Item 1A. Risk Factors
An investment in our Company involves a high degree of risk of loss. You should carefully consider the risk factors discussed below and all of the other information included in this report before you make any investment decision regarding our securities. We believe the risks and uncertainties described below are the most significant we face, but additional risks and uncertainties not known to us or that we currently deem immaterial could also be or become significant. The occurrence of any of these risks could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and reputation and could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.
Risks Related to Our Business
Our success is dependent on the willingness of fleets and other customers to adopt our vehicle fuels, which may not occur in a timely manner, at expected levels or at all.
Our success is highly dependent on the adoption by fleets and other customers of our RNG and conventional natural gas vehicle fuels. The market for our vehicle fuels has experienced slow, volatile and unpredictable growth in many sectors. For example, adoption and deployment of our vehicle fuels in heavy-duty trucking has been slower and more limited than we anticipated. Also, other important fleet markets, including airports, refuse, and public transit, had slower volume and customer growth in recent years that may continue. If the market for our vehicle fuels does not develop at improved rates or levels, or if a market develops but we are not able to capture a significant share of the market or the market subsequently declines, our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results would be harmed.
Factors that may influence the adoption of our vehicle fuels, many of which are beyond our control, include, among others: lack of demand for trucks that use our vehicle fuels; adoption or expansion of government policies, programs, funding or incentives, or increased publicity or popular sentiment in favor of vehicles or fuels other than RNG and natural gas, including long-standing support for diesel-powered vehicles, changes to emissions requirements applicable to vehicles and fleets powered by diesel, RNG, natural gas, or other vehicle fuels and/or growing support for renewable diesel, electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles; and limitations on the capabilities of utilities to provide services to meet our requirements. For example, natural gas utilities may be unable to expand piping or provide services for new expansions, and electric utilities may lack the capacity to provide service for our projects; perceptions about the benefits of our vehicle fuels relative to diesel and other alternative vehicle fuels, including with respect to factors such as supply, cost savings, environmental benefits and safety; increases, decreases or volatility in the supply, demand, use and prices of crude oil, diesel, RNG, natural gas and other vehicle fuels, such as electricity, hydrogen, renewable diesel, biodiesel and ethanol; inertia among fleets and fleet vehicle operators, who may be unable or unwilling to prioritize converting a fleet to our vehicle fuels over an operator’s other general business concerns, particularly if the operator is not sufficiently incentivized by emissions regulations or other requirements or lacks demand for the conversion from its customers, drivers, or other stakeholders; vehicle cost, fuel efficiency, availability, quality, safety, convenience (to fuel and service), design, performance and residual value, as well as operator perception with respect to these factors, generally and in our key customer markets and relative to comparable vehicles powered by other fuels; the development, production, cost, availability, performance, sales and marketing and reputation of engines that are well-suited for the vehicles used in our key customer markets, including heavy-duty trucks and other fleets; increasing competition in the market for vehicle fuels generally, and the nature and effect of competitive developments in this market, including improvements in or perceived advantages of other vehicle fuels and engines powered by these fuels; the impact of federal or state laws, orders or regulations mandating new or additional limits on GHG emissions, “tailpipe” emissions or internal combustion engines, including the Advanced Clean Trucks regulation, the September 2020 Executive Order, the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation and the 2021 Executive Order (each as defined below); the availability and effect of environmental, tax or other government regulations, programs or incentives that promote our products or other alternatives as a vehicle fuel, including certain programs under which we generate credits by selling RNG as a vehicle fuel, as well as the market prices for such credits; and emissions and other environmental regulations and pressures on producing, transporting, and dispensing our fuels.
In addition, as our customers and partners react to economic conditions and the potential for a global recession, they may reduce spending and take additional precautionary measures to limit or delay expenditures and preserve capital and liquidity. Reductions in spending, delays in purchasing decisions, lack of renewals, inability to attract new customers,
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uncertainty about business continuity as well as pressure for extended billing terms or pricing discounts, could limit our ability to grow our business and negatively affect our operating results and financial condition.
We are dependent on the production of vehicles and engines in our key customer and geographic markets by manufacturers, over which we have no control.
Vehicle and engine manufacturers control the development, production, quality assurance, cost and sales and marketing of their products, which shapes the performance, availability and reputation of these products in the marketplace. We are dependent on these manufacturers to succeed in our target markets, and we have no influence or control over their activities. A small number of manufacturers, chiefly Cummins, produce engines that use our vehicle fuels. The number of manufacturers making vehicles that use our fuels is limited as well. These manufacturers may decide not to expand or maintain, or may decide to discontinue or curtail, their engine or vehicle product lines for a variety of reasons, including as a result of the cost of development and production as a result of increased tariffs in the U.S. or retaliatory tariffs against the U.S., or adoption or modification of government policies or programs such as the Advanced Clean Trucks regulation, the September 2020 Executive Order, the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation, and the January 2025 Executive Order (as defined below). The limited production of engines and vehicles that use our fuels increases their cost and limits availability, which restricts large-scale adoption, and may reduce resale value, which may contribute to operator reluctance to convert their fleets to vehicles that use our fuels. In addition, some operators have communicated to us that earlier models of heavy-duty truck engines using our fuels have a reputation for unsatisfactory performance, and that this reputation or their first-hand experiences of such performance may be a factor in operator decisions regarding whether to convert their fleets to vehicles that use our fuels. If manufactures of vehicles and engines that use our fuels develop unsatisfactory vehicles or engines, then our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Our RNG business may not be successful.
Our RNG business consists of procuring RNG from projects we plan to develop and own or from projects owned by third-party producers and reselling this RNG through our fueling infrastructure. The success of our RNG business depends on our ability to secure, on acceptable terms, a sufficient supply of RNG; sell this RNG in adequate volumes and at prices that are attractive to customers and produce acceptable margins for us; and sell Environmental Credits we may generate under applicable federal or state programs from our sale of RNG as a vehicle fuel at favorable prices, as well as our ability to appropriately balance supply we take with demand from customers. Our ability to maintain an adequate supply of RNG is subject to risks affecting RNG production, including unpredictable production levels or other difficulties due to, among others, problems with equipment, severe weather, droughts, financial condition or bankruptcy or insolvency of the applicable ADG and LFG source owner, health crises and pandemics, construction delays, technical difficulties, high operating costs, limited availability, unfavorable composition of collected feedstock gas, and plant shutdowns caused by upgrades, expansion, required maintenance, or other operational issues. The agriculture industry generally, and the dairy industry in particular, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may lead to financial and other challenges impacting RNG production levels and potentially our future investments in RNG projects. For example, the dairy farm partner with whom we have contracted for our project in East Valley, Idaho filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2024, which could have a material adverse impact on our RNG production, contractual rights, and investment for that project.
Our ability to balance supply with demand from customers is subject to risk where we are committed to acquire RNG produced by third-party producers that could exceed the level of demand of our customers. If we are unable to maintain an adequate supply of RNG or are oversupplied with RNG versus customer demand, our business, financial condition, and performance could be negatively affected. In addition, increasing demand for RNG will result in more robust competition for supplies of RNG, including from other vehicle fuel providers, gas utilities and other users and providers. If we or any of our RNG suppliers experience these or other difficulties in RNG production processes, or if competition for RNG development projects and supply increases, then our supply of RNG and our ability to resell it as a vehicle fuel could be jeopardized.
Our ability to generate revenue from our sale of RNG or our generation and sale of Environmental Credits depends on many factors, including the markets for RNG as a vehicle fuel and for Environmental Credits. The markets for Environmental Credits have been volatile and unpredictable in recent periods, and the prices for these credits are subject to fluctuations (see “Our Principal Products, Services and Other Business Activities—Sales of Environmental Credits” in
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Part I, Item 1 of this report for more information on the fluctuations in 2024). Additionally, the value of Environmental Credits, and consequently the revenue levels we may receive from our sale of these credits, may be adversely affected by changes to the federal and state programs under which these credits are generated and sold, prices for and use of oil, diesel or gasoline, the inclusion of additional qualifying fuels in the programs, increased production and use of other fuels in the programs, or other conditions. Our ability to generate revenue from sales of Environmental Credits depends on our strict compliance with these federal and state programs, which are complex and can involve a significant degree of judgment. If the agencies that administer and enforce these programs disagree with our judgments, otherwise determine we are not in compliance, conduct reviews of our activities or make changes to the programs, then our ability to generate or sell these credits could be restricted, permanently limited, or lost entirely, and we could also be subject to fines or other sanctions. Any of these outcomes could force us to purchase credits in the open market to cover any credits we have contracted to sell, retire credits we may have generated but not yet sold, reduce or eliminate a significant revenue stream, or incur substantial additional and unplanned expenses. Any permanent or temporary discontinuation or suspension of federal and state programs that provide credits, grants and incentives, such as the AFTC, which expired on December 31, 2024 and has not been renewed, or the Section 45Z Production Tax Credit would also adversely impact our revenue. Moreover, in the absence of programs that allow us to generate and sell Environmental Credits or other federal and state programs that support the RNG vehicle fuel market, or if our customers are not willing to pay a premium for RNG, we may be unable to operate our RNG business profitably or at all.
Our commercial success depends on our ability and the ability of our third-party supply sources to successfully develop and operate projects and produce expected volumes of RNG.
Our specific focus on RNG exposes us to risks related to the supply of and demand for RNG and Environmental Credits, the cost of capital expenditures, government regulation, including increased and/or new tariffs on equipment supply and raw materials, and economic conditions, among other factors. As an RNG supplier we may also be negatively affected by lower RNG production resulting from lack of feedstock, mechanical breakdowns, faulty technology, competitive markets, or changes to the laws and regulations that mandate the use of renewable energy sources.
In addition, other factors related to the development and operation of renewable energy projects could adversely affect our business, including: (i) changes in pipeline gas quality standards or other regulatory changes that may limit our ability to transport RNG on pipelines for delivery to vehicles or increase the costs of processing RNG to allow for such deliveries; (ii) construction risks, including the risk of delay, that may arise because of inclement weather, natural disasters, accidents, labor disruptions, disputes, or increases in costs for or shortages of equipment and construction materials; (iii) operating risks; (iv) weather conditions; (v) financial condition of the applicable source owner, including obstacles to their ability to adequately fund their operations or pay vendors and creditors; (vi) health of the applicable dairy herd; (vii) consolidation in the dairy industry; (viii) budget overruns; (ix) possible liabilities because of unforeseen environmental, construction, technological or other complications; (x) failures or delays in obtaining desired or necessary rights, including leases and feedstock agreements; (xi) diseases and health crises; and (xii) failures or delays in obtaining and keeping in good standing permits, authorizations and consents from local city, county, state and U.S. federal governments as well as local and U.S. federal governmental organizations. Any of these factors could prevent completion or operation of projects, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Acquisition, financing, construction, and development of projects by us or our partners that own projects and divestitures, investments or other strategic relationships, may not commence on anticipated timelines or at all, may not meet expectations, and may otherwise harm our business.
Our strategy is to continue to expand, including through the acquisition of additional projects and by signing additional supply agreements with third-party project owners. From time to time, we and our partners enter into nonbinding letters of intent for projects. Until the negotiations are final, however, and the parties have executed definitive documentation, we or our partners may not be able to consummate any development or acquisition transactions, or any other similar arrangements, on the terms set forth in the applicable letter of intent or at all. The acquisition, financing, construction and development of projects involves numerous risks, including: the ability to obtain financing for a project on acceptable terms or at all; difficulties in identifying, obtaining, and permitting suitable sites for new projects; failure to obtain all necessary rights to land access and use; inaccuracy of assumptions with respect to the cost and schedule for completing construction; inaccuracy of assumptions with respect to the biogas potential, including quality, volume, and asset life;
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delays in deliveries or increases in the price of equipment; permitting and other regulatory issues, license revocation and changes in legal requirements; increases in the cost of labor, labor disputes and work stoppages; potential business, financial stress or bankruptcy of partners or applicable source owners; failure to receive quality and timely performance of third-party or utility services; unforeseen engineering and environmental problems; cost overruns, including as a result of increased and/or new tariffs on equipment supply and raw materials; accidents involving personal injury or the loss of life; and weather conditions, catastrophic events, including fires, explosions, earthquakes, droughts and acts of terrorism, and other force majeure events.
Additionally, we may acquire or invest in other companies or businesses or pursue other strategic transactions or relationships, such as joint ventures, collaborations, divestitures, or other similar arrangements. These strategic transactions and relationships and any others we may pursue in the future involve numerous risks, any of which could harm our business, performance and liquidity, including, among others, the following: (i) difficulties integrating the operations, personnel, contracts, service providers and technologies of an acquired company or partner; (ii) diversion of financial and management resources from existing operations or other opportunities; (iii) failure to realize the anticipated synergies or other benefits of a transaction or relationship; (iv) risks of entering new customer or geographic markets in which we may have limited or no experience; (v) potential loss of our or an acquired company’s or partner’s key employees, customers, vendors or assets in the event of an acquisition or investment; and (vi) incurrence of substantial costs or debt or equity dilution to fund an acquisition, investment or other transaction or relationship, as well as possible write-offs or impairment charges relating to any businesses we partner with, invest in or acquire. Further, our partners, including TotalEnergies, bp and Chevron, may reallocate their resources from RNG to other renewable or low carbon vehicle fuels. Any such action would have a material adverse effect on our plans, results of operations and financial condition.
