Register Now for the Green Transportation Conference in Denver.

The Propane Education & Research Council is a sponsor of the 2013 Green Transportation Conference in Denver on April 30 featuring seminars and ride-and-drive opportunities with alternative fuel vehicles. 

The conference last year drew about 500 fleet managers, fuel experts and manufacturers. The Freightliner Custom Chassis propane bobtail will be on display.Read more here.

City of Temple Transitions Fleet to Propane Autogas

Clean, economical propane autogas suits the CIty of Temple's Sustainability Management Plan as they transition 11 more fleet vehicles through their growing partnership with CleanFUEL USA.

Today, CleanFUEL USA announced a growing partnership with the City of Temple, Texas as they transition 11 more fleet vehicles to clean-burning propane autogas.

The City estimates that each propane autogas vehicle annually will emit 1,295 pounds less of carbon dioxide emissions and displace 1,600 gallons of conventional fuels while saving between $2,500 and $3,000 in fuel costs.

Last year the City converted five fleet vehicles to run on this domestically produced alternative fuel and installed an onsite fueling station.

“Propane autogas fits our Sustainability Management Plan perfectly since the fuel offers substantial savings and allows us to operate a cleaner fleet with a domestically produced alternative,” said Ashley Williams, sustainability and grant manager for the City of Temple. “CleanFUEL USA has been an essential propane autogas partner—from implementing our station to converting our vehicles.”

The transition to propane autogas is part of the City’s Sustainability Management Plan, which details a process of converting the majority of its fleet to an appropriate alternative fuel. The plan commits the City to a clean, safe and healthy environment by exercising sustainable practices that focus on environmental and economical stewardship. The City’s fleet department is committed to this plan by working to achieve the following plan-related goals: reduce energy costs and consumption, prevent pollution, increase energy efficiency, and decrease reliance on non-renewable resources.

As the nation’s third most widely used transportation fuel behind gasoline and diesel, propane autogas reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 25 percent and averages 30 to 40 percent less expensive per gallon when compared to gasoline. More than 90 percent of U.S. propane supplies are produced domestically.

The project was funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Energy Department’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Texas State Technical College serves as the lead grantee of the funds, which support the development of a national propane autogas refueling network, incentives to convert school buses and other fleet vehicles to alternative fuels, and training for green jobs. This initiative will help displace millions of gallons of petroleum annually.

“Our neighbors at the City of Temple are leaders in the movement toward reducing our nation’s foreign fuel consumption with the use of propane autogas,” said Curtis Donaldson, founder and CEO of CleanFUEL USA. “We are proud to provide them—and fleets of any size or specification—with the platforms to help achieve their economical and sustainable goals through our propane autogas offerings.”

The City of Temple recently won an environmental stewardship award from Orion Lighting for its energy efficiency efforts.

About CleanFUEL USA: 

CleanFUEL USA, the nation’s first developer of liquid propane fuel injection systems, is a leading manufacturer of propane autogas dispensers and refueling infrastructure. Headquartered in Georgetown, Texas with an engineering division in Wixom, Mich., CleanFUEL USA celebrates more than 20 years of innovation. Setting industry standards with a complete alternative fuel solution, CleanFUEL USA products offer unsurpassed economic and environmental advantages. Learn more at cleanfuelusa.com.

Original article here.d

US Truck Fleets Turning Towards CNG, LPG

The electric vehicle market is turning into a financial nightmare for many of the automakers and suppliers that invested in the technology. Hybrids only comprise three percent of total new car sales, despite there being over 40 different models. And fuel cells are still more science lab experiment than mass-production reality.

But in a different part of the market, the green revolution looks a lot more promising. Commercial truck fleets in the United States are now keenly interested in converting their trucks to nun on natural gas or propane.

Thanks to the precipitous drop in prices for compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquid propane (LPG), fleets can save a fortune by switching over to these fuels. OEMs such as Freightliner and Thomas Built Bus have jumped into the market. International now offers the Transtar Class 8 semi (above) that runs on CNG. A cost calculator on the truck maker's website shows that a fleet can save well over $150,000 in fuel costs over the six-year life of a truck. For fleets that run their per-mile operating costs to the penny, this is a financial windfall.

Read More Here.

CleanFUEL USA Partners with Springfield Ill to Convert Vehicles

Inside Springfield’s police maintenance garage, work began this week to equip part of the city’s fleet with bi-fuel conversion systems that will allow them to be powered by propane.

