NGV America sums up market in 2014

Across the entire year 2014 in the USA 18 thousand NGVs were manufactured and sold. The biggest growth ocurred in the heavy duty vehicle segment, where sales soared by 30 percent compared to 2013. This means 2000 more heavy-duty NGVs were sold in 2014.

© NGV AmericaMethane-powered heavy-duty vehicles, including refuse trucks, are on the rise in the US

The growth is the result of rising demand for garbage collection trucks, more orders from the public transit sector (city buses) and the availability of the new Cummins Westport ISX-12G methane engine. 2014 was the first full year of the unit's sale and it is used in many heavy-duty applications by various manufacturers of trucks and buses.

Also the medium-duty sector enjoyed a considerable growth in demand (24 percent), although production of vehicles of this category remains limited. Sales have dropped remarkably in the light-duty vehicle sector (by 34 percent). This is primarily due to fewer orders from the oil and gas search and extraction industry, which was the spiritus movens of sales of light-duty vehicles in 2012 and 2013. The decline means in 2014 the market absorbed by 3500 fewer vehicles of that category.

Sales decrease was directly linked to crude oil price drops and, as a consequence, cheaper conventional fuels (petrol and diesel). The price drop trend began in June 2014 and lasted throughout the remaining months of the year. The 6,5 percent overall decline in NGV sales meant 1250 fewer vehicles were sold. However, analysts believe the lookout is positive and in 2015 production and sales will either remain stable or even grow by a small margin.