To secure ADG RNG from new projects we develop, we typically face a long and variable development cycle that requires significant resource commitments and a long lead time before we realize revenue.
The development, design and construction process for ADG RNG projects generally lasts between 12 to 24 months on average. Prior to entering into a letter of intent with respect to an ADG RNG project, we typically conduct a preliminary assessment of whether the site is commercially viable based on our expected return on investment, investment payback period, and other operating metrics, as well as whether the necessary permits to develop a project on that site are available. After entering into a project letter of intent, we perform a more detailed review of the site’s facilities, including a life-cycle assessment, which serves as the basis for the final specifications of the project. Finally, we negotiate and execute contracts with the site owner and other parties. This extended development process requires the dedication of significant time and resources from our personnel, with no certainty of success or recovery of our expenses. Further, upon commencement of operations, it takes about 15-18 months for the project to ramp up to expected production level, receive necessary registrations and approvals from the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and CARB, and begin generating revenue. All these factors, and in particular, expenditures on development of projects that will not generate significant revenue in the near term, can contribute to fluctuations in our financial performance and increase the likelihood that our operating results in a particular period will fall below investor expectations.
Livestock waste and dairy farm projects are dependent on LCFS credits and RINS.
Livestock waste and dairy farm projects are heavily dependent on the LCFS credits and, to a lesser extent, RINs for commercial viability. If CARB reduces the CI score that it applies to waste conversion projects, such as dairy digesters, the number of LCFS credits for RNG generated at livestock waste and dairy farm projects will decline. Additionally, revenue from LCFS credits also depends on the price per LCFS credit. LCFS credit prices are driven by various market forces, including the supply of and demand for LCFS credits, which depends on the demand for traditional and other renewable fuels and mandated CI targets, which determine the number of LCFS credits required to offset LCFS deficits. Fluctuations in the price of LCFS credits or the number of LCFS credits assigned will significantly affect the success of our livestock waste and dairy farm projects. RINs and LCFS Credit prices have fluctuated in recent years and will likely continue to be volatile. A significant decline in the value of LCFS credits could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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We have a history of losses and may incur additional losses in the future.
We have incurred pre-tax losses in the past, may incur losses in the future, and may never sustain profitability, any of which would adversely affect our business, prospects and financial condition and may cause the price of our common stock to fall. Furthermore, historical losses may not be indicative of future losses, and our future losses may be greater than our past losses. In addition, to try to achieve or sustain profitability, we may choose or be forced to take actions that result in material costs or material asset or goodwill impairments. For instance, we have recorded significant charges in connection with our closure of certain fueling stations, our determination that certain assets were impaired because of the foregoing, and other actions. We review our assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable, and we perform a goodwill impairment test on an annual basis and between annual tests in certain circumstances, in each case in accordance with applicable accounting guidance and as described in the financial statements and related notes included in this report. For example, due to a decline in the market price of our common stock, we determined that an indicator of potential goodwill impairment existed as of March 31, June 30, September 30, 2024, and December 31, 2024 and as such, we performed interim goodwill impairment tests during each of the quarters ended March 31, June 30, September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2024 of our single reporting unit.
In addition, changes to the use of our assets, divestitures, changes to the structure of our business, significant negative industry or economic trends, disruptions to our operations, inability to effectively integrate any acquired businesses, further market capitalization declines, or other similar actions or conditions could result in additional asset impairment or goodwill impairment charges or other adverse consequences, any of which could have material negative effects on our financial condition, our results of operations and the trading price of our common stock.
Our plans for hydrogen and electric vehicle stations will require significant cash investments and management resources and may not meet our expectations.
As operators deploy hydrogen powered vehicles, we plan to modify our fueling stations, build additional hydrogen stations, and deliver clean hydrogen. Further, we have the capability to add electric charging at our sites, and we believe our RNG can be used to generate clean electricity to power vehicles. Our plans will require significant cash investments and management resources and may not meet our expectations with respect to additional sales of our vehicle fuels. We have experience constructing hydrogen fueling stations, but such facilities cost significantly more than traditional RNG vehicle fueling stations. In addition, we have not yet added electric charging capability to any of our stations, and the cost of such capability may be significant. We will need to ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements, including obtaining any required permits and land use rights, which could take considerable time and expense and is subject to the risk that government support in certain areas may be discontinued. If we are unable to modify our stations to provide hydrogen or add electric charging to our stations, or if we experience delays in doing so, our stations may be unable to meet our customer demand, which may negatively impact our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results. Additionally, even if we are able to successfully modify our stations to provide hydrogen or electric charging stations, we will be dependent on the manufacturers of hydrogen and electric vehicles to succeed in our target markets, and we will have no influence over their activities. See the risks discussed under “We are dependent on the production of vehicles and engines in our key customer and geographic markets by original equipment manufacturers, over which we have no control,” above and elsewhere in these risk factors.
Increases, decreases and general volatility in oil, diesel, renewable diesel, natural gas, RNG and Environmental Credit prices could adversely affect our business.
The prices of RNG, natural gas, crude oil, diesel, renewable diesel, and Environmental Credits can be volatile, and this volatility may continue to increase. Factors that may cause volatility in the prices of RNG, natural gas, crude oil, diesel, renewable diesel, and Environmental Credits include, among others, changes in supply and availability of crude oil, RNG and other renewable transportation fuels, and natural gas, government regulations, inventory levels, customer demand, price and availability of alternatives, weather conditions, negative publicity about crude oil or natural gas drilling, production or transportation techniques and methods, worldwide economic, military, health and political conditions, transportation costs and the price of foreign imports. If the prices of crude oil and diesel are low or decline, or if the price of RNG or natural gas increases without corresponding increases in the prices of crude oil and diesel or Environmental
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Credits, we may not be able to offer our customers an attractive price for our vehicle fuels, market adoption of our vehicle fuels could be slowed or limited and/or we may be forced to reduce the prices at which we sell our vehicle fuels in order to try to attract new customers or prevent the loss of demand from existing customers. Natural gas and crude oil prices are expected to remain volatile for the near future because of market uncertainties over supply and demand, including due to the state of the world economy, geopolitical conditions, military conflicts such as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, energy infrastructure and other factors. Fluctuations in natural gas prices affect the cost to us of the natural gas commodity. High natural gas prices adversely affect our operating margins when we cannot pass the increased costs through to our customers. Conversely, lower natural gas prices reduce our revenue when the commodity cost is passed through to our customers.
Pricing conditions may also exacerbate the cost differential between vehicles that use our fuels and diesel-powered vehicles, which may lead operators to delay or refrain from purchasing or converting to our vehicle fuels. Generally, vehicles that use our fuels cost more initially than diesel-powered vehicles because the components needed for a vehicle to use our fuels add to the vehicle’s base cost. Operators then seek to recover the additional base cost over time through a lower cost to use our fuels. Operators may, however, perceive an inability to timely recover these additional initial costs if our vehicle fuels are not available at prices sufficiently lower than diesel. Such an outcome could decrease our potential customer base and harm our business prospects.
We face increasing competition from competitors, many of which have far greater resources, customer bases and brand awareness than we have, and we may not be able to compete effectively with these businesses.
The market for vehicle fuels is highly competitive. The biggest competition for our products is diesel because most vehicles in our key markets are powered by these fuels. We also compete with suppliers of other alternative vehicle fuels, including renewable diesel, biodiesel, and ethanol, as well as producers and fuelers of alternative vehicles, including hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. Additionally, our stations compete directly with other natural gas fueling stations and indirectly with electric vehicle charging stations and fueling stations for other vehicle fuels. Many businesses are in the market for RNG and other alternatives for use as vehicle fuel, including alternative vehicle and alternative fuel companies, refuse collectors, industrial gas companies, private equity groups, commodity traders, truck stop and fuel station owners, fuel providers, gas marketers, utilities and their affiliates and other organizations. If the alternative vehicle fuel market grows, the number and type of participants in this market and their level of capital and other commitments to alternative vehicle fuel programs could increase. Many of our competitors have substantially greater customer bases, brand awareness and financial, marketing and other resources than we have. As a result, these competitors may be able to respond more quickly to changes in customer preferences, legal requirements or other industry or regulatory trends; devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products; adopt more aggressive pricing policies; dedicate more effort to infrastructure and systems development in support of their business or product development activities; implement more robust or creative initiatives to advance customer acceptance of their products; or exert more influence on the regulatory landscape that affects the vehicle fuels market. We expect competition to increase in the vehicle fuels market generally. In addition, if the demand for alternative vehicle fuels, including RNG, increases, then we expect competition to also increase. Any such increased competition may reduce our customer base and revenue and may lead to increased pricing pressure, reduced operating margins and fewer expansion opportunities.
We rely on information technology in our operations, and any material failure, inadequacy, interruption, or security failure of that technology could harm our business.
Increased global cybersecurity threats and more sophisticated and targeted computer crime pose a risk to the security of our information systems and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data. There have been several recent, highly publicized cases in which organizations of various types and sizes have reported the unauthorized disclosure of customer or other confidential information, as well as cybersecurity incidents involving the dissemination, theft and destruction of corporate information, intellectual property, cash or other valuable assets. There have also been several highly publicized cases in which hackers have requested “ransom” payments in exchange for not disclosing customer or other confidential information or for not disabling the target company’s computer or other systems. Implementing security measures designed to prevent, detect, mitigate or correct these or other cybersecurity threats involves significant costs. Despite implementing security measures, we have, from time to time, experienced cyberattacks or other cybersecurity incidents that have threatened our data and information systems. It is possible that future cybersecurity incidents could
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materially and adversely affect our business. We cannot provide assurance that our safety and security measures will prevent our information systems from improper functioning or damage, or the improper access or disclosure of personally identifiable information such as in the event of cybersecurity incidents. Any IT security threats that are successful against our security measures could, depending on their nature and scope, lead to the compromise of confidential information, improper use of our systems and networks, manipulation and destruction of data, operational disruptions, and substantial financial outlays. A cybersecurity incident could occur and persist for an extended period without detection, and an investigation of any successful cybersecurity incident would likely require significant time, costs and other resources to complete. We may be required to expend significant financial resources to protect against or to remediate such cybersecurity incidents. In addition, our information technology infrastructure and information systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from natural disasters, power loss and telecommunications failures.
The company relies on third party service providers, software as a service providers, and technologies to operate critical business systems and process sensitive information. Our ability to monitor these third parties’ information security practices is limited, and they may not have adequate information security measures in place, or they may suffer unexpected downtime due to power loss, computer system or data network failures. Any security incident or other type of interruption, our information systems may become disabled or inaccessible, disrupting our operations.
The integration of Internet of Things (“IoT”) and Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) technologies into our business operations presents both significant opportunities and inherent risks. While these technologies offer the potential to enhance efficiency, improve decision-making, and create value, they also expose the company to various operational, cybersecurity, and regulatory risks. The reliance on IoT and AI systems for critical business operations necessitates high levels of system reliability and performance. Any malfunction, failure, or suboptimal performance of these systems can disrupt business activities, resulting in downtime, reduced productivity, and financial losses. Inaccurate, incomplete, or corrupted data can lead to flawed decision-making, inefficiencies, and potential financial and operational risks. IoT and AI systems are vulnerable to cyber threats, including data breaches, hacking, and unauthorized access. A successful cyber-attack can compromise sensitive company information, customer data, and intellectual property, leading to financial losses, legal liabilities, and reputational damage. The use of IoT and AI technologies involves collecting and processing large volumes of personal and proprietary data. Any mishandling or unauthorized access to this data can result in privacy breaches, regulatory penalties, and loss of customer trust. The regulatory landscape for IoT and AI technologies is evolving rapidly. The company must ensure compliance with existing and emerging regulations related to data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity. Non-compliance can result in significant legal and financial penalties and impact business operations
Any failure to maintain proper function, security and availability of the information systems and the data maintained in those systems we use could interrupt our operations, damage our reputation, subject us to liability claims or regulatory penalties, harm our business relationships or increase our security and insurance costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
NG Advantage may not be successful.
NG Advantage provides “virtual pipelines” to transport CNG by truck from compression facilities to pipeline interconnects and to industrial and commercial customer users that do not have direct access to natural gas pipelines. NG Advantage faces unique risks, including among others: (i) it has a history of net losses; (ii) NG Advantage may need to raise additional capital, which may not be available, may only be available on onerous terms, or may only be available from the Company; (iii) the labor market for truck drivers is very competitive, which increases NG Advantage’s difficulty in meeting its delivery obligations; (iv) NG Advantage often transports CNG in trailers over long distances and these trailers may be involved in accidents; and (v) NG Advantage’s CNG trailers may become subject to new or changed regulations that could adversely affect its business. If NG Advantage fails to manage any of these risks, our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, prospects and reputation may be harmed. In addition, we have been a significant source of financing for NG Advantage. If NG Advantage needs to raise additional capital and is not able to obtain financing from external sources, we may need to provide additional debt or equity capital to allow NG Advantage to satisfy its commitments and maintain operations.
