Want to compare Autogas emissions against those of other fuels?

A German-government database shows that Autogas, at the tailpipe, emits 11% less carbon than gasoline and far less NOx than diesel. And it promises to show a lot more.

 

If you’ve been wondering whether man-made global warming is real, here’s the official answer. In its latest report, published in September 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change opined: "It is extremely likely [95 percent confidence] more than half of the observed increase in global average surface temperature from 1951 to 2010 was caused by the anthropogenic increase in greenhouse gas concentrations and other anthropogenic forcings together."

So, in a word, yes. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) really is heating the earth. And ‘local’ air pollutants – carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and soot – bring no joy either. They cause sickness and death in plants, animals and humans. With world population trending toward 9 billion and most of those to be located in cities, it is no wonder that governments continue to push down the lid on automotive emissions. September 2014, for instance, will see the debut of Euro VI, the sixth revision of European Union (EU) tailpipe standards, which will ratchet down limits another notch.

As emission limits go ever lower, a key question arises for anybody in the Autogas supply chain: how does Autogas compare with other fuels? Comparisons from the past show Autogas to be better than gasoline or diesel on a number of factors – but are these still valid?

The good news is that on CO₂ and NOx, they do appear to be valid. Indeed, more valid than ever before, because the depth of available data is now vastly greater than ever before. A new database, compiled by the German government from tests of more than 5 000 cars actually on the market, offers a massive resource for emission comparisons. If you are in the Autogas supply chain, you ought to know about it. Read more here.

Autogas Safety Webinar Available Online

The October Third Thursday webinar on Propane Autogas Fleets Safety & Training is now available on the archive page of autogasusa.org. The 40-minute webinar features Stuart Flatow, vice president of safety and training with the Propane Education & Research Council. A presentation deck is also available. Go to the webinar.

The Case for Propane Fueled Buses

*for original article, see page 30: http://editiondigital.net/publication/?i=177535

Four-Year Propane Autogas Program Notches Its Last Milestone

The Clean Start Propane Refueling, Vehicle Incentive & Outreach Program - one of two major propane autogas initiatives spurred by the federal stimulus package in 2009 - has come to a close.

All told, the program resulted in the creation of 85 public-access propane autogas refueling facilities and the conversion of nearly 700 propane vehicles.

Texas State Technical College (TSTC) was the administrator of the $12 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant, spearheading the program and handling the education and outreach that accompanied the work. CleanFUEL USA acted as the key autogas equipment provider and installer, as well as led all of the training that was needed in concert with the new refueling stations and propane vehicles.

The 85th autogas location was built in Charleston, W.Va., at an Exxon Mobil station. Dozens of facilities preceded it, most notably 37 stations built specifically in partnership with Menards home improvement stores and Ferrellgas. All but one of these refueling sites are located at existing Menards stores in Illinois.

Among the core pieces of equipment at these Menards stations and the several more in the U.S. - including in Wisconsin, California, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Washington, Indiana, Colorado, Ohio, Michigan and New Hampshire - are CleanFUEL USA PRO2110 fuel dispensers and propane tanks provided by Ferrellgas and other fuel suppliers.

CleanFUEL USA's Crystelle Markley told NGT News that more than half of the 690 vehicles converted under the program were new school buses - mainly Type A units from Collins that were built on GM chassis with 6.0-liter engines. School fleets in Seattle; Portland, Ore.; a handful of Texas cities; and other spots in the U.S. rolled out new propane buses. Read more here.

Duty Cycles Guide Alt-Fuel Strategies: Public fleet managers say vehicle size and application affect success with alternative-fuel initiatives.

WASHINGTON —Selecting an alternative-fuel strategy has as much to do with the types of vehicles

in service as it does the type of fuel chosen, public fleet executives said during an alternative-fuel conference here. Also vital is a clear understanding of the goals, and support from upper management, fleet experts said during the Alternative Clean Transportation Expo in June. Which could explain why success stories from participants in a public services panel varied as much as the fleets’ operations.

“The business model must work on its own merit and align with your goals,” said Ron Halley, vice president of fleets and facilities for Student Transportation Inc. Halley said school bus fleets are finding success with propane, thanks in part to availability of engine conversions and the ability to refuel at a central location every night.

 The fuel’s low cost, relative to gasoline and diesel, and clean emissions appeal to school districts looking to cut costs and promote fleet sustainability, he said. But that doesn’t mean decision makers are leaping to make change.

