Most professionals, no matter which alternative fuel they represent, admit there isn’t a single solution that will work for every fleet. It is more a matter of looking at the different options and deciding which will fit a particular operation.
“There is no one alternative fuel that fits perfectly for all fleets,” said Tucker Perkins, chief business development officer for the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). “Similar to CNG, propane autogas delivers long-term operating cost efficiencies and emissions reductions.”
When it comes to infrastructure, propane autogas advocates have touted the low cost of refueling installation and maintenance, which can make it appealing to fleets both big and small. According to Darren Engle, director of government relations for Blue Star Gas, there is another benefit that must be highlighted when it comes to propane autogas: fiscal independence.
“With 98 percent of the propane autogas coming from the U.S., it reduces our dependence on foreign oil drastically,” Engle said, adding that the future will bring more collaboration between propane autogas marketers to help create fueling networks that span the country, allowing you to drive a propane-autogas-fueled vehicle from California to Washington, D.C. “Right now we have about 3,000 sites available in the U.S. where you can refuel. The challenge is that there’s no continuity in regards to pricing. They can be all over the board. Sometimes, the published price is what it would cost to fill a barbecue cylinder, not what it is to fill a vehicle.”
Propane autogas also has some changes looming in the very near future in terms of technology, according to Perkins.
Currently, when fueling a propane vehicle, drivers must wear gloves and protective eye wear. This is because, when the tank is filled and the nozzle is removed, a small amount of the fuel escapes. Worldwide, there are essentially seven different nozzle technologies that are being used. When UPS announced plans to purchase 1,000 propane autogas package delivery trucks and initially install 50 fueling stations at UPS locations, PERC saw this as an opportune time to deploy a new nozzle technology, which is modeled after a design currently used throughout Europe.
“The new nozzle only requires one hand to operate, making it very similar to a gasoline-style pump,” Perkins said. “The connection automatically mates and secures, and you’re able to flow the gas. Emissions are significantly reduced, with less than 1 cubic centimeter escaping during operation. In many cases, that’s less than half of the best technology out there now.”
The UPS deployment will also allow PERC and its partners to access data on driver fueling behaviors and see what their fueling experience is like.
“It was the perfect demonstration lab for us to test this new technology,” Perkins added. “We’ll get the nozzle into at least 30 of the UPS sites, we’ll keep good records, and then begin to build a body of evidence that allows us to mandate these into the code and standards."
The emissions are so low, according to Perkins, that there is no need for personal protective equipment or training. From a safety perspective, these nozzles give users more flexibility. PERC is working in partnership with a number of other companies to voluntarily use this equipment across the board at their own locations. Read more here.
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