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Our station construction activities subject us to business and operational risks.
As part of our business activities, we design and construct vehicle fueling stations that we either own and operate ourselves or sell to our customers. These activities require a significant amount of judgment in determining where to build and open fueling stations, including predictions about fuel demand that may not be accurate for any of the locations we target. As a result, we have built stations that we may not open for fueling operations, and we may open stations that fail to generate the volume or profitability levels we anticipate, either or both of which could occur due to a lack of sufficient customer demand at the station locations or for other reasons. For any stations that are completed but unopened, we would have substantial investments in assets that do not produce revenue, and for any stations that are open and underperforming, we may decide to close the stations. We have nearly completed stations that are not open for fueling operations. Some of these stations are subject to agreements that will expire prior to us being able to open such stations and, as a result, we will incur substantial additional costs and non-cash asset impairments or other charges to remove or abandon equipment located at such stations, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline. For example, our Liquified Natural Gas Fueling Station and LNG Master Sales Agreement with Pilot Travel Centers, LLC (“Pilot”) may expire in August 2025 per its terms, and may not be renewed. If a new agreement is not reached, the Company would abandon and remove its assets located at 55 Pilot stations. In connection with the potential removal of station equipment and site improvements, the Company may recognize up to approximately $55.0 million in accelerated depreciation expense relating to the change in depreciable life of the 55 station assets. Amounts associated with the accelerated depreciation expense would be included in “Depreciation and amortization” at the time the Company decides to abandon the station assets.
We also face many operational challenges in connection with our station design and construction activities. For example, we may not be able to identify suitable locations for the stations we or our customers seek to build. Additionally, even if preferred sites can be located, we may encounter land use or zoning difficulties, problems with utility services, challenges obtaining and retaining required permits and approvals or local resistance, including due to reduced operations of permitting agencies because of health crises, any of which could prevent us or our customers from building new stations on these sites or limit or restrict the use of new or existing stations. Any such difficulties, resistance or limitations or any failure to comply with local permit, land use or zoning requirements could restrict our activities or expose us to fines, reputational damage or other liabilities, which would harm our business and results of operations. In addition, we act as the general contractor and construction manager for new station construction and facility modification projects, and we typically rely on licensed subcontractors to perform the construction work. We may be liable for any damage we or our subcontractors cause or for injuries suffered by our employees or our subcontractors’ employees during the course of work on our projects.
Additionally, increased and/or new tariffs on equipment supply and raw materials, and shortages of skilled subcontractor labor could significantly delay a project or otherwise increase our costs. For example, the Trump Administration has imposed and announced plans to impose broad-based tariffs on imports from many countries, including China, Mexico, and Canada, as well as countries of the European Union, Japan. Such tariffs could cause the cost of procuring material and equipment used in the construction and development of our stations to significantly increase. Further, our expected profit from a project is based in part on assumptions about the cost of the project, and cost overruns, delays or other execution issues may, in the case of projects we complete and sell to customers, result in our failure to achieve our expected margins or cover our costs, and in the case of projects we build and own, result in our failure to achieve an acceptable rate of return. If any of these events occur, our business, operating results and liquidity could be negatively affected.
We have significant contracts with government entities, which are subject to unique risks.
We have, and expect to continue to seek, long-term fueling station construction, maintenance and fuel sale contracts with various government bodies, which accounted for 27%, 30% and 22% of our revenue in 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. In addition to normal business risks, including the other risks discussed in these risk factors, our contracts with government entities are often subject to unique risks, some of which are beyond our control. For example, long-term government contracts and related orders are subject to cancellation if adequate appropriations for subsequent performance periods are not made. Further, the termination of funding for a government program supporting any of our government contracts or any other governmental action that results in reduced support for our government contracts could result in the loss of anticipated future revenue attributable to the contract. Moreover, government entities with which we contract are
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often able to modify, curtail or terminate contracts with us at their convenience and without prior notice, and would only be required to pay for work completed and commitments made at or prior to the time of termination.
In addition, government contracts are frequently awarded only after competitive bidding processes, which are often protracted. In many cases, unsuccessful bidders for government contracts are provided the opportunity to formally protest the contract awards through various agencies or other administrative and judicial channels. The protest process may substantially delay a successful bidder’s contract performance, result in cancellation of the contract award entirely and distract management. As a result, we may not be awarded contracts for which we bid, and substantial delays or cancellation of contracts may follow any successful bids as a result of any protests by other bidders. The occurrence of any of these risks would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Our results of operations fluctuate significantly and are difficult to predict.
Our results of operations have historically experienced, and may continue to experience, significant fluctuations as a result of a variety of factors, including, among others, the amount and timing of our vehicle fuel sales, Environmental Credit sales and recognition of government credits, station construction sales, grants and incentives, such as AFTC, which expired on December 31, 2024 and has not been renewed (for example, we recorded all of the AFTC revenue associated with our vehicle fuel sales made in the first and second quarters of 2022 during the third quarter of 2022); fluctuations in commodity, station construction and labor costs, including as a result of increased and/or new tariffs on equipment supply and raw materials; fluctuations in expenditures and resource commitments due to new ADG RNG project developments; variations in the fair value of certain of our derivative instruments that are recorded in revenue; sales of compressors and other equipment used in RNG production and at fueling stations; the amount and timing of our billing, collections and liability payments; weather and seasonality; and the other factors described in these risk factors.
Our performance in certain periods has also been affected by transactions or events that have resulted in significant cash or non-cash gains or losses. These or other similar gains or losses may not recur, in the same amounts or at all in future periods. These significant fluctuations in our operating results may render period-to-period comparisons less meaningful, such as with respect to periods heavily impacted by effects of the COVID-19 pandemic or periods impacted by non-cash asset impairment charges related to station closures, and investors in our securities should not rely on the results of one period as an indicator of performance in any other period. Additionally, these fluctuations in our operating results could cause our performance in any period to fall below the financial guidance we may have provided to the public or the estimates and projections of the investment community, which could negatively affect the price of our common stock.
A pandemic, epidemic or other infectious disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may adversely harm our business.
Our business may be adversely impacted by a future pandemic or epidemic, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced increased costs on equipment and construction services, and longer lead times on equipment and materials orders. Any future pandemic, epidemic, or infectious disease outbreak could also adversely affected our business through delaying the adoption of our RNG and natural gas vehicle fuels by heavy-duty trucks and/or a delaying increased usage of our vehicle fuels; decreasing the volume of truck and fleet operations, including shuttle buses at airports, refuse trucks, and public transportation generally, and disrupting production of vehicles and engines that use our fuels. Any of the foregoing may result in decreased demand for our vehicle fuels, plant closures, decreased manufacturing capacity, and delays in deliveries, which would negatively impact our business, operations, and financial condition.
Our future success will depend on our ability to attract and retain qualified management, technical, and other personnel.
Our future success is dependent on the services and performance of our executive officers and other key management, engineering, information technology, scientific, manufacturing and operating personnel. The loss of the services of any such personnel could materially adversely affect our business. Our ability to achieve our strategic plans will also depend on our ability to attract and retain additional qualified personnel. Recruiting key personnel in our industry is highly
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competitive and we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. Our inability to attract and retain additional qualified personnel, or the departure of key employees, could materially and adversely affect our strategic plans and, therefore, our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, our inability to attract and retain sufficient personnel to quickly increase production at our facilities when and if needed to meet increased demand may adversely impact our ability to respond rapidly to any new product, growth or revenue opportunities.
Risks Related to Our Indebtedness and Other Capital Resources.
We may need to raise additional capital to continue to fund our business, which could have negative effects and may not be available when needed, on acceptable terms or at all.
We require capital to pay for capital expenditures, operating expenses, any mergers, acquisitions or strategic investments, capital calls related to our joint ventures, transactions or relationships we may pursue, and to make principal and interest payments on our indebtedness. If we cannot fund any of these activities with capital on-hand or cash provided by our operations, we may seek additional capital from other sources, such as by selling assets or pursuing debt or equity financing.
Asset sales and equity or debt financing may not be available when needed, on terms favorable to us or at all. Any sale of our assets to generate cash proceeds may limit our operational capacity and could limit or eliminate any revenue streams or business plans that are dependent on the sold assets. Any issuances of our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock to raise capital would dilute the ownership interest of our existing stockholders. Any additional debt financing we may pursue could require us to make significant interest or other payments. In addition, higher levels of indebtedness could increase our risk of non-repayment, adversely affect our creditworthiness, and amplify the other risks associated with our existing debt, which are discussed elsewhere in these risk factors. Further, we may incur substantial costs in pursuing any capital-raising transactions, including investment banking, legal and accounting fees. On the other hand, if we are unable to obtain capital in amounts sufficient to fund our obligations, expenses, and strategic initiatives, we could be forced to suspend, delay or curtail our business plans or operating activities or could default on our contractual commitments. Any such outcome could negatively affect our business, performance, liquidity, and prospects.
Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition or operating flexibility and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under our credit agreement and other indebtedness we may incur, and we may not generate sufficient cash flow from our business to pay our debt.
On December 12, 2023, we and our wholly-owned direct subsidiary Clean Energy entered into a senior secured first lien term loan agreement (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified, the “Stonepeak Credit Agreement”) with the lenders from time to time party thereto, including certain affiliates of Stonepeak Partners LP (“Stonepeak Partners”), a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets, and Alter Domus Products Corp., as the administrative agent for the lenders and collateral agent for the secured parties, pursuant to which the Lenders funded a $300,000,000 senior secured term loan and committed to making an additional $100,000,000 of delayed draw term loans available for the two-year period after closing. As of December 31, 2024, we had total consolidated indebtedness of $268.1 million, net of debt discount, and we may incur additional debt in the future. Our outstanding and any future indebtedness could make us more vulnerable to adverse changes in general U.S. and worldwide economic conditions, including rising interest rates, regulatory, and competitive conditions, limit our flexibility to plan for or react to changes in our business or industry, place us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt, or limit our ability to borrow or otherwise raise additional capital as needed.
Our payments of amounts owed under our various debt instruments will reduce our cash resources available for other purposes, including pursuing strategic initiatives, transactions or other opportunities, satisfying our other commitments, and generally supporting our operations. Moreover, our ability to make these payments depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors, including those described in these risk factors, and many of which are beyond our control. Our business may not generate sufficient cash from operations to service our debt. If we cannot meet our debt obligations from our operating cash flows, we may pursue one or more alternative measures. Any repayment of our debt with equity, however, would dilute the ownership interests of our existing stockholders. We
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are permitted under the Stonepeak Credit Agreement to incur additional debt under certain conditions. If new debt were to be incurred in the future, the related risks that we now face could intensify. The Stonepeak Credit Agreement requires us and our subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, to comply with a maximum total net leverage ratio, a minimum interest coverage ratio, and a minimum liquidity test. In addition, the Stonepeak Credit Agreement contains certain covenants that limit or restrict our and our subsidiaries’ ability to incur liens, incur indebtedness, dispose of assets, make investments, make certain restricted payments, merge or consolidate, amend our charter documents and certain other agreements, and enter into speculative hedging arrangements. In the event of any default on our debt obligations, the holders of the indebtedness could, among other things, declare all amounts owed immediately due and payable and foreclose on our assets that serve as collateral. Any such declaration could deplete all or a large portion of our available cash flow, and thereby reduce the amount of cash available to pursue our business plans or force us into bankruptcy or liquidation.
Our warranty reserves may not adequately cover our warranty obligations, which could result in unexpected costs.
We provide product warranties with varying terms and durations for the stations we build and sell, and we establish reserves for the estimated liability associated with these warranties. Our warranty reserves are based on historical trends and any specifically identified warranty issues known to us, and the amounts estimated for these reserves could differ materially from the warranty costs we may actually incur. We would be adversely affected by an increase in the rate or volume of warranty claims or the amounts involved in warranty claims, any of which could increase our costs beyond our established reserves and cause our cash position and financial condition to suffer.
Risks Related to Environmental Health and Safety and Governmental and Environmental Regulations
Our business is influenced by environmental, tax and other government regulations, programs and incentives that promote our vehicle fuels, and their modification or repeal could negatively affect our business.
Our business is influenced by federal, state, and local tax credits, rebates, grants and other government programs and incentives that promote or exclude the use of our vehicle fuels. These include various government programs that make grant funds available from the purchase of vehicles and construction of fueling stations or dairy digesters, as well as the AFTC, which expired on December 31, 2024 and has not been renewed, under which we generated revenue for our vehicle fuel sales. Additionally, our business is influenced by laws, rules and regulations that require reductions in carbon emissions and/or the use of renewable fuels, such as the programs under which we generate Environmental Credits.
