Hexagon Agility has opened a new assembly and installation plant in Rialto, Calif., doubling its output capacity and ramping up production of compressed natural gas (CNG) and renewable natural gas (RNG) fuel systems.

The move addresses growing demand from the heavy-duty truck and refuse sectors, fueled by stricter CO2 regulations and the rollout of Cummins’ X15N natural gas engine.

“We will do system integration, system installations, system manufacturing onto renewable natural gas vehicles for the state of California,” said Eric Bippus, executive vice-president of sales and systems engineering at Hexagon Agility, while talking to TruckNews.com during the facility’s grand opening on Nov. 21.

Meeting increasing demand for cleaner fuel systems

The combination of increased emissions regulations and the X15N natural gas engine has the potential to triple the heavy-duty truck market for natural gas over the next two years.

Hexagon Agility’s new plant plans to support the demand as the company estimates that market will grow from 110,000 vehicles today to 330,000 in 2025.

“We plan to do between 80 and 100 vehicle installations per month, primarily that will be operated in the state of California, where natural gas in the pipeline is approximately 98% renewable,” Bippus said. “[This is] in addition to anywhere from 15 to 25 or 30 roof-mounted transit systems that we will build here and then ship to OEMs around the country.”

He also said that RNG-powered vehicles offer a one-to-one equivalency with diesel vehicles, unlike other clean solutions that require “1.5 or maybe two” trucks to replace one powered with diesel.

Bippus called RNG a great opportunity for the trucking segment, which can be a carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative energy source, while allowing fleets to maintain normal business operations.

The new Rialto plant — one of the company’s five facilities in North America — replaces Hexagon’s previous one in Fontana, Calif., doubling its output capacity.

This expansion builds on Hexagon Agility’s FleetCare network, which includes a Salisbury, N.C., service and installation facility that opened in 2023.

“With our expanded production capabilities, our team is growing in both the Salisbury and Rialto markets. We pride ourselves on our operational resilience and responsiveness to new market opportunities. We are ready to meet the future,” said Hans Peter Havdal, chief executive officer of Hexagon Agility.

“RNG significantly reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and nitrogen oxides (NOx) compared to other clean energy solutions. With abundant natural gas pipeline infrastructure in the U.S., RNG is a scalable solution offering a positive ROI for heavy-duty fleets and the planet.”

Hexagon Agility’s systems are already being piloted by major U.S. fleets and OEMs which began producing X15N-equipped trucks earlier this year.

Bippus said partnerships include Peterbilt, Kenworth, Battle Motors, and Freightliner. Fleets like WM, Food Express, Talon Logistics, and UPS are among those piloting the technology.

WM – formerly Waste Management – said that Hexagon Agility’s expanded facility will make significant impact on its operations.

“This facility expanded helps support the over 2,000 natural gas vehicles that we have running inside the state of California, all of which have been running on 100% RNG for many, many years. It also helps support the over 13,000 vehicles that we have running natural gas vehicles in the United States and Canada,” said Marty Tufte, WM’s corporate fleet director, during the opening event, adding that WM’s fleet has been running natural gas trucks for more than 20 years.

“We speak from experience [when we say], the water is fine. Come on in.”