“The biggest challenge is overcoming resistance to change,” he said. “It may be exciting to you, but may be seen as a threat to the folks you are trying to sell it to.”

Halley said school bus fleets can expect 20% to 25% in cost savings when switching to propane from gasoline and diesel, but he noted that it takes commitment from management and operations executives to make it work.

“Trying to take shortcuts or do this on the cheap doesn’t work,” he said. “But it is not often you get to shape change in an industry.” Read more here.

Springfield recognized for its 'green' fleet

Don Matulevich, left, a mechanic's helper at the Springfield Police Garage, works with Calvin Thorn, right, with Clean Fuel USA, on electrical system for the propane tanks in bed of a Springfield Public Works truck at the garage, Friday, March 22, 2013, in Springfield, Ill. The trucks are being converted to a bi-fuel system that runs on propane as well as gasoline when needed.



Springfield’s effort to go green is getting some national attention.

The capital city was recently recognized as having the 37th-greenest government fleet in North America. The award was presented to budget director Bill McCarty and fleet director Mike Palazzolo during a Green Fleet Expo in Phoenix.

“Given the fact that the city has only started to pursue green fleet initiatives in the past year and the fact that this was our first time applying, we are pleased with the result,” McCarty said last week. “We were hoping just to make the top 100, so it was a bit of a surprise.”

McCarty said he also recently received a certificate of achievement as a 2013 Sustainability All-Star “for innovative accomplishments in green fleet sustainability and efforts to reduce emissions and fuel consumption.” McCarty credited others for the award, from fleet personnel to the mayor and city council.

The history

The city this year equipped part of its fleet with bi-fuel conversion systems that allow them to be powered by propane. Seven public works trucks and 17 police patrol cars are now capable of running on either gasoline or propane.

The city partnered with CleanFuel USA, which provided the conversion kits and employees to install the conversion systems. CleanFuel workers also trained city employees on how to install the kits themselves. Read more here.

CleanFUEL USA Completes 85 Public Propane Autogas Refueling Stations as Part of Federal Grant

GEORGETOWN, Texas –– October 15, 2013 — CleanFUEL USA, an industry leader in propane autogas technology, completed the installation of 85 retail propane autogas stations, making this clean and economical alternative fuel more readily available across the nation.

 “The installation of these 85 sites is a true step forward for the propane industry,” said Curtis Donaldson, founder and managing partner of CleanFUEL USA. “For more than 20 years we have shared a vision of installing public autogas stations across the country, and the rollout of these stations contributes to that vision.”

Spread across 13 states, the publicly accessible stations are expected to serve thousands of fleet managers and individuals operating vehicles fueled by propane autogas. Most of the stations are located near heavily trafficked roadways, existing fueling stations, major airports and home improvement stores. The last propane autogas refueling location was installed at an Exxon Mobile station in Charleston, W. Va.

The construction of these facilities and refueling equipment was funded through a $12 million grant from the Department of Energy’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Texas State Technical College (TSTC) served as the lead grantee of the funds, which supported 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. 

“We’ve made tremendous progress, and propane autogas is now more readily available thanks to this completed grant and CleanFUEL USA,” said Cindy Reily, associate vice president of institutional advancement at TSTC. 

In addition to station installations, the grant partially funded nearly 700 vehicle conversions and new propane autogas vehicle purchases for multiple fleets across the country including VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, the City of Springfield, Ill., Fashion Glass and Mirror, as well as various school districts.

Propane autogas is a domestically produced, abundant alternative fuel that reduces the nation’s dependence on foreign energy sources. Already the leading alternative fuel in the United States, propane autogas costs an average of 30 to 40 percent less than gasoline and up to 50 percent less than diesel. When compared with gasoline, vehicles fueled by propane autogas emit 20 percent less nitrogen oxide, 60 percent less carbon monoxide and up to 25 percent less greenhouse gases.

For a complete list of propane autogas refueling station locations, including these 85 new sites, visit the Alternative Fuels Data Center or click here.


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.


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Media Contact:
Crystelle Markley
CleanFUEL USA
512.864.0300
crystelle.markley@cleanfuelusa.com

Inside the Green Fleet Decision Process

With a directive to go green, numerous fleet applications and so many alternative-fuel and power options, what’s a fleet manager to do? Work the grants system, fit the vehicle to the task and calculate a favorable ROI.

