The Natural Gas Fuel System Laboratory (NGFSL) was established in 2016 supported by Agility Fuel Solutions. 

The research at NGFSL aims at increasing the use of natural gas for clean and low-carbon energy, particularly at increasing the penetration of CNG into the transportation sector.

For the past few years, natural gas has been at the heart of energy discussions across the world. It is believed that natural gas can play a significant role in reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and act as a “bridge” to a low-carbon future. The global use of natural gas is also driven by multiple concerns such as air quality in urban areas and energy security.

Given the increasing energy demand and high greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions associated with conventional fossil fuels, the transportation sector is a key market for natural gas in the world. Environmental analysis has shown that shifting to natural gas can significantly reduce GHG emissions. The benefits of using natural gas are particularly important for high-mileage medium and heavy-duty vehicles that operate in return-to-base and corridor fleets. The potential natural gas vehicles (NGVs) include line haul trucking (fleets), refuse trucks, return- to-base trucks, and transit buses, for which compressed natural gas (CNG) offers a significant opportunity.

To increase the penetration of CNG into the transportation sector, the development of CNGV (compressed natural gas vehicle) technologies is essential. One important technology is the fast-fill of CNG on-board fuel systems. The research conducted at the Compressed Natural Gas Lab aims at developing CNG fuel systems with higher refueling efficiency.