These programs and regulations, which have the effect of encouraging the use of RNG as a vehicle fuel, could expire or be repealed or amended for a variety of reasons. For example, parties with an interest in gasoline and diesel, electric or other alternative vehicles or vehicle fuels, including lawmakers, regulators, policymakers, environmental or advocacy organizations, producers of alternative vehicles or vehicle fuels, or other powerful groups, may invest significant time and money in efforts to delay, repeal or otherwise negatively influence regulations and programs that promote RNG. Many of these parties have substantially greater resources and influence than we have. Further, challenges to agencies’ rules and regulations and their interpretations of such rules and regulations, and changes in federal, state or local political, social or economic conditions, including as a result of a lack of legislative focus on these programs and regulations or prolonged U.S. government shutdown, could result in their modification, delayed adoption or repeal. For example, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”) contains credits and tax incentives that have been and may in the future be beneficial to us but an executive order issued by President Trump in January 2025 (the “January 2025 Executive Order”) has paused disbursement of certain funds under the IRA and there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to benefit from such credits in the future.
Additionally, in its June 2024 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (the “Loper decision”), the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the longstanding Chevron doctrine, under which courts were required to give deference to regulatory agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous federal statutes. The Loper decision could result in additional legal challenges to regulations and guidance issued by federal agencies applicable to our operations. Further, the Loper decision may result in increased regulatory uncertainty, inconsistent judicial interpretations and other impacts to the agency rulemaking process. We cannot predict which additional measures may be adopted or the impact of current and additional measures on the programs and regulations we rely on, Environmental Credits, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any failure to adopt, delay in implementing, expiration,
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repeal or modification of these programs and regulations, or the adoption of any programs or regulations that encourage the use of other alternative fuels or alternative vehicles over RNG, could reduce the market for RNG as a vehicle fuel and harm our operating results, liquidity, and financial condition.
To benefit from Environmental Credits, RNG projects are required to be registered and are subject to audit.
RNG projects are required to register with the EPA and relevant state regulatory agencies. Further, we qualify our RINs through a voluntary Quality Assurance Plan, which typically takes from three to five months from first injection of RNG into the commercial pipeline system. We also must certify RNG pathways with CARB, which typically takes from 15 to 18 months from first injection of RNG into the commercial pipeline system. Delays in obtaining registration, RIN qualification, and any LCFS credit qualification of a new project could delay future revenues from a project and could adversely affect our cash flow. Further, we may make large investments in projects prior to receiving the regulatory approval and RIN qualification. By registering RNG projects with the EPA’s voluntary Quality Assurance Plan and by establishing RNG pathways under CARB’s LCFS program, we are subject to third-party audits and on-site visits of projects to validate generated RINs and overall compliance with the federal renewable fuel standard and the LCFS. We are also subject to a separate third party’s annual attestation review. The Quality Assurance Plan provides a process for RIN owners to follow, for an affirmative defense to civil liability, if used or transferred Quality Assurance Plan verified RINs were invalidly generated. A project’s failure to comply could result in remedial action, including penalties, fines, retirement of RINs, or termination of the project’s registration, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business could be negatively affected by federal or state laws, orders or regulations mandating new or additional limits on GHG emissions, “tailpipe” emissions or internal combustion engines.
Federal or state laws, orders or regulations have been adopted, such as California’s AB 32 cap and trade law, and may in the future be adopted that impose limits on GHG emissions or otherwise require the adoption of zero-emission electric vehicles. The effects of GHG emission limits on our business are subject to significant uncertainties based on, among other things, the timing of any requirements, the required levels of emission reductions, the nature of any market-based or tax-based mechanisms adopted to facilitate reductions, the relative availability of GHG emission reduction offsets, the development of cost-effective, commercial-scale carbon capture and storage technology and supporting regulations and liability mitigation measures, the range of available compliance alternatives, and our ability to demonstrate that our vehicle fuels qualify as a compliance alternative under any statutory or regulatory programs to limit GHG emissions. If our vehicle fuels are not able to meet GHG emission limits or perform as well as other alternative fuels and vehicles, our solutions could be less competitive. Furthermore, additional federal or state taxes could be implemented on “tailpipe” emissions or on methane emissions generally, which would have a negative impact on the cost of our vehicle fuels, as compared to vehicle fuels that do not generate tailpipe emissions.
In June 2020, CARB adopted the Advanced Clean Trucks regulation, which requires manufacturers to sell a gradually increasing proportion of zero-emission electric trucks, vans and pickup trucks from 2024 onwards. By the year 2045, the Advanced Clean Trucks (the “ACT”) regulation seeks to have every new commercial vehicle sold in California be zero-emissions. Further, in September 2020, the Governor of the State of California issued an executive order (the “September 2020 Executive Order”) providing that it shall be the goal of California that (i) 100% of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks will be zero-emission by 2035, (ii) 100% of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in California will be zero-emission by 2045 for all operations, where feasible, and by 2035 for drayage trucks, and (iii) the state will transition to 100% zero-emission off-road vehicles and equipment by 2035 where feasible. The September 2020 Executive Order also directed CARB to develop and propose regulations and strategies aimed at achieving the foregoing goals. Resulting regulations mandate increasing adoption of zero-emission vehicles. The ACT received a federal EPA waiver from the Biden administration. It is possible that the Trump Administration may withdraw the federal EPA waiver given to California over the ACT. California will face difficulties in implementing the ACT without significant fleet purchase requirements. To succeed, ACT may need to be significantly modified to include low NOx trucks that meet a minimum of 50mg NOx emissions standard as set by CARB’s Omnibus rule.
In April 2023, CARB adopted the Advanced Clean Fleets (the “ACF”) regulation, which requires all public transit truck fleets, including municipal and other governments, be zero emission by 2042. The ACF regulation also sought to
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end the sale of combustion trucks in California in 2036. The ACF did not received a federal EPA waiver and CARB chose to withdraw the ACF’s waiver application in January 2025. As it stands now, ACF can only legally mandate state and local government fleets to purchase ZETs which may be insufficient to sustain the manufacturing numbers required by ACT over time.
Among other things, we believe the intent of the ACT, the September 2020 Executive Order, and the ACF regulation is to limit and ultimately discontinue the production and use of internal combustion engines because such engines have “tailpipe” emissions. Implementation of such regulations and executive actions may slow, delay or prevent the adoption by fleets and other commercial customers of our vehicle fuels, particularly in California. Moreover, other states have enacted, or have taken steps to enact, similar regulations, which may slow, delay, change, or prevent the adoption of our vehicle fuels in those states as well. These actions could result in state funding and incentive programs being directed only to the adoption of zero emission vehicles. In December 2021, President Biden signed an executive order (the “2021 Executive Order”) that directs the federal government to achieve certain goals, including purchasing 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2035 for its fleet of over 600,000 cars and trucks.
Our business is subject to a variety of government regulations, including environmental regulations, which may restrict our operations and result in costs and penalties or otherwise adversely affect our business and ability to compete.
We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the environment, health and safety, labor and employment, building codes and construction, zoning and land use, the government procurement process, any political activities or lobbying in which we may engage, public reporting and taxation, among others. It is difficult and costly to manage the requirements of every authority having jurisdiction over our various activities and to comply with their varying standards. Many of these laws and regulations are complex, change frequently, may be unclear and difficult to interpret and have become more stringent over time. Any changes to existing regulations, adoption of new regulations, or judicial rulings regarding such regulations, may result in significant additional expense to us or our customers. For example, our operations are and will be subject to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, including laws relating to the use, handling, storage, disposal of and human exposure to hazardous materials. Contamination at properties we own or operate, will own or operate, or formerly owned or operated to which hazardous substances were sent by us, are subject to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, which can impose liability for the full amount of remediation-related costs without regard to fault, for the investigation and cleanup of contaminated soil and ground water, for impacts to human health and for damages to natural resources.
Further, from time to time, as part of the regular evaluation of our operations, including newly acquired or developing operations, we may be subject to compliance audits by regulatory authorities, which may distract management from our revenue-generating activities and involve significant costs and use of other resources. Also, we often need to obtain facility permits or licenses to address, among other things, storm water or wastewater discharges, waste handling and air emissions in connection with our operations, which may subject us to onerous or costly permitting conditions or delays if permits cannot be timely obtained. Our failure to comply with any applicable laws and regulations could result in property damage, bodily injury or a variety of administrative, civil and criminal enforcement measures, including, among others, assessment of monetary penalties, imposition of corrective requirements, including cleanup costs, or prohibition from providing services to government entities. If any of these enforcement measures were imposed on us, our business, financial condition, and performance could be negatively affected.
Our operations entail inherent safety and environmental risks, which may result in substantial liability to us.
Our operations entail inherent safety risks, including risks associated with equipment defects, malfunctions, failures, and misuses. For example, operation of LNG pumps requires special training because of the extremely low temperatures of LNG. Also, LNG tanker trailers and CNG fuel tanks and trailers could rupture if involved in accidents or improper maintenance or installation. Further, improper refueling of vehicles that use our fuels or operation of vehicle fueling stations could result in sudden releases of pressure that could cause explosions. In addition, our operations may result in the venting of methane, which is flammable and is a potent GHG. These safety and environmental risks could result in uncontrollable flows of our fuels, fires, explosions, death, or serious injury, any of which may expose us to liability for personal injury, wrongful death, property damage, pollution and other environmental damage. We may incur substantial liability and costs if any such damages are not covered by insurance or are more than our policy limits, or if environmental
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damage causes us to violate applicable GHG emissions or other environmental laws. Additionally, the occurrence of any of these events with respect to our fueling stations or our other operations could materially harm our business and reputation. Moreover, the occurrence of any of these events to any other organization in our vehicle fuel business could harm our industry generally by negatively affecting perceptions about, and adoption levels of, our vehicle fuels.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
A significant portion of our outstanding common stock is owned or otherwise subject to acquisition by three equityholders, each of which may have interests that differ from the Company’s other stockholders andwhich now or in the future may be able to influence the Company’s corporate decisions, including a change of control.
After giving effect to the issuance of the Amazon Warrant and the Stonepeak Warrant (defined below), Total Marketing Services, S.A.S (“TMS”), a wholly owned subsidiary of TotalEnergies, owns approximately 19% of our outstanding shares of common stock as of December 31, 2024. In addition, TotalEnergies was granted certain special rights that our other stockholders do not have in connection with its acquisition of this ownership position, including the right to designate two individuals to serve as directors of our Company and a third individual to serve as an observer on certain of our board committees.
The Amazon Warrant was immediately exercisable by Amazon Holdings for 4.999% of our outstanding common stock when issued. Subject to additional vesting through fuel purchase from the Company pursuant to the Fuel Agreement, the Amazon Warrant will be exercisable for up to 19.999% of our outstanding common stock on a fully diluted basis (determined at the time of issuance), subject to certain anti-dilution provisions, and Amazon Holding’s beneficial ownership will initially be contractually limited to the beneficial ownership limitation unless Amazon Holdings gives the Company 61 days’ notice that it is waiving such limitation.
The Stonepeak Warrant is exercisable at any time after December 12, 2025 for up to 9.999% of our common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise, and Stonepeak’s beneficial ownership will initially be contractually limited to such beneficial ownership limitation unless Stonepeak gives the Company 61 days’ notice that it is waiving such limitation.
TotalEnergies or other current or future large stockholders may be able to influence or control matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors, mergers and acquisitions, or other extraordinary transactions. Large stockholders may have interests that differ from other stockholders and may vote or otherwise act in ways with which the Company or other stockholders disagree or that may be adverse to your interests. A concentration of stock ownership may also have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change of control of our Company, which could deprive our stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock as part of a sale of our Company and could affect the market price of our common stock. Conversely, such a concentration of stock ownership may facilitate a change of control under terms other stockholders may not find favorable or at a time when other stockholders may prefer not to sell.
Sales of our common stock, or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause the market price of our stock to drop significantly, regardless of the state of our business.
All outstanding shares of our common stock are eligible for sale in the public market, subject in certain cases to the requirements of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Also, shares of our common stock that may be issued upon the exercise, vesting or conversion of our outstanding stock options and restricted stock units may be eligible for sale in the public market, to the extent permitted by Rule 144 and the provisions of the applicable stock option and restricted stock unit agreements or if such shares have been registered under the Securities Act. Sales of large amounts of our common stock by large stockholders, or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline, regardless of the state of the Company’s business. Our common stock held by TMS, our common stock underlying the Amazon Warrant, and our common stock underlying the Stonepeak Warrant may be sold in the public market under Rule 144 or in registered sales or offerings pursuant to registration rights held by each stockholder. If these shares are sold, or if it is perceived that they may be sold, in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline.
