Alternative Energy Invention Cuts Greenhouse Gases and Fuel Usage
Farmington, New York, June 1, 2021 – Leonard’s Express of Farmington announced today that it has adopted a new source of alternative energy for its national fleet of long-haul diesel trucks and has already begun installations. The source of this exciting new technology is SPI.Systems Corporation. It’s called the SPI Exhaust Reaction SystemTM, or “SPIER” (pronounced “spear”) for short. Leonard’s is already receiving national recognition for its commitment to protecting the environment while also reducing operating costs by joining the SPI Green Adopter Program.
Ken Johnson, Leonard’s CEO, saw the potential of this invention two years ago and nurtured its development by SPI.Systems, loaning his trucks for testing at Regional International Truck and Trailer in Henrietta, New York. SPI CEO Jack Schickler, a retired General Motors engineering executive, teamed up with Johnson and Jim Carello, the Dealer Principal of Regional, to invent and patent SPIER. He also engaged the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) for engineering trials. Now, SPI is marketing SPIER across North America, with the goal of offering it worldwide.
Schickler explains that the system is based upon altering the chemistry of combustion through reuse of the exhaust gases that are currently being wasted. Its sustainability comes from reducing that waste while cutting emissions and boosting fuel economy. Schickler states, “The chemical engineering has created an energy release in the engine that has a potential 300 times that of normal combustion, and it’s all free, and has always been there for us to employ.”
Ken Johnson endorses SPIER wholeheartedly. “Expanding the evaluation makes a lot of sense to us. We have been very impressed with the results in our initial pilot evaluation. Between the fuel savings and the maintenance reduction from the significant reduction in emissions, we fully expect to see the product pay for itself in under 18 months, and possibly under a year.” Leonard’s operates over 650 long-haul trucks across the U.S. and Canada. Johnson is also very active in several state and national industry groups.
Jim Carello is a co-inventor of SPIER and is Chairman of the Dealer Council for Navistar, Inc. “It’s been rewarding to see our joint testing efforts over the last two years result in such a great win, with benefits to both the U.S. economy and the environment,” said Carello.
Dan Smith, Senior Program Manager at the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute at RIT, comments, “We were pleased to work with SPI.Systems on an evaluation of its SPIER System™. Our testing and analysis showed an 18 percent fuel economy gain in highway testing of Class 8 trucks with the SPIER System™ installed, versus the baseline system.” The New York State Center of Excellence in Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing at RIT is now working with SPI to develop a lab-based “virtual truck” test system for optimizing the SPIER application to specific truck configurations. Mike Thurston, Director of the Center of Excellence, indicated that SPIER is the type of technology that the Center likes to support, with high potential to reduce environmental impacts and also stimulate economic growth in New York state.
The potential impact upon global warming and improvement in air quality is enormous. In North America alone, diesel-powered trucks deliver over 80 percent of commercial freight. More than 90 percent of the diesel fuel that is burned in the United States is done by truck and bus transportation. Schickler explains, “SPI.Systems foresees reducing that usage by over 15-20 percent, depending upon the application.”
To learn more, please visit www.spicorp.com/about-us.
About Leonard’s Express Leonard’s Express is a family-owned asset-based transportation provider in Farmington, New York with offices located throughout the United States. We provide transportation solutions for a wide range of customers that encompass many industries. With our nationwide footprint of offices, we are prepared to tailor a solution to fit your specific supply chain needs.
With our state-of-the-art technology and dedicated staff, Leonard’s Express is willing and able to provide you and your company with dependable, diversified, and creative solutions that are responsive and cost-effective.
For more information, please visit www.leonardsexpress.com.
Media Contact
Michael Riccio
Chief Marketing Officer
Leonard’s Express
mike.riccio@leonardsexpress.com