FCCC introduces propane-powered chassis

INDIANAPOLIS. Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC) is adding a propane-autogas chassis to its lineup. The MT-45 chassis is being showcased this week at the NTEA Work Truck Show.

The chassis is the basis for UPS, which announced here that it would be adding 1,000 propane-autogas MTs to its fleet over the next several years.

The MT-45 propane autogas chassis features a GM 6.0L V8 engine offering 308 hp. and 367 lbs.-ft. of torque at 4,400 rpm; a liquid propane injection system with 48-gal., 16 in. x 75 in., right-hand-mounted propane tank; GVWR of up to 19,500 lbs.; flat leaf front suspension rated to 7,000 lbs.; and flat leaf spring rear suspension rated to 12,500 lbs.

Additionally, the chassis includes an Allison 1000HS automatic transmission with park pawl and comes standard with 50 deg. wheel cut and 19.5-in. tires.

A 3-year/50,000-mi. warranty with towing and roadside assistance and 24/7 factory direct customer support offered. Read more here.

Propane fuel finds its place on America's backroads

NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters) - Propane, once considered a low value by-product of U.S. oil and natural gas production, is finding its niche as a transport fuel in rural America where other gasoline alternatives struggle to gain a foothold.

The propane being pumped into trucks and buses that ply America's backroads is generally cheap, abundant and requires a simple infrastructure to deliver. That gives it an advantage over natural gas and electricity, the non-oil power sources often used for vehicles in cities or on major highways.

On Wednesday, United Parcel Service made the biggest bulk purchase of propane-powered vehicles in the United States, taking 1,000 such trucks to replace gasoline and diesel vehicles in rural parts of Louisiana and Oklahoma. In the $70 million deal, UPS also plans to build 50 fueling stations.

UPS has already shifted some of the firm's trademark brown-van fleet to using natural gas, which remains the cheapest alternative fuel at current prices. Those running more rural routes have proved more difficult to wean away from oil.

"All this time we have been looking for opportunities to deploy in smaller scale and propane fits that bill perfectly," said Mike Casteel, director of fleet procurement at UPS. "The propane infrastructure is very low cost, it's a fraction of natural gas."

The shift shows how the U.S. shale energy boom continues to change the way America uses energy, with abundant natural gas and other by-products like propane further eroding oil's decades-long dominance as a transportation fuel.

Natural gas remains the leading alternative for heavy duty vehicles, including ships and potentially even locomotives, but interest in propane is slowly rising, especially in rural regions where many homes still rely on the gas for heating.

Roush CleanTech, which makes propane fuel systems for trucks and buses, this week unveiled its first propane-fueled Ford F-59 van. It expects total propane unit sales to rise to 6,500 units this year, up from nearly 4,000 last year, according to Todd Mouw, a VP of sales and marketing at Roush.

BUCK TWENTY-FIVE A GALLON

UPS's move comes as fleet owners look to cut fuel bills by moving to cheaper alternatives. A drilling boom has pushed down the price of propane and natural gas way below gasoline.

Propane offers savings of on average $1.25 per gallon at the pump. Natural gas can be even lower.

Interest does not appear to have been dimmed by the sharp but brief spike in price during this year's bitter winter, which shone a light on infrastructure constraints and export projects that contributed to shortages across the Midwest.

"Propane supplies are growing in the U.S.," said Roy Willis, president of the nonprofit Propane Education and Research Council. "The problems this winter were just driven by extraordinary demand for heating."

The interest is propelled in part by the ease of building a propane fueling station. Natural gas or liquefied natural gas fuelling stations can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to build. An above-ground propane tank, meanwhile, can be installed in a day for less than $50,000.

Propane, delivered to filling stations in trucks, does not need to be hooked into a pipeline system, as is the case with natural gas. Read more here.

Green Trucking: Choices for fleets yet abound

INDIANAPOLIS. Speakers here on a kickoff panel of the annual Green Truck Summit, held in conjunction with this week’s NTEA Work Truck Show, made one thing clear—alternative fuels for trucking will remain a matter of considerable choice, and for years to come.

For example, Doyle Sumrall, NTEA managing director, pointed out that the “infrastructure is growing for public stations” offering a range of alternative fuels— including biodiesel, compressed natural gas (CNG) and propane autogas (LPG)—and that “fleet approaches to selecting alternative fuels remain eclectic. Natural gas remains strong, but so do others.”

“The vision of the U.S. biodiesel industry is to see 5% of the petroleum diesel used replaced with biodiesel by 2015 and 10% by 2022,” advised Jennifer Weaver, OEM Outreach & education program specialist for the National Biodiesel Board.

“That 5% alone would equal 1.88 billion gallons of biodiesel,” she continued, noting that “2013 was a banner year for biodiesel and the momentum is with it going into 2014.

Weaver said there are now 115 EPA-registered biodiesel production plants nationwide and that biodiesel and blends are now available from 630 distributors and 659 retailers as well as at 506 truckstops. “There are at least 1,995 public fueling locations for biodiesel,” she added.

According to Weaver, the future is bright in part for biodiesel simply because diesel itself is forecast to become the number-one transportation fuel globally by 2020. She noted that, per ExxonMobil, diesel will surpass gasoline globally on its way to that distinction.