To say that GO Riteway has a varied fleet is an understatement. The ground transportation company runs school buses, motor coaches, shuttle coaches, limo coaches, limousines, executive sedans and vans out of nine locations to serve business travelers, tourists, students and local residents.

So in deciding to “go green,” choosing just one form of alternative power or fuel wasn’t necessarily right for the entire fleet. For Jason Ebert, fleet and facilities coordinator, the process took a hands-on vetting of vehicle choices based on job types, routes, operational concerns and return on investments.

The path to a greener fleet started with the company’s strict no-idle policy for all fleet vehicles, from school buses to shuttle buses to executive sedans. “With that in mind, it just made sense to look at other ways to be green,” Ebert says. This mindset was compounded by the fact that southern Wisconsin has one of the worst air pollution problems in the nation. “We’re doing our part to cut down on the air quality problem we have in the Milwaukee area,” he says. Read more here.

Dispensing Autogas Training Program on the MaRC

The Dispensing Propane Autogas training program is available on the Propane MaRC from the Propane Education & Research Council. The program is for fleet operators and their staff, and features an overview of propane autogas properties and the operations of autogas dispensers, a demonstration on using the dispenser, a performance test, and a program certificate of completion. The program can be downloaded for free and includes an instructor guide, PowerPoint presentation and a reference card, How to Refuel a Vehicle with Autogas. See the program on the MaRC.

Clean Cities Videos Show Propane is a Growing Alternative Fuel

A variety of videos on the Clean CitiesTV YouTube website highlight the benefits of propane and its growth as an on-road and off-road fuel. Clean Cities Helps the National Mall Cut Petroleum Use With Propane covers the partnership of the National Park Service and the Propane Education & Research Council as they launched in June the use of six propane-fueled mowers on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

CleanCitiesTV has posted videos on a number of alternative fuels including nearly 20 on propane autogas. The most recent is Propane Buses Shuttle Visitors in Maine from the MotorWeek show. Clean Cities is a division of the U.S. Department of Energy that works to cut petroleum use in transportation.

Propane Autogas Fleet Safety to be Covered in Webinar

The Third Thursday Webinar on October 17 features Stuart Flatow, vice president of safety and training with the Propane Education & Research Council, presenting on safety training programs for fleets that use propane autogas. The discussion will also cover how to make your fleet’s garage and maintenance facility propane autogas ready. The webinar begins at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Register here.

What does it take to launch into autogas?

Kyle McCalla is one of 19 propane retailers in the room, and at 27 years old he might be the youngest. McCalla is here, like the others, because he wants to know what it will take to get his company involved in propane autogas.

Surely, he’s excited about the market’s potential and the forecasts for autogas. ICF International, for example, is predicting annual sales of more than 40,000 propane-powered on-road vehicles by 2020. Subsequently, ICF International is expecting a related increase in propane consumption of more than 400 million gallons by that same year.

Some predictions are mind-boggling, and they’ve driven retailers like McCalla here today. McCalla, a commercial energy specialist at United Landmark LLC in Lancaster, Ohio, hasn’t made an autogas-related sale to this point. He’s had conversations with a few school districts that are considering converting buses, and he has contacts that can help United Landmark branch into propane-powered mowers.

Still, McCalla has more questions than answers. And judging from the room full of retailers on this day, so do the others.

“Basically the only thing standing in our way [from autogas] is ourselves,” says McCalla, in a phone interview following the Propane Education & Research Council’s (PERC) Marketer Technology and Sales Training seminar on propane autogas, hosted at Bergquist in Toledo, Ohio. “I want our company to be the source of information for our customers. If I go to a customer I want to have an answer, and if I don’t have an answer I want to be able to get back to them quickly.” Read more here.

PERC Releases 2013 Market Outlook

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has released a report (prepared by ICF International) that provides a view of the challenges and opportunities for domestic propane markets through 2020. It also offers an update on the state of the propane industry, as well as looks at key market trends.