Officials say the conversion — part of a pilot program for now — has gotten the attention of nearby municipalities, including Champaign, Urbana, Decatur and Bloomington. Representatives plan to visit Springfield in the coming weeks to learn more.

The city is partnering with CleanFuel USA, which is providing the conversion kits and employees to install the conversion systems. While they are here, CleanFuel workers are also training city employees on how to install the kits themselves.

Read More Here.

PROPANE INDUSTRY LOOKS FORWARD AS ROY WILLIS HITS LANDMARK

This month marks the 15^th anniversary of Roy Willis taking the reins at the Propane Education & Research Council. Since 1998, Roy has led at PERC the implementation of a multidisciplinary program of research and development, education, safety, and training for the propane industry.

At an informal staff celebration, Roy discussed his work as PERC’s president and CEO. It gave us a chance to reminisce a bit, take stock of where we are now, and think about where the propane industry is headed.

Read more here

Pupil transporter, alt-fuel advocate Mike McClung passes

SAN ANTONIO — Pupil transportation veteran Mike McClung, who was a strong advocate for running buses on alternative fuels, passed away on March 9 at the age of 65.

McClung spent more than 20 years in pupil transportation at Northside Independent School District (ISD). McClung joined the district in 1972, where he was a teacher at an elementary school and then a middle school before transitioning to the transportation department in 1977 as assistant director of transportation.

As assistant director, McClung worked with then-Director of Transportation Richard Rhodes to convert the district’s diesel-powered buses to propane. Officials said Northside ISD was one of the first school districts in the nation to champion propane fuel.

“His commitment to propane put Northside on the map as far as school transportation is concerned,” Superintendent Brian Woods said.

McClung succeeded Rhodes as director of transportation in 1985. Officials said he was considered an expert in alternative fuels and was frequently asked to speak at national conferences and to state officials about the viability and benefits of propane.

Samuel Davila, president of the Texas Association for Pupil Transportation (TAPT), attests to McClung’s expertise.

“I had the opportunity to work with Mike when my district [Conroe ISD] was researching clean fuel technology,” Davila toldSBF. “I recall Mike always having a positive attitude, and he was very helpful with answering any questions I had. If he didn't know the answer, he would research and get the answer for me. Mike made a difference in transportation and was a positive role model for many transportation professionals.”

(McClung was active in TAPT as well. From 1988-89, he served as the association's president.)

McClung also took on other important industry issues. He was instrumental in the development of a school bus crossing arm bill that was passed by the Texas Legislature and signed by Gov. Mark White in 1986.

McClung retired from Northside ISD in 2000, but officials said he continued to speak to school boards and superintendents across the nation about the benefits of propane buses. In 2008, the district reportedly became the first in the nation to purchase a new fleet of buses fueled exclusively by propane.

The district honored McClung’s legacy last year by opening the Mike McClung Transportation Station, one of five transportation stations located throughout Northside ISD’s area of service.

McClung, who suffered from several neurological conditions, attended the ceremony with his wife, Barbara, and their children and grandchildren.

Board President Karen Freeman said at the dedication ceremony, “Mr. McClung, your legacy is still felt in Northside today as we continue your commitment to propane and student safety.”

“We are overwhelmed and so incredibly touched by this honor,” Barbara McClung said at the time. “Mike’s heart was in Northside, and he loved being in transportation.”

According to an obituary on Vaughan’s Funeral Home's website, McClung mentored teenagers after his retirement by teaching math at the Christian Academy of San Antonio. He also visited orphanages in Russia.

ProCOT Launches Propane Education Campaign

The Propane Council of Texas (ProCOT) has launched a new campaign, Propane Autogas: Fueling Texas, to educate Texans about the benefits of running fleet vehicles and equipment on clean-burning propane autogas. The campaign officially kicked off last week during Texas Propane day, a ride and drive event at the Texas Capitol. The campaign will feature a series of statewide autogas presentations and road shows to provide fleet operators, drivers and community members a hands-on experience with clean autogas technology.

Read More Here.

CleanFUEL USA Continues to Lead Propane Autogas Market

When gasoline prices hit a peak in 2008, most of us just wearily pulled out our credit cards.  Kirby Campbell, the very forward-thinking director of transportation at Leander Independent School District, was tired of grumbling.  LISD had a half million dollars budgeted for fuel in 2008, and when diesel prices doubled, that money was gone after six months.  Mr. Campbell decided to fight back and strike a personal blow for energy independence.

