July 17, 2015
Chula Vista Press ReleasesMarine Group Converts Vehicles to Electric Fleet
Meets Port and City’s Green Business Tier Goals
(Chula Vista and National City, CA, July 17, 2015): Marine Group Boat Works, LLC, (“Marine Group”) a San Diego-based family-owned boatbuilder, developed and implemented an eco-friendly transportation plan which has since resulted in a conversion of a fleet of vehicles to electric power and reductions in emissions of several pieces of industrial equipment. (Watch the video here)
The 2013 expansion to its second location in San Diego, a five-acre boatyard in National City, shifted the way Marine Group scheduled and allocated its resources. The most efficient method that would maintain its quality standards was to dispatch its in-house tradesmen to National City depending on the project or task at hand, thus making its 15-acre Chula Vista facility its headquarters.
These days, the preferred method of transport at both the National City and Chula Vista boatyards is the choice of five electric cars which can be used to shuttle employees between the facilities. Marine Group’s unique concierge services to its Customers also keep these cars busy, at the rate of about 12,000 miles per year each.
Replacing the standard pickup trucks, which got 14 miles per gallon of gas, the new electric cars save approximately 3,571 gallons of gas per annum. The resulting annual reduction of mono-nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions amounts to roughly 50 tons.
The use of alternative fuels has been one of Marine Group’s top priorities. They have, for example, completed Navy contracts for vessels that are 100% bio-fuel capable, with zero discharge and ability to cold iron. In its portfolio of designs, they have vessel concepts that explore various electric and hybrid technologies that would result in a reduction in fuel consumption and the overall carbon footprint.
For years, Marine Group has been committed to making their full-service San Diego boatyards more environmentally friendly. The company participates with other green-business members in the annual San Diego Port Tenants Operation Clean Sweep to remove tons of trash deposited in local waters. The most recent effort held in September 2014 to clean in and around Chula Vista wetlands resulted in a collection of 20.69 tons of biodegradable waste and 0.56 tons trash to the landfill.
Most recently, Marine Group caught the attention of the Port’s Green Business Network for its work on converting several pieces of equipment from diesel to electric power. For example, Marine Group’s outdated air compressors required the use of four generators, which consumed 25,000 gallons of fuel per year. The converted compressor now operates on an electric variable frequency drive, which allows the energy production to fluctuate according to the actual current needed at the time of use, and therefore uses less energy when the compressor is idle.
San Diego Boatbuilder Converts Fleet of Vehicles to Electric Power
Meets Port and City’s Green Business Tier Goals
Infographic
