
One of the most popular topics at this year's ACT Expo was natural gas fueling, specifically the growing market for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
Fuel systems from Hexagon Agility and Cummins' new X15N engine make natural gas and RNG/CNG highly attractive options for long-haul duties as fleets seek reliable and proven alternatives to traditional diesel.
[Related: North America's 500th RNG facility now operational, trucking responds]
So it should come as little surprise that the C/RNG industry has taken note.
Houston-based Freedom CNG has just announced its acquisition of ComTech Energy, a company that specializes in mobile refueling for low-carbon fuels. Freedom, already a major provider and distributor of C/RNG in North America, was motivated to make the purchase because of ComTech's on-site refueling tech.
Freedom CNG
ComTech, per its press release, also specializes in standardizing gaseous fueling infrastructure, and accelerating the speed of deployment, primarily amongst blue-chip customers in the heavy-duty transportation sector.
The acquisition also sees ComTech's former president, James Ro, coming aboard Freedom as its chief commercial and strategy officer.
"This partnership with Freedom provides the ideal platform to significantly scale our vision for RNG distribution," said Ro. "The strategic resources and growth capital they bring allow us to quickly build out our RNG hub-and-spoke infrastructure model and drive the accelerated adoption of RNG for heavy-duty transportation."
Freedom now offers a hub-and-spoke infrastructure model with on-site refueling services to its fleet customers who can access over 25 C/RNG fueling stations and more than 60 operations and maintenance sites throughout the continent.
[Related: Clean Energy's new RNG production facility requires over 2,000 cows]
"As we expand our footprint in low‑carbon fuel solutions, acquiring ComTech Energy marks an important step in enhancing our ability to deliver efficient, innovative fueling infrastructure," said Nick Kurtenbach, President and CFO of Freedom CNG. "By integrating ComTech’s assets and expertise, we can provide end-to-end infrastructure support and deliver turnkey fueling solutions for commercial fleets, municipalities, and other high-volume fuel users. In short, it allows us to offer a more comprehensive suite of solutions that support the transition to cleaner energy and meet the evolving needs of our customers."