He knew he had to look at alternative fuels.  He discovered that running just one bus on propane instead of diesel could save $2140 every year in fuel costs.  Not only could he save on fuel, but because propane is considered clean energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Railroad Commission would offer grants to defray some of the costs of new propane buses.  He promptly bought eleven brand new yellow school buses and soon added 26 more.  LISD now saves $80,000 a year on fuel, and they plan to gradually add more propane buses to the fleet.

If you took high school chemistry you might remember that propane is a three carbon chain that is liquid under pressure.  Even if you slept through chemistry you are familiar with propane.  It can be hooked up to your barbecue grill for a tasty supper, and is available in just about every small town in America.

You might not know that propane is the hottest thing going as an alternative fuel for cars and trucks.  Worldwide over 17 million vehicles run on propane, also called autogas.  In Japan, 90% of taxis run on autogas.  South Korea has 1.7 million autogas cars on the road, and in Turkey autogas has surpassed gasoline as a transportation fuel.  Propane is not only cheaper than gasoline, but engines that run on propane also require less maintenance and last longer than diesel engines, another plus for the Leander school district.

In addition to the financial advantages of propane school buses, there are some tremendous environmental benefits.  Children can now ride to school without being gassed by diesel exhaust.  A diesel exhaust particle is a microscopic grain of carbon wrapped in some toxic organic compounds and heavy metals.  On conventional school buses, diesel particles routinely seep into the cabin, exposing the unsuspecting children.  Waiting in the bus line is even worse.  When inhaled on a regular basis, diesel particles can contribute to asthma, chronic bronchitis, and even lung cancer.

Compared to an old diesel bus belching black smoke, propane buses emit almost no asthma-producing particles, less carbon monoxide, and fewer smog-producing chemicals and greenhouse gases.  Mr. Campbell started up one of his new buses and we stood by the tailpipe to check it out.  I could detect no visible exhaust and no odor.  I had to put my nose 6 inches from the tailpipe before catching the slight whiff of a camp stove.  (Please don’t try this at home.  It’s low emission, not zero emission.)

Since propane is a byproduct of drilling for natural gas, the gas boom is creating an abundance of propane right here in Texas.  Propane is refined right on our home territory, and we have enough left over to export.  Since automotive transportation will remain dependent on fossil fuels for a while yet, we might as well burn our own fossil fuels, rather than importing petroleum from countries that may not have our best interests at heart.

A final factor influenced Kirby Campbell’s decision to try propane.  It turns out that Georgetown is home to an entrepreneur who has been successfully promoting the use of propane for the last 20 years.  Curtis Donaldson got his energy bona fides at Conoco where he was Coordinator of Alternative Fuel Marketing.  In 1993 he took off on his own and started Clean Fueling Technologies (now CleanFUEL USA) right here in Georgetown.  Mr. Donaldson’s company perfected a liquid phase injection system for trucks and buses which allowed increased engine power and lower emissions.  CleanFUEL USA is certified to do after-market conversions on a variety of trucks and SUVs at the company’s offices on Halmar Cove.

The company is also building and installing propane fueling stations all over the country, so Mr. Campbell could easily get his own propane fueling station and have it maintained locally.  Mr. Campbell says for LISD propane was a win-win-win situation:  environmentally friendly, economical, and made in America.  He looks proudly at his yellow bus, “I just don’t know why every school district doesn’t get involved in this.”

Kirby Campbell of LISD

Curtis Donaldson and Crystelle Markley of CleanFUEL USA 

Propane Autogas Challenges Detailed in New Story

The challenges and prospects for propane autogas are explored in the article Lighting the Demand for Propane in the February issue of Midstream Business. The article focuses on CleanFuel USA, a provider of propane autogas technology, and the Propane Education & Research Council. A sidebar, Lawn-Care Industry Takes to Propane, reports on the increasing use of propane by landscape contractors.

Propane: It's not just for barbecues anymore

Home satellite TV provider DISH Network Corp has signed a deal to run 200 of its trucks on propane, in the latest indication that the niche fuel could soon rival natural gas as the United States' cheap transport alternative.

Once considered a low value by-product of oil refining and natural gas processing, used primarily in home heating and in industry, propane is now being used as a fuel in some new school buses and trucks around the country. That is happening as businesses like DISH look for ways to move away from dearer gasoline and diesel so that they can cut their fuel bills.