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The price of our common stock may continue to fluctuate significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
The market price of our common stock has experienced, and may continue to experience, significant volatility. Factors that may cause volatility in the price of our common stock, many of which are beyond our control, include, among others, the following: (i) the factors that may influence the adoption of our vehicle fuels, as discussed elsewhere in these risk factors; (ii) our ability to implement our business plans and initiatives and their anticipated, perceived or actual level of success; (iii) failure to meet or exceed any financial guidance we have provided to the public or the estimates and projections of the investment community; (iv) the market’s perception of the success and importance of any of our acquisitions, divestitures, investments or other strategic relationships or transactions; (v) the amount and timing of sales of, and prices for, Environmental Credits; (vi) actions taken by state or federal governments to mandate or otherwise promote or incentivize alternative vehicles or vehicle fuels over, or to the exclusion of, RNG; (vii) technical factors in the public trading market for our common stock that may produce price movements that may or may not comport with macro, industry or company-specific fundamentals, including, without limitation, the sentiment of retail investors (including as may be expressed on financial trading and other social media sites), the amount and status of short interest in our common stock, access to margin debt, and trading in options and other derivatives on our common stock; (viii) changes in political, regulatory, health, economic and market conditions; and (ix) a change in the trading volume of our common stock.
In addition, the securities markets have from time-to-time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies, but which have affected the market prices of these companies’ securities. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Volatility or declines in the market price of our common stock could have other negative consequences, including, among others, further impairments to our assets, potential impairments to our goodwill and a reduced ability to use our common stock for capital-raising, acquisitions or other purposes. The occurrence of any of these risks could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity and could cause further declines in the market price of our common stock.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity.
We maintain an information security program as part of our enterprise-wide risk management system. Our information security program is managed by our Group Vice President, whose portfolio includes top level oversight of information technology, information security and IT risk management. The Group Vice president is responsible, along with his team, for leading company-wide cybersecurity strategy, policy, standards, architecture, and processes.Our Group Vice President has served in that role since 2012 and has been in cybersecurity related roles for 25 years.Our Group Vice President and IT Director provide periodic updates to our Board of Directors, Audit Committee, and other senior management members. These updates include, among other risk management issues, updates on the Company’s cybersecurity risks and threats, the status of projects to strengthen our information security systems, assessments of the information security program, and the emerging threat landscape.
Our program is regularly evaluated by internal and external experts with the results of those reviews reported to the Board of Directors, Audit Committee, and senior management. We also collaborate with thought leaders in cybersecurity including with key vendors, business partners, cybersecurity and data breach response counsel, and industry participants as part of our continuing efforts to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of our information security policies and procedures. This collaboration allows us to rapidly adopt industry best practices developed through firsthand experience mitigating cyber incidents.
When reviewing potential threats or cybersecurity incidents, our Board of Directors has delegated the authority to the Audit Committee to setup crisis incident management teams comprised of senior management and appropriate specialists. These crisis incident management teams report on an as needed basis to the Audit Committee and full Board of Directors to keep them informed and seek direction where necessary.
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We are not aware of any risks from cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any cybersecurity incidents, which have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect our company, including our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. Refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this annual report on Form 10-K, including “We rely on information technology in our operations, and any material failure, inadequacy, interruption, or security failure of that technology could harm our business,” for additional discussion about cybersecurity-related risks.
Item 2. Properties.
Our corporate headquarters are located at 4675 MacArthur Court, Suite 800, Newport Beach, California 92660, where we occupy approximately 48,000 square feet of office space. Our lease for this facility expires in June 2028.
We own and operate the Boron Plant in Boron, California, approximately 125 miles from Los Angeles. In November 2006, we entered into a 30-year ground lease for the 36 acres on which this plant is situated. The Boron Plant can produce 98.5 million gallons of LNG per year and has a dual tanker trailer loading system and a 1.8 million gallon storage tank that can hold up to 1.5 million usable gallons. The plant had a production utilization rate of 78% and 94% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
We own and operate the Pickens Plant located in Willis, Texas, approximately 50 miles north of Houston. We own approximately 24 acres of land on which this plant is situated, along with approximately 34 acres surrounding the plant. The Pickens Plant can produce 36.5 million gallons of LNG per year and includes a tanker trailer loading system and a 830,000 gallon storage tank that can hold up to 830,000 usable gallons. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2024, the Pickens Plant was offline for maintenance and repairs; hence, the plant had no LNG production in 2023 and 2024.
We own, operate or supply 582 fueling stations in the U.S. and 25 in Canada. Fueling stations are facilities where RNG or conventional natural gas is dispensed in the form of CNG or LNG into the fuel tanks of vehicles for use as transportation fuel. We own station equipment throughout the U.S. (See Note 9) that is used for dispensing CNG or LNG at properties we lease under long-term lease arrangements (See Note 15). Additionally, we operate fueling stations or supply CNG or LNG to fueling stations where our customer owns the fueling station equipment. At these stations, we operate under the following arrangements: (i) provide O&M services on a per gallon or fixed fee basis and do not directly sell CNG or LNG, or (ii) provide O&M services and also have a fuel supply sales agreement for CNG or LNG with our customer.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
From time to time, we may become involved in various legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of our business, including lawsuits, claims, audits, government enforcement actions and related matters. It is not possible to predict when or if these proceedings may arise, nor is it possible to predict the outcome of any proceedings that do arise, including, among other things, the amount or timing of any liabilities we may incur, and any such proceedings could have a material effect on us regardless of outcome. In the opinion of management, however, we are not a party, and our properties are not subject, to any pending legal proceedings that are material to us.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
None.
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information
Our common stock trades on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “CLNE.”
Holders
There were approximately 53 holders of record of our common stock as of February 14, 2025. The actual number of holders of our common stock is greater than this number of record holders and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held in street name by brokers or held by other nominees.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
On March 12, 2020, our Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program of up to $30.0 million (exclusive of fees and commissions) of our outstanding common stock (the “Repurchase Program”). On December 7, 2021, our Board of Directors approved an increase in the aggregate amount of our common stock to be repurchased under the Repurchase Program from $30.0 million to $50.0 million (exclusive of fees and commissions). The Repurchase Program does not have an expiration date, and may be suspended or discontinued at any time. As of December 31, 2024, approximately $26.5 million remained available under the Repurchase Program.
The Repurchase Program does not obligate us to acquire any specific number of shares. Repurchases under the Repurchase Program may be effected from time to time through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, structured or derivative transactions, including accelerated share repurchase transactions, or other methods of acquiring shares, in each case subject to market conditions, applicable securities laws and other relevant factors. Repurchases may also be made under plans set up pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 promulgated under the Exchange Act.
The Company did not repurchase any shares in the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2024. Any share repurchases under the Repurchase Program will require consent from the Company’s creditor, Stonepeak Partners LP, to remain in compliance with covenants under the Credit Agreement.
Performance Graph
This performance graph shall not be deemed “soliciting material” or “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that we specifically request that such information be treated as soliciting material or specifically incorporate it by reference into such a filing. The graph is required by applicable rules of the SEC and is not intended to forecast, predict or be indicative of the possible future performance of our common stock.
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The following graph compares the five-year total return to holders of our common stock relative to the cumulative total returns of the Nasdaq Global Market Index and the Russell 2000 Index. The graph assumes that $100 was invested in our common stock and in each of these indices at the close of market on December 31, 2019 (the last trading day before the beginning of our fifth preceding fiscal year). We chose to include the Russell 2000 Index because it includes issuers with similar market capitalizations and due to the lack of a comparable industry or line-of-business index or peer group, as we are the only actively traded public company whose only line of business is to sell natural gas for use as a vehicle fuel and the associated equipment and services necessary to use natural gas as a vehicle fuel.
Item 6. [Reserved].
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (this discussion, as well as discussions under the same heading in our other periodic reports, are referred to as the “MD&A”) should be read together with our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in this report, and all cross references to notes included in this MD&A refer to the identified note in such consolidated financial statements. This section of the Form 10-K generally discusses 2024 and 2023 items and year-to-year comparisons of 2024 to 2023. Discussions of 2022 items and year-to-year comparisons of 2023 and 2022 that are not included in this Form 10-K can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 29, 2024.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This MD&A contains forward-looking statements. See the discussion about these statements under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” at the beginning of this report.
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Overview
We are North America’s leading provider of the cleanest fuel for the transportation market, based on the number of stations operated and the amount of gasoline gallon equivalents (“GGEs”) of renewable natural gas (“RNG”) and conventional natural gas sold. We calculate one GGE to equal 125,000 British Thermal Units (“BTUs”) and, as such, one million BTUs (“MMBTU”) equals eight GGEs. Through our sales of RNG, which is derived from biogenic methane produced by the breakdown of organic waste, we help thousands of vehicles, from airport shuttles to city buses to waste and heavy-duty trucks, reduce their amount of climate-harming greenhouse gases (“GHG”) from 60% to over 400% based on determinations by the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”), depending on the source of the RNG, while also reducing criteria pollutants such as Nitrogen Oxides, or NOx. RNG is either delivered as compressed natural gas (“CNG”) or liquefied natural gas (“LNG”).
As a clean energy solutions provider, we supply RNG (sourced from third party sources and from our anaerobic digester gas (“ADG”) RNG joint venture project with TotalEnergies S.E. (the “DR JV”) (see Note 3)) and conventional natural gas (sourced from third party suppliers), in the form of CNG and LNG, for medium and heavy-duty vehicles; design and build, as well as operate and maintain (“O&M”), public and private vehicle fueling stations in the United States (“U.S.”) and Canada; develop and own dairy anaerobic digester gas (“ADG”) RNG production facilities; sell and service compressors and other equipment used in RNG production and at fueling stations; transport and sell RNG and conventional natural gas via “virtual” natural gas pipelines and interconnects; sell U.S. federal, state and local government credits (collectively, “Environmental Credits”) we generate by selling RNG as a vehicle fuel, including Renewable Identification Numbers (“RIN Credits” or “RINs”) under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard Phase 2 and credits under the California, Oregon, and Washington Low Carbon Fuel Standards (collectively, “LCFS Credits”); and obtain federal, state and local tax credits, grants and incentives.
At present, we see the best use of RNG as a replacement for fossil-based fuel in the transportation sector. We believe the most attractive market for RNG is U.S. heavy-duty Class 8 trucking and, based on information from the American Trucking Association and our own internal estimates, we believe there are approximately 4.1 million Class 8 heavy-duty trucks operating in the U.S. that use over 40 billion gallons of fuel per year. As of December 31, 2024, we deliver RNG to the transportation market through 582 fueling stations we own, operate or supply in 43 states and the District of Columbia in the U.S., including over 200 stations in California. We also own, operate, or supply 25 fueling stations in Canada as of December 31, 2024.
Critically, to generate the valuable Environmental Credits, RNG must be placed in vehicle fuel tanks. We believe our stations and customer relationships allow us to deliver substantially more RNG to vehicle operators than any other participant in the market – we calculate that we have access to more fueling stations and vehicle fleets than all our competitors combined. As of December 31, 2024, we served over 1,000 fleet customers operating over 50,000 vehicles on our fuels.
Longer term, we plan to expand availability of hydrogen fuel for vehicle fleets. As operators deploy more hydrogen powered vehicles, we can modify our fueling stations to reform our RNG and deliver clean hydrogen to customers. We also believe our RNG can be used to generate clean electricity to power electric vehicles, and we have the capability to add electric vehicle charging at our station sites, although the cost of adding electric vehicle charging capacity may be significant.
Impact of COVID-19, Inflation, Labor Shortage, Material Availability and Interest Rate
The COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse effect on the volume of our sales, which we saw bottom in the second quarter of 2020. The subsequent surge in cases driven by the omicron variant negatively affected the demand recovery for our vehicle fuels in the first quarter of 2022. Since that time, we have seen improvement in volumes in all customer markets, and the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been a significant headwind to our business operations. For more information, see “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this report.
In recent periods, we have experienced increases in commodity and supply chain costs due to inflationary pressures. Additionally, effects stemming from disruptions in labor supply and in supply chains, leading to shortages of certain
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materials and equipment and higher labor costs that have continued to linger to some extent. The future duration and extent of these pressures and effects are difficult to predict. Although we have partially offset these increased costs through price increases for our products and services, our efforts to manage the current inflationary pressure and to recover inflation-based cost increases from our customers may be hampered by the structure of our contracts as well as the competitive and economic conditions of the markets in which we serve. For more information, see “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this report.
As of December 31, 2024, the majority of our debt outstanding represents a long-term loan bearing a fixed rate of interest. Changes in market interest rates do not affect the interest expense incurred from this outstanding long-term debt instrument. However, changes in market interest rates may affect the interest rate and corresponding interest expense on any new issuance of short-term and long-term debt securities. See “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” in Part II, Item 7A of this report for more information.
We believe we have sufficient liquidity to support business operations through this volatile period, including total cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of $217.5 million, excluding current portion of restricted cash, as of December 31, 2024 and $1.0 million of current debt.
Performance Overview
This performance overview discusses matters on which our management focuses in evaluating our financial condition and our operating results.
Sources of Revenue
The following table presents our sources of revenue:
Year Ended December 31,
Product revenue(1):
Volume-related(2)
Change in fair value of derivative instruments(4) 0.5 (0.2) (0.1)
LCFS Credits 12.6 9.9 9.9
Total volume-related product revenue 350.7 343.5 331.5
Station construction sales 22.3 26.4 25.2
Service revenue(7):
Volume-related, O&M services 45.9 52.7 56.9
Other services 1.3 2.6 2.3
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Key Operating Data
In evaluating our operating performance, we focus primarily on: (1) the amount of total fuel volume we sell to our customers with particular focus on RNG volume as a subset of total fuel volume, (2) O&M services volume dispensed at facilities we do not own but where we provide O&M services on a per-gallon or fixed fee basis, (3) our station construction cost of sales, and (4) net income (loss) attributable to us. The following tables present our key operating data for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Certain gallons are included in both fuel and service volumes when the Company sells fuel (product revenue) to a customer and provides maintenance services (service revenue) to the same customer.
