marion County CNG Installation Seminar

OCALA, Fla. — Marion County CNG Installation Seminar

When:  Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012

Time:   8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Where:  Marion County Fleet Management

3330 SE Maricamp Road, Ocala

To attend please contact Fleet Management at 352-671-8570 by December 14.

Marion County is making a change to its fleet that will lead to significant savings, and it wants to show others how they can be part of the new trend that's driving those savings.

Local businesses and other interested parties will have that opportunity at a CNG (compressed natural gas) installation seminar hosted by Marion County Fleet Management later this month.

At the event, local garages and vendors will have the opportunity to view a live demonstration of a 2012 Chevy Silverado being converted to run on CNG. The demo will provide local businesses an inside view to future work in the areas of CNG installation, inspections and repairs. The seminar is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. and will be held at Marion County Fleet Management (3330 SE Maricamp Road, Ocala). To attend, please contact Fleet Management at 352-671-8570 by Dec. 14.

Marion County is converting a portion of its fleet to run on CNG - a move estimated to save at least $175,000 in fuel costs in just the first year (a savings of anywhere from $2,500 to $15,000 in fuel per CNG-friendly vehicle). Additional savings would continue to be realized as petroleum prices increase past the $3.26 per gallon ($3.56 per gallon diesel) mark. The county's initial plans are to convert high fuel-usage vehicles to use CNG and purchase CNG-fueled vehicles as older units are retired.

The county also expects reduced vehicle repair and maintenance costs through the transition. Natural gas is considered the most clean of all fossil fuels, which allows CNG-fueled vehicles to have longer oil change intervals and a prolonged engine life due to the vehicles not being exposed to the destructive carbon by-products that come from diesel and gasoline fuels.

WFTV