Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Chesapeake converts Oklahoma vehicle fleet to run on natural gas

Chesapeake Energy Corp. has completed the first phase of its plan to convert its vehicle fleet to run on natural gas, with 800 trucks in its Oklahoma fleet now running on the alternative fuel.

BY JAY F. MARKS Oklahoman    0
Published: April 6, 2011
Chesapeake Energy Corp. has reached a milestone in its quest to convert its 4,200-vehicle fleet to run on compressed natural gas, the company announced Tuesday.  
Change helps Okarche companies
OEM Systems Inc. handled all of the conversions for Chesapeake, officials said.
OEM is the sister company of Okarche’s Carter Chevrolet Agency. General Manager John Luber said increased interest in compressed natural gas has allowed the two companies to increase their workforce by about 40 percent.
In the past, mainly commercial entities were interested in switching to CNG, but lately more people have been asking about the conversion process, Luber said.
“With the price of gasoline going up and up every day, there are more and more people getting on board,” he said.
OEM can convert up to 50 vehicles a week to run on CNG, Luber said.
Chesapeake’s 800th natural gas vehicle was completed last week, meaning the company’s entire Oklahoma fleet has been modified to run on the alternative fuel.
CEO Aubrey K. McClendon announced the company’s plan to switch to CNG in May. Chesapeake intends to convert its entire fleet by 2014.

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