Year Ended
Fuel volume, GGEs(1) sold (in millions), December 31,
correlating to total volume-related product revenue 2022 2023 2024
Conventional natural gas 69.6 62.5 60.8
Year Ended
O&M services volume, GGEs(1) serviced (in millions), December 31,
correlating to volume-related O&M services revenue 2022 2023 2024
Year Ended
December 31,
Station construction cost of sales $ 19.4 $ 24.4 $ 24.4
2023 – 2024 Key Developments
TotalEnergies Joint Venture. In the first quarter of 2023, the DR JV began producing RNG and made its first injection into the natural gas pipeline; since then, the production of RNG at the DR JV has continued to ramp up. On June 27, 2023, the DR JV issued a capital call for $11.0 million of additional funding, requiring TotalEnergies and the Company each to contribute $5.5 million. On June 28, 2023, the Company contributed $5.5 million and advanced $5.5 million to the DR JV. The $5.5 million advance was subsequently refunded to the Company by the DR JV in December 2023. Funds from the capital call were primarily used to fund required loan reserves and to paydown outstanding liabilities of the DR JV. bp Joint Venture. The RNG production facility at Drumgoon Dairy was placed into service in the fourth quarter of 2023. This
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RNG project is designed to supply approximately 1.7 million GGEs of RNG annually when at full capacity. As of December 31, 2024, there were five RNG projects in the bp Joint Venture (“bpJV”) that were completed. All RNG produced from projects in the bpJV will be available to us for sale as vehicle fuel pursuant to our existing marketing agreement with bp.
In connection with the capital call issued by the bpJV in December 2021, on June 30, 2022, we paid the remaining outstanding contribution balance of $51.6 million to the bpJV and satisfied our capital contribution commitment under this capital call. On March 30, 2022, the bpJV issued a capital call in the amount of $76.2 million, and, on September 30, 2022, we and bp each contributed $38.1 million to the bpJV in connection with this capital call. On December 20, 2023, the bpJV issued a capital call in the amount of $135.9 million, and, on December 28, 2023, we and bp each contributed $67.95 million to the bpJV. Proceeds from these capital calls are used to develop ADG RNG projects and to fund bpJV’s working capital needs.
Tourmaline Joint Development. On April 18, 2023, we and Tourmaline Oil Corp. (“Tourmaline”) announced a CAD $70 million Joint Development Agreement (the “Tourmaline JDA”) to build and operate a network of CNG stations along key highway corridors across Western Canada. Under a 50-50 shared investment, the construction of these CNG fueling stations will allow heavy-duty trucks and other commercial transportation fleets that operate in the area to transition to the use of CNG, a lower carbon alternative to gasoline and diesel. We are operating a CNG fueling station in Edmonton, Alberta, as part of the Tourmaline JDA and have opened two more stations in the municipalities of Calgary and Grande Prairie in Alberta. We expect to open additional CNG fueling stations in Chilliwack and Kamloops in British Columbia and Fort McMurray in Alberta in 2025, with additional locations being evaluated.
Winter 2022–2023 California Natural Gas Prices. From December 2022 to February 2023, the wholesale prices of natural gas in California spiked to historic levels. The January 2023 monthly index for Southern California settled at $54.31, and Henry Hub settled at $4.71, or 11.5 times higher than the industry benchmark index. December 2022 and February 2023 bookended the historic spike with the Southern California monthly index settled at $15.11 and $13.21, respectively, while Henry Hub settled at $6.71 and $3.11, respectively. These settlement prices reflect the monthly index established during the week leading up to the actual delivery month, also known as the bidweek. Drivers of the price increase were a combination of record below normal temperatures, production freeze-offs, pipeline maintenance, and an accelerated depletion of stored natural gas reserves. As a result, we experienced significantly higher gas supply costs, which affected our fueling stations in California in January 2023 and into February 2023. Although we have partially offset the increased costs through price increases from our customers, not all increased costs were recovered due to the competitive nature and market dynamics of the markets in which we serve. We estimate that the natural gas price spike in California from December 2022 to February 2023 resulted in a reduction in gross profit of approximately $10.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. Since then, we have seen wholesale prices of natural gas in California largely revert to normal levels.
South Fork Dairy Farm Project. On April 10, 2023, an accident resulted in a fire at the South Fork Dairy farm in Dimmitt, Texas, the location of one of our consolidated ADG RNG projects under development. The fire killed the dairy cows and burned down the milking facilities. Our partner, South Fork Dairy, is rebuilding the dairy farm and replenishing the dairy cattle. At the time of the incident, we had not commenced onsite construction activities. Rebuilding efforts were initiated in late 2023. Since then, we have begun to prepare for the construction of the ADG RNG project. In July 2024, the Company broke ground on construction of the RNG production facility at South Fork Farm Dairy. The construction of the digesters and processing plant is expected to be completed in 2025 at a cost of approximately $85 million, which will be home to a 16,000-cow herd with an anticipated 2.6 million GGEs of RNG to be produced annually.
EPA Renewable Fuels Standard Update. On June 21, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced a final rule to establish the renewable volume obligation (“RVO”) for 2023 through 2025, increasing the RVO demand targets by an average of approximately 30% per year over the next three years. We believe this action by the EPA is constructive to the development and use of RNG as a low-carbon fuel for the transportation sector.
Stonepeak Credit Agreement. On December 12, 2023, we entered into a six-year $300 million senior secured first lien term loan (as amended, supplement or otherwise modified, the “Stonepeak Credit Agreement”) with the lenders from time to time party thereto, including certain affiliates of Stonepeak Partners LP (“Stonepeak Partners”), and Alter Domus
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Products Corp., as the administrative agent for the lenders and collateral agent for the secured parties. The Stonepeak Credit Agreement also provides for a two-year delayed draw term loan commitment of an additional $100 million. In addition to repaying existing loans, the Stonepeak Credit Agreement will provide us with capital for new RNG production facilities, as well as the expansion of our fueling infrastructure targeting the heavy-duty truck market. In connection with this transaction, we issued warrants to Stonepeak (the “Stonepeak Warrant”) providing the right to purchase 10 million shares of common stock at an exercise price of $5.50 per share and 10 million shares of common stock at an exercise price of $6.50 per share. The Stonepeak Warrant expires on June 15, 2032 and is exercisable at any time after December 12, 2025. See Note 11 for more information about our outstanding debt and Note 12 for additional information about the Stonepeak Warrant.
AFTC. The IRA reinstated and extended the AFTC incentive for three years through December 31, 2024, which expired on December 31, 2024. Additionally, the executive order issued by President Trump in January 2025 has paused disbursement of certain funds under the IRA and there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to benefit from AFTC in the future.
Joint Development Agreement with Maas Energy Works, LLC. In May 2024, we entered into a joint development agreement (the “Maas JDA”) with Maas Energy Works, LLC (“Maas”) that granted us exclusive rights to acquire, fund and participate in the development of certain ADG RNG production projects at dairy farms. Pursuant to the Maas JDA, we have the option to exercise our exclusive development rights with respect to these projects subject to our due diligence. We will record all the associated income/loss in earnings until a certain rate of return is achieved and then receive 49% of the income/loss in earnings with Maas receiving 51%. We contemplate investing up to $132.0 million of equity capital in production projects in connection with the Maas joint development. RNG produced from the ADG RNG project(s) will be available to us for sale as vehicle fuel. As of December 31, 2024, the Company has invested $33.8 million to the Project LLC.
East Valley Dairy Farm Bankruptcy. In April 2024, the dairy farm partner to an ADG RNG production project located in East Valley, Idaho that is currently under construction by the 50-50 joint venture between us and BP Products North America Inc. (the “bpJV”) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Idaho (the “Bankruptcy Court”). The bpJV is party to contracts with the dairy farm partner to lease land and to receive manure feedstock for the ADG RNG production facility currently in construction.
The dairy farm partner, in accordance with the Bankruptcy Code, had the exclusive right to propose a plan of reorganization for a limited period of time (the “Exclusivity Period”). In December 2024, the Exclusivity Period expired and was not extended. As a result, creditors of the dairy farm partner became eligible to submit competing plans of reorganization.
In February 2025, the dairy farm partner filed a second amended Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan of reorganization, amending the previous Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan of reorganization filed in December 2024 (the “Plan of Reorganization”), which proposes to accept and continue to perform under the contracts with the bpJV. However, the Plan of Reorganization has not been solicited to creditors or confirmed by the Bankruptcy Court. A secured creditor of the dairy farm has filed a competing plan of reorganization, which also contemplates the acceptance and performance of the contracts with the bpJV in most scenarios. This competing plan of reorganization has also not been solicited to creditors or confirmed by the Bankruptcy Court.
At present, substantial uncertainty exists and a wide range of potential outcomes are possible, including taking a loss of a substantial part of our investment due to the outcome of the proceedings. The Company is gathering facts, closely monitoring the bankruptcy proceedings, and assessing possible future developments and alternatives and the bankruptcy’s potential impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Pilot Fueling Station Equipment Removal. In January 2025, we received notice of non-renewal from Pilot Travel Centers, LLC (“Pilot”) of the Liquified Natural Gas Fueling Station and LNG Master Sales Agreement, dated August 2, 2010, which will expire in August 2025 per its terms. If a new agreement is not reached, the Company would abandon and remove its assets located at 55 Pilot stations. In connection with the potential removal of station equipment and site improvements, the Company may recognize up to approximately $55.0 million in accelerated depreciation expense
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relating to the change in depreciable life of the 55 station assets. Amounts associated with the accelerated depreciation expense would be included in “Depreciation and amortization” at the time the Company decides to abandon the station assets.
Debt Level and Debt Compliance
As of December 31, 2024, we had total indebtedness, excluding finance lease obligations, of $300.2 million in principal amount, of which $0.1 million is expected to become due in 2025. Certain of the agreements governing our outstanding debt, which are discussed in Note 11, have certain financial and non-financial covenants with which we must comply. As of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with all of these covenants.
Key Trends
Market for RNG and conventional natural gas as a Vehicle Fuel
According to CARB, RNG and conventional natural gas are cleaner than gasoline and diesel fuel based on the GHG emissions produced by vehicles operated by these fuels. Additionally, RNG and conventional natural gas are generally less expensive for vehicle operators than gasoline and diesel on an energy equivalent basis. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, demand for renewable and conventional natural gas fuels in the U.S. has increased in recent years and is expected to continue to increase. We expect our sales of RNG and conventional natural gas to grow as more companies look to operate in an increasingly sustainable way. In addition to pressure from politicians, regulators and non-governmental organizations, the investment community has dramatically increased demands on companies to diminish their contributions to climate change. We believe that RNG is the best tool available today to reduce climate-harming GHG and meet sustainability objectives.
The market for our vehicle fuels, however, is a relatively new and developing market. As a result, it is difficult to accurately predict demand for our vehicle fuels, in general and in any specific geographic and customer markets, and consequently our timing and level of investment in particular markets may not be consistent with any growth in demand in these markets. Further, the new and developing nature of the market for our vehicle fuels has led to slow, volatile or unpredictable growth in many sectors. For example, to date, adoption and deployment of natural gas vehicles, both in general and in certain of our key customer markets, including heavy-duty trucking, have been slower than we anticipated.
We believe challenging market conditions are caused by a number of factors, including the following:
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In spite of these market conditions, we believe our key customer markets, including heavy-duty trucking, airports, refuse, and public transit, are well-suited for the adoption of our vehicle fuels because they consume relatively high volumes of fuel, refuel at centralized locations or along well-defined routes and/or are facing increasingly stringent emissions or other environmental requirements. We also expect the lower GHG emissions associated with our RNG vehicle fuel will result in increased demand for this fuel, resulting in our continued delivery of increasing volumes of RNG to our vehicle fleet customers. Additionally, we anticipate that, over time, cities and communities in the U.S. and Canada will follow large cities in Europe in banning diesel vehicles. If these projections materialize, we believe there will be growth in the consumption of our vehicle fuels in our key customer and geographic markets, and our goal is to capitalize on this growth if and when it materializes. In that event, we expect our operating costs and capital expenditures would increase in connection with any growth of our business in the future.
Our Performance
Overview. Our gross revenue mostly consists of volume-related product and service revenue and station construction sales. Our revenue can vary between periods due to a variety of factors, including, among others, the amount and timing of vehicle fuel sales, natural gas commodity prices, station construction sales, sales of Environmental Credits, and recognition of government credits, grants and incentives, such as AFTC, which expired on December 31, 2024 and has not been renewed. In addition, our volume-related product revenue has been subject to fluctuations as a result of our entry into certain commodity swap arrangements in October 2018 and ended in June 2024, because the changes in fair value of these and certain other derivative instruments, including existing and anticipated fueling contracts under our Zero Now truck financing program, are included in volume-related product revenue. Furthermore, our volume-related product revenue has been affected by the Amazon Warrant Charges resulting from immediate vesting of a portion of the Amazon Warrant and subsequent vesting associated with fuel purchases made by Amazon and its affiliates.
