WESTLAKE, Ohio -- TravelCenters of America LLC has added liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueling to its TA travel centers in Baytown, Texas, and Lafayette, La.
The chain, based in Westlake, Ohio, partnered with LNG supplier Royal Dutch Shell in 2013 to develop a network of LNG fueling locations, in phases, at its TA and Petro travel centers across the country. The goal is to open 100 sites with at least two lanes of LNG and storage. The first LNG fueling site opened in 2014 at a Petro travel center in Ontario, Calif.
TravelCenters has also upgraded six facilities to offer service and repair on LNG- and compressed natural gas (CNG)-fueled trucks. These locations include the TAs in Baytown and Lafayette, as well as those in Harrisburg, Pa., San Antonio, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. A Petro in Ontario, Calif., also now offers the service. These joins facilities in Pennsylvania and Texas that also added natural-gas truck repair services in 2014.
“We are very happy to have opened our Baytown and Lafayette LNG lanes,” said Tom O’Brien, president and CEO of TravelCenters. “All of our LNG lanes are ‘super lanes’ in that they are equipped to dispense LNG, diesel and DEF [diesel exhaust fluid]. Because super lanes are integrated with existing fuel lanes, we do not interrupt truck traffic flow, or reduce available truck parking spaces. We now have six truck repair and maintenance facilities that perform repair and maintenance on LNG and CNG vehicles.”
“It is great to see LNG fuel now being offered at these two additional travel centers,” said Elen Phillips, vice president of fuels sales and marketing for North America at Royal Dutch Shell. “LNG can be a good choice for truck owners and more are making the switch to LNG. With each new site, we are pleased to be driving the development of safe and cost-efficient LNG fueling technology.”
TravelCenters of America operates in 43 states and Canada under the TA and Petro Stopping Centers brands. It has 254 full-service locations off interstate highway exits, offering diesel and gasoline fueling services, more than 500 full- and quick-service restaurants, 24-hour c-stores, heavy-truck maintenance and other services. It also operates convenience stores primarily under the Minit Mart brand name.
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