Sagepoint's Sustainable Expansion: 60 RNG Trucks Powering the Future of Heavy-Duty Transport
Newly formed “green fleet” trucker-biofuels company Sagepoint Logistics is opening the gate with the acquisition of 60 heavy-duty Freightliners powered by the Cummins X15N engine.
The Cummins engines will be fueled with renewable natural gas (RNG) produced by sister company SagePoint Energy. SagePoint was formed last year with the merger of Dynamic Renewables, BC Organics and National Organics.
“This investment is a pivotal step in our evolution,” said Aaron Johnson, CEO of Sagepoint Energy, in a statement. “We aren't just acquiring trucks; we are establishing a new model for doing business in both the energy and heavy-duty trucking markets. By pairing the most advanced engine technology in the world with our own RNG production, Sagepoint is achieving a level of vertical integration that provides our partners with unmatched reliability and environmental stewardship at a low and predictable cost.”
The Cummins X15N is a next-generation 15-liter natural gas engine purpose-built for heavy-duty and long-haul applications. It promises to deliver the torque—at up to 1,850-lb-feet—and reliability required for those types of routes and loads, but the decarbonization in using RNG is designed to reduce emissions impacts and operational costs.
Indiana-based SagePoint will source the materials for RNG from both dairy waste and landfills through partnerships with farms and municipalities. RNG production has some carbon emissions but reduces methane emissions, which many scientists consider to be multiple times more harmful to the atmosphere and climate.
The fleet expansion is being spearheaded by Curt Reitz, Vice President of Logistics, who joined Sagepoint in January. A veteran with over 30 years in the sector, Reitz has a storied track record of scaling 100% CNG-powered fleets.
"These first 60 trucks will be 2027 Freightliner Cascadia models, purchased from our trusted supplier Truck Country in Kaukauna, Wisconsin," said Reitz. "The trucks offer the latest technology and reliability our drivers and customers expect while providing a cleaner, more cost-effective alternative to diesel fleets. We are creating a premier environment for professional drivers while delivering on our promise to our partners."
Prior to the merger, Dynamic Renewables developed and constructed six anaerobic digestion projects totaling 1.3 billion cubic feet in methane collection annually. BC Organics operated integrated biorefineries which produced low-carbon RNG, fiber bedding and water via partnerships with 11 Wisconsin dairy farms which delivered 900,000 gallons of dairy manure daily.
Cummins manufactures its new model X15N natural gas-ready engines in Busti, New York. The engines come with two-year/250,000-mile warranties. The X15N was designed to boost fuel economy by 10% above the previous natural gas engine model.
“Sagepoint’s investment reflects exactly what the Cummins X15N was designed to deliver—heavy-duty natural gas performance you would expect from diesel, without compromise,” said Mark Jamieson – Director - New Products Pull Business Development at Cummins Inc. “Their decision to deploy the X15N in demanding operations underscores the confidence fleets can have in a platform built to integrate seamlessly into existing duty cycles while unlocking the advantages of lower fuel costs and emissions reductions.”
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Rod Walton, EnergyTech Managing Editor
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For EnergyTech editorial inquiries, please contact Managing Editor Rod Walton at [email protected].
Rod Walton has spent 17 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist. He formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.
Walton earned his Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. His career stops include the Moore American, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Wagoner Tribune and Tulsa World.
EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids. The C&I sectors together account for close to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
He was named Managing Editor for Microgrid Knowledge and EnergyTech starting July 1, 2023
Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.