Our cost of sales can also vary between periods due to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in natural gas commodity prices, station construction and labor costs, as well as the other factors that impact our revenue levels described above.
In addition, our performance in certain periods has been affected by transactions or events that have resulted in significant cash or non-cash gains or losses. Such gains or losses may not recur regularly, in the same amounts or at all in future periods and, with respect to non-cash gains and losses, do not impact our liquidity.
These significant fluctuations in our operating results may render period-to-period comparisons less meaningful, especially given the current uncertainties relating to macro-economic growth and inflation trends, and investors in our securities should not rely on the results of one period as an indicator of performance in any other period. Additionally, these fluctuations in our operating results could cause our performance in any period to fall below the financial guidance we may have provided to the public or the estimates and projections of the investment community, which could negatively affect the price of our common stock.
See “Results of Operations” below for more information about our performance in 2023 and 2024.
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Fuel Volume. The amount of RNG and conventional natural gas, in the form of CNG and LNG, that we sold increased by 3.3% from 2023 to 2024 primarily due to an increase in economic activities and travel generally and growth in our key customer markets.
The amount of RNG we sell as vehicle fuel, which is delivered in the form of CNG or LNG, has continued to experience robust growth, and increased by 4.9% from 2023 to 2024. We believe the increased demand for RNG is attributable to the belief in the dramatic reduction in the amount of climate-harming GHG that can be achieved through the use of RNG and pressure from politicians, regulators, non-governmental organizations and the investment community directed at companies to reduce their contributions to GHG emissions. To the extent demand for RNG continues to increase, we expect our joint ventures with TotalEnergies and bp and our expanded supply agreements to increase our volume-related product revenue due to increased volumes of RNG vehicle fuel sold and increased generation of RINs and LCFS Credits. In addition, such an increase in RNG demand could also result in more robust competition for supplies of RNG, including from other vehicle fuel providers, gas utilities (which may have distinct advantages in accessing RNG supply, including potential use of ratepayer funds to fund RNG purchases if approved by a utility’s regulatory commission) and other users and providers. We expect to invest in production projects to help ensure that we have adequate supply of RNG, and we are pursuing development and ownership of livestock waste ADG projects on our own and with partners including TotalEnergies and bp.
Environmental Credits. When we sell RNG for use as a vehicle fuel, we are eligible to generate RINs and LCFS Credits, which we then seek to sell to third parties.
The markets for RINs and LCFS Credits have been volatile and unpredictable in recent periods, and the prices for these credits have been subject to significant fluctuations. For example, in 2024, market prices for RINs have been as high as $3.57 and as low as $2.08. Additionally, the value of RINs and LCFS Credits, and consequently the revenue levels we may receive from our sale of these credits, may be adversely affected by changes to the federal and state programs under which these credits are generated and sold, prices for and use of oil, diesel or gasoline, the inclusion of additional qualifying fuels in the programs, increased production levels of other fuels in the programs, or other conditions. See the risks discussed under “Our business is influenced by environmental, tax and other government regulations, programs and incentives that promote our vehicle fuels, and their modification or repeal could negatively affect our business,” in Part I, Item 1A of this report for more information. Further, our ability to generate revenue from sales of these credits depends on our strict compliance with these federal and state programs, which are complex and can involve a significant degree of judgment. If the agencies that administer and enforce these programs disagree with our judgments, otherwise determine we are not in compliance, conduct reviews of our activities or make changes to the programs, then our ability to generate or sell these credits could be temporarily restricted pending completion of reviews or as a penalty, permanently limited or lost entirely, and we could be subject to fines or other sanctions. Any of these outcomes could force us to purchase credits in the open market to cover any credits we have contracted to sell, retire credits we may have generated but not yet sold, reduce or eliminate a significant revenue stream or incur substantial additional and unplanned expenses.
Risk Management Activities
From time to time, we enter into fuel sales contracts that require us to sell CNG or LNG to our customers at a fixed price. These contracts expose us to the risk that the price of natural gas commodity may increase above the natural gas commodity cost component included in the price at which we are committed to sell the natural gas to our customers.
In an effort to mitigate the volatility of our earnings related to any futures contracts and to reduce our risk related to our fixed price sales contracts, we operate under a policy pursuant to which we purchase future physical delivery, fixed price contracts to hedge our exposure to variability in expected future cash flows related to a particular fixed price contract or bid. Subject to the conditions set forth in the policy, we purchase physical delivery fixed price contracts in quantities reasonably expected to effectively hedge our exposure to cash flow variability related to fixed price sales contracts entered into after the date of the policy.
Unless otherwise agreed in advance by our Board of Directors and the derivatives committee thereof, we will conduct our futures contract activities and enter into fixed price sales contracts only in accordance with our policy.
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Due to the restrictions of our policy, we expect to offer few fixed price sales contracts to our customers. If we do offer a fixed price sales contract, we anticipate including a price component that would cover our estimated cash requirements over the duration of the future physical delivery fixed price contracts. The amount of this price component will vary based on the anticipated volume and the natural gas price component to be covered under the fixed price sales contract.
In October 2018, in support of our Zero Now truck financing program, we executed two commodity swap contracts with TotalEnergies Gas & Power North America, an affiliate of TotalEnergies, for a total of five million diesel gallons annually from April 1, 2019 to June 30, 2024. These commodity swap contracts were intended to manage risks related to the diesel-to-natural gas price spread in connection with the natural gas fuel supply commitments we have made and expect to make in our current and anticipated fueling agreements with fleet operators that participate in the Zero Now program.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
This discussion is based upon our consolidated financial statements included in this report, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates and may result in material effects on our operating results and financial position.
We believe the critical accounting policies discussed below affect our more significant estimates made in preparing our consolidated financial statements. See Notes 1 and 2 for more information about these and our other significant accounting policies.
Revenue Recognition
In general, revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for the goods or services. To achieve that core principle, a five-step approach is applied: (1) identify the contract with a customer, (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (3) determine the transaction price, (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (5) recognize revenue allocated to each performance obligation when we satisfy the performance obligation. A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer and is the unit of account for revenue recognition.
We recognize revenue on various products and services.
Our volume-related product revenue consists of sales of RNG and conventional natural gas, in the form of CNG and LNG, AFTC incentives, and sales of RINs and LCFS Credits in addition to Amazon Warrant Charges (as defined in Note 12) and changes in fair value of our derivative instruments.
RNG and conventional natural gas are sold pursuant to contractual commitments over defined delivery periods. These contracts typically include a stand-ready obligation to supply natural gas. We recognize fuel revenue in the amount to which we have the right to invoice. We have a right to consideration based on the amount of GGEs of fuel dispensed by the customer and current pricing conditions. Customers are typically billed on a monthly basis. Since payment terms are less than a year, we have elected the practical expedient which allows us to not assess whether a customer contract has a significant financing component.
Our service revenue consists of sales of O&M and other services. O&M and other services are sold pursuant to contractual commitments over defined performance periods. These contracts typically include a stand-ready obligation to provide O&M and/or other services based on a committed and agreed upon routine maintenance schedule or when and if called upon by the customer.
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We recognize O&M and other services revenue in the amount to which we have the right to invoice. We have a right to consideration based on services rendered or on the amount of GGEs of fuel dispensed by the customer multiplied by an agreed-upon rate. Customers are typically billed on a monthly basis. Since payment terms are less than a year, we have elected the practical expedient which allows us to not assess whether a customer contract has a significant financing component.
We sell RIN Credits and LCFS Credits to third parties that need the credits to comply with federal and state requirements. Revenue is recognized on these credits when there is an agreement in place to monetize the credits at a determinable price and the RNG fuel has been sold. The sales price for some environmental credit transactions may not be determinable in the period during which the RNG was sold as pricing is established in the quarter after the RNG was sold. In these circumstances, revenue from RIN and LCFS credits is recognized once the sales price has been established and therefore is considered determinable.
Changes in fair value of derivative instruments relates to our commodity swap and certain customer fueling contracts under our Zero Now truck financing program. The contracts are measured at fair value with changes in the fair value recorded in our consolidated statements of operations in the period incurred. The amounts are classified as revenue because our commodity swap contracts are used to economically offset the risk associated with the diesel-to-natural gas price spread resulting from existing and anticipated customer fueling contracts under our Zero Now truck financing program.
Amazon Warrant Charges are determined based on the grant date fair value of the award, and the associated non-cash stock-based sales incentive charges, which are recorded as a reduction of revenue, are recognized as the customer purchases fuel and vesting conditions become probable of being achieved. See Note 1 for additional information.
Station construction contracts are generally short-term, except for certain larger and more complex stations, which can take up to 24 months to complete. For most of our station construction contracts, the customer contracts with us to provide a significant service of integrating a complex set of tasks and components into a single station. Hence, the entire contract is accounted for as one performance obligation.
We recognize station construction revenue over time as we perform under these contracts because of the continual transfer of control of the goods to the customer, who typically controls the work in process. Revenue is recognized based on the extent of progress towards completion of the performance obligation and is recorded proportionally as costs are incurred. Costs to fulfill our obligations under these contracts typically include labor, materials and subcontractors’ costs, other direct costs and an allocation of indirect costs.
Refinements of estimates to account for changing conditions and new developments are continuous and characteristic of the process. Many factors that can affect contract profitability may change during the performance period of the contract, including differing site conditions, the availability of skilled contract labor, the performance of major suppliers and subcontractors, and unexpected changes in material costs. Because a significant change in one or more of these estimates could affect the profitability of these contracts, the contract price and cost estimates are reviewed periodically as work progresses and adjustments proportionate to the cost-to-cost measure of progress are reflected in contract revenues in the reporting period when such estimates are revised as discussed above. Provisions for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts are recorded in the period in which the losses become known.
In certain contracts with our customers, we agree to provide multiple goods or services, including construction of and sale of a station, O&M services, and sale of fuel to the customer. These contracts have multiple performance obligations because the promise to transfer each separate good or service is separately identifiable and distinct. This evaluation requires significant judgment and the decision to combine a group of contracts or separate the combined or single contract into multiple performance obligations could change the amount of revenue recognized in one or more periods.
We allocate the contract price to each performance obligation using best estimates of the standalone selling price of each distinct good or service in the contract. The primary method used to estimate the standalone selling price for fuel and O&M services is observable standalone sales, and the primary method used to estimate the standalone selling price for station construction sales is the expected cost plus a margin approach because we sell customized customer-specific
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solutions. Under this approach, we forecast expected costs of satisfying a performance obligation and then add an appropriate margin for the good or service.
AFTC is considered variable consideration because it can either increase or decrease the transaction price based on volumes of vehicle fuel sold. Additionally, AFTC is not recognized as revenue until it is authorized through federal legislation, which also provides a determinable price. We recognize revenue in the period the credit is authorized through federal legislation.
We collect and remit taxes assessed by various governmental authorities that are imposed on and concurrent with revenue-producing transactions between us and our customers. These taxes may include, among others, fuel, sales and value-added taxes. We report the collection of these taxes on a net basis and they are excluded from revenue and cost of sales.
Fair Value Measurements
We have established a framework that follows the authoritative guidance for fair value measurements with respect to assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and non-recurring basis. Under the framework, fair value is defined as the exit price, or the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants, as of the measurement date. The framework also establishes a hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of our Company. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect our assumptions about the factors market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability and are developed based upon the best information available in the circumstances. The hierarchy consists of the following three levels: Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, and inputs (other than quoted prices) that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly; Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. Categorization within the valuation hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Impairment of Goodwill and Long-Lived Assets
Goodwill represents the excess of costs incurred over the fair value of the net assets of acquired businesses. We assess our goodwill using either a qualitative or quantitative approach to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting unit is less than its carrying value. We are required to use judgment when applying the goodwill impairment test, including, among other considerations, the identification of reporting unit(s), the assessment of qualitative factors, and the estimation of fair value of a reporting unit in the quantitative approach. We determined that we are a single reporting unit for the purpose of performing the goodwill impairment test. We perform the impairment test annually on October 1st, or more frequently if facts or circumstances change that would indicate that the carrying amount may be impaired.
The qualitative goodwill assessment includes the potential effect on a reporting unit’s fair value of certain events and circumstances, including its enterprise value, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, and other relevant entity-specific events. If it is determined, based upon the qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that the reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying amount, then a quantitative impairment test is performed. Alternatively, we may bypass the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit and directly perform the quantitative goodwill impairment test.
The quantitative goodwill impairment test estimates the reporting unit's fair value based on its market value of invested capital plus a market participant acquisition premium derived from recent merger and acquisition transactions in comparable industry and market sectors as those in which the Company operates. The estimates, including the estimation methodology, used to determine the fair value of the reporting unit may change based on results of operations,
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macroeconomic conditions, stock price fluctuations or other factors. Changes in these estimates could materially affect our assessment of the fair value and goodwill impairment for the reporting unit.