The study notes:
However, recent developments have improved the outlook for propane use in internal combustion engines. These developments include the availability of new emissions-certified engines, widening spreads between propane and conventional fuel prices, and the growing acceptance of propane vehicles by commercial vehicle fleet operators. With crude oil, gasoline, and diesel fuel prices projected to remain high to the end of the decade, propane’s price advantage should help drive continuing growth in the engine fuel segment. ICF is projecting propane vehicle sales to increase from fewer than 5,000 in 2011 to more than 40,000 per year by 2020, with the potential for much higher growth depending on national energy policy and the rate at which the propane industry choses to develop propane refueling infrastructure and promote propane vehicle sales.

Click here to download the report.

The Cost Conundrum

Looking at the big picture of investing in alternative fuels, the cost to beverage distributors will vary widely, but it can be very worthwhile.

Beverage companies need to consider a host of factors, including: how long they run their trucks, driver acceptance, how big their fleets are, how long they keep their vehicles, how many miles they put on them, the sizes in their vehicle fleet, whether they travel any long distances or just do local deliveries, the cost of infrastructure, the up-charge for alternative fuel vehicles, the cost of the fuels, what kind of fuel, creating an environment image in the community, the possibility of leasing, and how to handle maintenance.

It’s a major calculation that for most largely comes down to the cost of getting in vs. the savings from fuel costs. “The total investment is probably five-fold, not only the vehicle and the infrastructure, but the fuel, the maintenance of the vehicles, the maintenance and operation of the infrastructure, and then some of the soft intangibles like driver acceptance, mechanic acceptance, and that type of issue,” says Tucker Perkins, chief business development officer, Propane Education & Research Council. “With propane autogas, you have a competitive advantage in nearly every one of those areas.” Read more here.

Harnessing the Power of Alternative Fuels

*click pages for larger images

Propane industry chief talks gas's clean attributes

When the Propane Education & Research Council meets today in Portland, Roy Willis will be in his element.

Willis is the group's president and CEO, and he's very willing to talk about how propane is widely considered an alternative fuel form. To that end, his group earned notice recently by donating several propane mowers to the National Mall, in Washington, D.C.

The move aimed help cement propane's status as a clean fuel.

We snagged a few minutes of Willis's time and asked him to answer some questions about propane by email. Here's what he had to say.

CARB Approves Certification Changes

Natural Gas and Propane Autogas Upfits Made Easier,
But Agency Is Asked to Be ‘Nimble’ on Future Changes


As expected, the California Air Resources Board has approved changes aimed at substantially streamlining the certification process for propane autogas and natural gas vehicle upfits. The changes bring CARB’s requirements closer to those of the U.S. EPA.

The agency board voted unanimously last week in favor of the changes. But a key advocate for alt fuels in California, citing international competition and rapidly evolving technology, would like CARB to go further. Officials there, says Peter Ward of Alternative Fuels Advocates, should be able to make adjustments to the requirements without having to go to the Board each time.

The agency and the industry worked together to effect the current round of changes (the first substantial revision to the CARB requirements in 18 years), Ward says, and their continued cooperation and mutual interest should be encouraged. Read more here.

Texas School Districts Educated on Cleaner-Burning Propane at Annual Convention

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - September 30, 2013) - Texas school board leadership had the opportunity to learn about clean, American-made
propane autogas at the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Annual Convention September 27-28 at the Dallas Convention Center. The Propane Council of Texas (ProCOT) participated with its awareness campaign, Fueling Texas, to educate participants about the benefits of operating school buses, administrative vehicles and commercial mowers on propane autogas.

"Propane autogas is a smart choice for Texas schools," said Jackie Mason, Educational & Marketing Director for the Propane Council of Texas. "Not only does propane lower harmful emissions and reduce fuel costs, but it has a proven safety record in Texas."

Propane autogas is the most widely used alternative fuel in the world. The clean-burning, domestically produced fuel is ideal for mowers, school buses, and other vehicles. School bus fleets that switch to autogas save anywhere from 30 percent to up to half on fuel costs. Propane-powered buses produce less particulate matter, carbon monoxide, NOx, hydrocarbons and greenhouses gas emissions than many school buses on Texas roads today.

There are more than 2,000 propane-powered buses operating in more than 75 Texas school districts. Some of these ISDs are benefitting from a 50-cents-per-gallon tax credit through 2013. Thanks to the tax credit, Dallas County Schools -- the largest propane-powered school bus fleet in the state -- saves about $500,000 annually. Northside ISD, the second-largest propane autogas bus fleet in Texas, saved around $225,000 with the credit from 2011, and Denton ISD recouped $170,000 in the same year. Read more here.