Read more here.

Propane Autogas Takes Center Stage at NTEA Green Truck Summit and Work Truck Show

WASHINGTON (Feb. 28, 2013) — When fleet managers visit the show floor at the at the Green Truck Summit March 5 and 6 and the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show March 6 to 8 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, they will see no fewer than eight exhibitors demonstrating vehicles fueled by propane autogas, a powerful, American-made fuel that helps fleets nationwide save money, meet their emission reduction goals, and become less dependent on foreign oil.

At the center of it all, the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), in booth 5691, will display new propane autogas technology and direct attendees to the large selection of propane autogas vehicles available at the show. At the Green Truck Summit, PERC will demonstrate the economical and environment benefits of propane autogas at the forum “Propane Autogas & Your Fleet: The Latest Product Offerings,” March 6 from 10 to 10:45 a.m.

Led by Tucker Perkins, chief business development officer for PERC, the forum will illustrate the business case for propane autogas with leading manufacturers developing the technology. The panel includes presentations from Todd Mouw, vice president of sales and marketing at Roush CleanTech, and Gordon Taylor, commercial product manager for Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp.

“PERC’s investment in propane autogas research and development has expanded the portfolio of propane autogas vehicles on the market today,” Perkins said. “Partnerships with industry leaders such as Roush CleanTech and Freightliner Custom Chassis have strengthened propane autogas offerings, making the fuel the best value for fleet managers while significantly cutting harmful emissions.”

At the PERC booth, Freightliner Custom Chassis will showcase the production version of its S2G propane chassis with a propane bobtail body, as well as have a version available for ride-alongs and test-drives. The S2G will enter production later this summer and is the only factory-installed propane autogas engine available in the medium-duty truck market. It is equipped with CleanFuel USA liquid propane injected engine technology and a clean-burning 8.0-liter, 350-hp engine supplied by Powertrain Integration. The S2G is ideal for a variety of applications including pickup and delivery, student transportation, and municipal operations.

“The S2G offers fleet owners great return on investment with the affordability and abundant infrastructure of propane autogas, while also providing the only true, factory-installed and -supported propane chassis on the market,” said Bryan Henke, manager of product marketing at Freightliner. “With the S2G, fleet owners and drivers can lower both their operational costs and their fleet emissions with the S2G without compromising payload, power, or performance.”

Roush CleanTech's EPA- and CARB-certified Ford E-250 cargo van will also be on display at the PERC booth. Equipped with a 5.4-liter V8 engine, the Ford E-250 features the same Roush CleanTech liquid propane fuel system available nationwide on a variety of Ford trucks and vans, and delivers equivalent horsepower, torque, and towing capacity of gasoline models with significant reductions in exhaust emissions.

"Fleets nationwide are turning to Roush CleanTech to maximize fuel savings without compromising on performance," said Todd Mouw, vice president of sales and marketing at Roush CleanTech. "A typical Ford E-250 cargo van fueled by clean-burning, American-made propane autogas can save a fleet manager over $30,000 in operating costs over the life of the vehicle, with the added benefit of reduced emissions and lower maintenance costs."

Fleet managers can experience the full extent of propane autogas offerings at NTEA by picking up a “Propane Autogas Tour” roadmap from the PERC booth. The roadmap includes directions to all exhibitors featuring propane autogas vehicles, including GM, Ford Commercial Truck, Roush CleanTech, Isuzu Commercial Truck of America Inc., Powertrain Integration, Knapheide, and Green Alternative Systems.

Two refueling dispensers on display at the booth will demonstrate the ease and efficiency of fueling options available with propane autogas. For more information about PERC and propane-autogas-fueled products, visit autogasusa.org. 

FLEETS CONVERGE ON NTEA FOR PROPANE AUTOGAS

Propane autogas is top of mind with next week’s National Truck Equipment (NTEA) Work Truck Show and its sister Green Truck Summit in Indianapolis. These two shows combine into one major annual conference for fleet managers.

There will be eight name-brand firms exhibiting propane autogas vehicles, equipment, and/or technology in Indy, the biggest autogas exhibit ever, according to those paid to announce this stuff. I wouldn’t know. But it says something when you see Ford, GM and it’s propane partner CleanFuel USA, Freightliner, Isuzu, Knapheide, Roush CleanTech, and others investing a powerful amount of bucks to expand into propane autogas.

Read more here.