In 2024, we bypassed the qualitative assessment and directly perform the quantitative goodwill impairment test on October 1, 2024, for our single reporting unit, as described above, due to a decline in the market price of our common stock, which resulted in a fair value, based on its market value of invested capital plus a market participant acquisition premium, that exceeded carrying value by 16% or $165.1 million.
Due to a decline in the market price of our common stock subsequent to October 1, 2024, we performed an interim quantitative goodwill impairment test as of December 31, 2024 for our single reporting unit as described above, which resulted in a fair value, based on its market value of invested capital plus a market participant acquisition premium, that exceeded carrying value by 4% or $39.8 million.
Since December 31, 2024, our stock price has increased from the price at December 31, 2024, increasing our market capitalization. As such, we determined that declines experienced in 2024 are not currently sustained. We have not identified other events or circumstances that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of our reporting unit to below its carrying value on a sustained basis. As such, we believe the reporting unit’s goodwill as of December 31, 2024 was not impaired. It is possible that our goodwill could become impaired if we determine in a subsequent period that the fair value of our reporting unit was less than its carrying amount on a sustained basis, which could result in a material charge and adversely affect our results of operations.
We had also performed interim quantitative goodwill impairment tests as of March 31, 2024, June 30, 2024, and September 30, 2024 for the single reporting unit. Each of the tests performed indicated that the fair value of the reporting unit exceeded its carrying value.
We review the carrying value of our long-lived assets, including property and equipment and intangible assets with finite useful lives, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. Events that could result in an impairment review include, among others, a significant decrease in the operating performance of a long-lived asset or asset group or the decision to close a fueling station. Impairment testing involves a comparison of the sum of the undiscounted future cash flows of the asset or asset group to its carrying amount. If the sum of the undiscounted future cash flows exceeds the carrying amount, then no impairment exists. If the carrying amount exceeds the sum of the undiscounted future cash flows, then a second step is performed to determine the amount of impairment, if any, to be recognized. An impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount of the asset or asset group exceeds its fair value. The fair value of the asset or asset group is based on estimated discounted future cash flows of the asset or asset group using a discount rate commensurate with the related risk. The estimate of future cash flows requires management to make assumptions and to apply judgment, including forecasting future sales and expenses and estimating useful lives of the assets. These estimates can be affected by a number of factors, including, among others, future results, demand and economic conditions, many of which can be difficult to predict.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements and Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements.
See Note 1 for information about recently adopted accounting pronouncements and recently issued accounting pronouncements.
Results of Operations
The discussions below compare our results of operations in 2024 and 2023. Historical results are not indicative of the results to be expected in the current period or any future period.
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2024 Compared to 2023
The table below presents, for each period, each line item of our statement of operations as a percentage of our total revenue for the period. The narrative that follows provides a comparative discussion of certain of these line items between periods.
Year Ended
December 31,
Statements of Operations Data:
Revenue:
Operating expenses:
Product cost of sales 72.9 60.0
Service cost of sales 7.9 9.1
Selling, general and administrative 26.4 26.9
Depreciation and amortization 10.7 10.8
Impairment of Investments in Equity Securities — 1.9
Operating loss (18.0) (8.7)
Interest expense (5.4) (7.7)
Interest income 2.6 3.4
Other income (expense), net — —
Loss from equity method investments (2.9) (6.4)
Loss before income taxes (23.7) (19.4)
Income tax (expense) benefit 0.1 (0.6)
Loss attributable to noncontrolling interest 0.1 0.1
Net loss attributable to Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (23.5) % (19.9) %
Product revenue. Product revenue for 2024 decreased by $13.1 million to $356.7 million, representing 85.8% of total revenue, compared to $369.8 million, representing 87.0% of total revenue, for 2023. The decrease was primarily due to lower average prices on fuel sold driven by a decrease in the prices of natural gas, along with a $0.2 million increase in non-cash stock-based sales incentive contra-revenue charges relating to the Amazon Warrant driven by higher customer fuel purchases, partially offset by an increase in total GGEs of fuel sold, resulting in a $28.1 million net decrease in fuel sales in 2024 compared to 2023. In addition, a decrease in station construction sales of $1.2 million resulting from decreased construction activities also contributed to the decrease in product revenue in 2024 compared to 2023. The decrease in product revenue between periods was partially offset by (1) an increase in RIN revenue of $13.1 million primarily resulting from higher average RIN prices and higher share of RIN values in 2024 when compared to those in 2023, (2) an increase in AFTC revenue of $2.9 million due to higher fuel volumes in 2024 compared to 2023, (3) an increase in LCFS revenue of $0.1 million primarily resulting from increased LCFS revenue sharing with customers in 2024 when compared to those in 2023, partially offset by lower average LCFS prices, and (4) a change in fair value of our commodity swap and customer contracts entered into in connection with our Zero Now truck financing program, as we recognized an unrealized loss of $0.1 million in 2024 compared to an unrealized loss of $0.2 million in 2023.
Service revenue. Service revenue for 2024 increased $3.9 million to $59.2 million, representing 14.2% of total revenue, compared to $55.3 million, representing 13.0% of total revenue, for 2023. The increase was primarily due to an increase in GGEs serviced in 2024 when compared to those in 2023.
Product cost of sales. Product cost of sales for 2024 decreased by $60.3 million to $249.6 million, representing 60.0% of total revenue, from $309.9 million, representing 72.9% of total revenue, in 2023. The decrease was primarily due to
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lower average prices of natural gas in 2024 compared to 2023. In 2023, there was a significant rise in cost of natural gas in California during January and February. The effects of lower natural gas prices in 2024 were partially offset by an increase in GGEs of fuel sold.
Service cost of sales. Service cost of sales for 2024 increased by $4.2 million to $37.9 million, representing 9.1% of total revenue, from $33.7 million, representing 7.9% of total revenue, in 2023. The increase was primarily due to an increase in GGEs serviced in 2024 when compared to those serviced in 2023.
Selling, general and administrative. Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by $0.5 million to $111.8 million in 2024, from $112.3 million in 2023. The decrease was mostly driven by a $12.5 million decrease in stock-based compensation expense due to current year vesting and forfeiture of equity awards granted in prior years, partially offset by equity awards granted in the current year, partially offset by a $5.4 million increase in salaries and benefits as a result of higher headcount and a $6.6 million increase in general business, selling and administrative expenses.
Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization decreased by $1.0 million to $44.7 million in 2024, from $45.7 million in 2023. The decrease was primarily due to more assets being fully depreciated partially offset by higher amount of depreciable assets.
Impairment of Investments in Equity Securities. Impairment of Investments in equity securities increased by $8.1 million to $8.1 million in 2024, from $0.0 million in 2023. The impairment was primarily due to the investee’s deteriorating financial results in late 2024.
Interest expense. Interest expense increased by $9.3 million to $32.2 million in 2024 from $22.9 million in 2023, primarily due to (1) a 11.5 million increase due to higher outstanding indebtedness, (2) a $3.2 million increase due to higher amortization of debt discount and issuance costs, partially offset by a $5.4 million debt extinguishment loss relating to extinguishment of the Sustainability-Linked Term Loan pursuant to the Riverstone Credit Agreement (each as defined and described in Note 11 to the note to consolidated financial statements) in 2023.
Interest income. Interest income increased by $2.9 million to $14.0 million in 2024 from $11.1 million in 2023, primarily due to higher average interest rates of the Company’s short-term investments and loan receivables.
Loss from equity method investments. Loss from equity method investments increased by $14.1 million to $26.6 million in 2024 from $12.5 million in 2023, due to the operating results of SAFE S.p.A., Rimere and our joint venture(s) with TotalEnergies and bp, and our other equity method investees.
Income tax (expense) benefit. Income tax expense was $2.7 million in 2024 compared to income tax benefit of $0.4 million in 2023. Income tax expense and/or benefit is primarily related to deferred taxes associated with goodwill and other indefinite-lived deferred tax liabilities, and the Company’s expected state tax expense.
Loss attributable to noncontrolling interest. In 2024 and 2023, we recorded a gain of $0.6 million and $0.6 million, respectively, for the noncontrolling interest in the net loss of NG Advantage. The noncontrolling interest in NG Advantage represents a 6.7% minority interest that was held by third parties during both the 2024 and 2023 periods.
Seasonality and Inflation
To some extent, we experience seasonality in our results of operations. Some of our customers tend to consume more of our vehicle fuels in the summer months, when buses and other fleet vehicles use more fuel to power their air conditioning systems, which typically translate to an increased volume of fuel sold in the summer months. In addition, natural gas commodity prices tend to be higher in the fall and winter months, due to increased overall demand for natural gas for heating during these periods.
Historically, inflation has not significantly affected our operating results; however, costs for construction, repairs, maintenance, electricity and insurance are all subject to inflationary pressures, which could affect our ability to maintain
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our stations adequately, build new stations, expand our existing facilities or pursue additional facilities, and could materially impact our operating costs.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity
Liquidity is the ability to meet present and future financial obligations through operating cash flows, the sale or maturity of investments or the acquisition of additional funds through capital management. Our financial position and liquidity are, and will continue to be, influenced by a variety of factors, including the level of our outstanding indebtedness and the principal and interest we are obligated to pay on our indebtedness; the amount and timing of any capital calls related to the joint venture(s) with TotalEnergies and/or bp, or any other joint venture we may enter into in the future; the amount and timing of any additional debt or equity financing we may pursue; our capital expenditure requirements; any merger, divestiture or acquisition activity; and our ability to generate cash flows from our operations. We expect cash provided by our operating activities to fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including our operating results and the factors that affect these results, including the amount and timing of our vehicle fuel sales, station construction sales, sales of RINs and LCFS Credits and recognition of government credits, grants and incentives, if any; fluctuations in commodity, station construction and labor costs; supply chain issues and unfavorable macroeconomic events, including inflationary pressures; environmental credit prices; variations in the fair value of certain of our derivative instruments that are recorded in revenue; and the amount and timing of our billing, collections and liability payments.
Cash Flows
Operating Activities. Cash provided by operating activities was $64.6 million in 2024, compared to cash provided by operating activities of $43.8 million in 2023. The increase in cash provided by operating activities in 2024 was primarily attributable to higher contributions relating to the procurement and sales of natural gas in 2024 compared to that in 2023. The increase is partially offset by higher net cash interest payments and changes in working capital resulting from the timing of cash receipts, accruals, billings and payments of cash.
Investing Activities. Cash used in investing activities was $77.7 million in 2024, compared to cash used in investing activities of $202.0 million in 2023. The decrease in cash used in investing activities in 2024 was primarily attributable to a $48.4 million increase in net maturities of short-term investments in 2024 when compared to that in 2023, a $44.4 million net decrease in capital expenditures on property and equipment and on RNG production projects, and a $40.6 million decrease in investments in other entities. The decrease is partially offset by an $8.8 million increase in net disbursements for loans receivables.
Financing Activities. Cash used in financing activities was $1.9 million in 2024, compared to $139.1 million provided by financing activities in 2023. The change between periods was primarily attributable to proceeds received from the issuance of debt in connection with the Stonepeak Credit Agreement (Note 11) in 2023, while there were no such debt issuance activities in 2024.
Capital Expenditures, Indebtedness and Other Uses of Cash
We require cash to fund our capital expenditures, operating expenses and working capital and other requirements, including costs associated with fuel sales; outlays for the design and construction of new fueling stations; additions or other modifications to existing fueling stations; RNG production facilities; debt repayments and repurchases; repurchases of common stock; purchases of heavy-duty trucks that use our fuels; additions or modifications of LNG production facilities; supporting our operations, including maintenance and improvements of our infrastructure; supporting our sales and marketing activities, including support of legislative and regulatory initiatives; financing vehicles for our customers; any investments in other entities; any mergers or acquisitions, including acquisitions to expand our RNG production capacity; pursuing market expansion as opportunities arise, including geographically and to new customer markets; and to fund other activities or pursuits and for other general corporate purposes.
Our business plan calls for approximately $30.0 million in capital expenditures in 2025. These capital expenditures primarily relate to the construction of fueling stations, IT software and equipment and LNG plant costs, and we expect to
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fund these expenditures primarily through cash on hand and cash generated from operations. Further, in 2025, we anticipate deploying up to approximately $104.0 million to develop ADG RNG production facilities. As of December 31, 2024, we have invested $321.8 million in the development of ADG RNG production facilities, which includes $271.9 million contributed to our joint ventures.
We had total indebtedness, consisting of our debt and finance leases, of approximately $302.9 million in principal amount as of December 31, 2024, of which approximately $1.0 million, $0.9 million, $0.7 million, $0.3 million, $300.0 million and $0.0 million are expected to become due in 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and thereafter, respectively. Based on our outstanding indebtedness and applicable interest rates as of December 31, 2024, we expect our total interest payment obligations relating to our indebtedness to be approximately $29.1 million for the year ending December 31, 2025. We plan to and believe we are able to make all expected principal and interest payments in the next 12 months.