And looking out to 2040, Weaver said by then “diesel will account for 70% of the growth in demand for all transportation fuels. She advised that, over the same time frame, the share held by natural gas will rise to 4% from the 1% it holds today.

Turning to a concern about biodiesel that has influenced fleet owners, Weaver pointed out that now “all OEMs selling diesel equipment in the U.S. support [the use of] at least B5 and lower-level blends and over 70% support B20 or higher in at least some of their equipment.” She added that “nearly 90% of [the] medium- and heavy truck markets support B20.”

Tucker Perkins, chief business development officer for the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), called propane autogas “the little engine that could” as it has become an alternative fuel for numerous large fleets, including private fleets such as Frito Lay and Coca Cola as well as municipalities, that operate a diverse range of vehicles.

Perkins said sales activity for LPG-fueled vehicles reached 14,000 units in 2013, with those roughly split 50/50 between OEM orders—chiefly from Ford and GM— and aftermarket conversions. He added that the sales mix was 75% light-duty and 25% medium-duty vehicles.

“Propane autogas is not a Class 8 fuel,” he hastened to add. “It’s primarily going into light-duty pickups and vans and is moving into the medium-duty market mostly in school buses but the future includes medium-duty trucks as well.”

As to why a fleet would choose propane autogas when “all you read about is natural gas,” Perkins said it is because while LPG is produced from natural gas, it can be stored as a liquid at a low pressure.

“And,” he continued, “installing fueling infrastructure for propane autogas is a non-event—an initial cost of [approximately] $40,000 and [the system] is not expensive to maintain.”

Perkins added that while there are already some 3,000 public LPG fueling locations in the U.S., “the propane autogas industry is now also going after the centrally fueled fleets. The future [for LPG] is here and we see nothing but continuing growth across existing and other [OEM] platforms.” Read more here.

New Propane Autogas Vehicle Offering: GMC C2500 Pick-up Truck

During The Work Truck Show in Indianapolis this week, we announced a new vehicle offering, the GMC C2500 pick-up truck, equipped with a 6.0-liter engine and liquid propane injection system

Read more about our new truck offering as well as our CFT PRO 6100 propane autogas refueling dispenser at: LP Gas Magazine

Freightliner Custom Chassis S2G Propane Powered Truck

Two vehicles equipped with CleanFUEL USA’s LPI system are available to test drive at the Propane Autogas Ride & Drive event during the NTEA Work Truck Show.

The GM G4500 cut-van chassis along with the Freightliner Custom Chassis 8L S2G with a Linebacker Crane Truck body by Signature Truck Systems are available.
Go give them a spin and tell us what you think!

CleanFUEL USA OEM Sales Manager, Matthew Koshinski stands next to the
Freightliner Custom Chassis 8L S2G with a Linebacker Crane Truck body

Bloomberg TV: UPS Turns to Propane in $70M Alternate-Energy Push

Today, United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) announced it will spend $70 million to buy 1,000 delivery trucks powered by propane and build 50 fueling stations as it expands one of the largest private alternative-energy fleets in the U.S.

Check out this great video on Bloomberg Television’s “In The Loop” by chief national correspondent, Carol Massar examining the $70 million investment in propane-fueled vehicles by UPS as it diversifies its delivery fleet with alternative-fuel vehicles.

UPS® Utilizing CleanFUEL USA Liquid Propane Injection Systems and Propane Autogas Refueling Stations for Delivery Truck Fleet Installation

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NATIONAL TRUCK EQUIPMENT (NTEA) WORK TRUCK SHOW ––

March 5, 2014 – CleanFUEL USA, an industry leader in propane autogas technology, today announced that UPS® will be using CleanFUEL USA’s Liquid Propane Injection (LPI) system in its planned purchase of 1,000 propane autogas package delivery trucks, as well as multiple refueling stations across the United States.

 

“The UPS announcement marks one of the single largest alternative fuel vehicle purchases in the package delivery industry, and we are thrilled to provide CleanFUEL USA equipment to help the company invest in an environmentally friendly energy source and realize cost savings with American-made propane autogas,” said Curtis Donaldson, founder and managing partner of CleanFUEL USA.

 

The UPS delivery truck is based on a new CleanFUEL USA offering, the Freightliner Custom Chassis MT-45 walk-in van with CleanFUEL USA LPI system and 6.0L engine provided by Powertrain Integration. The truck will be on display in the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC) booth, #5103. The MT-45/55 application is CARB and EPA certified.

 

As well today, CleanFUEL USA announced its new vehicle offering, the GMC C2500 pick- up truck equipped with 6.0L engine and CleanFUEL USA LPI system, which is proven to be one of the most technologically advanced propane autogas systems available in the United States. This recently updated system includes a simplified design and new fuel rails for reduced weight, yielding less heat absorption and promoting the liquid phase of the propane injection process. The new vehicle offering is on display in booth #5291, along with CleanFUEL USA’s CFT PRO 6100 propane autogas refueling dispenser.

 

“There is a gap in the light-duty market segment in that a large number of fleets are using these vehicles in day-to-day operations and are looking for an alternative to gasoline, diesel and natural gas. Our 6.0L offerings help these fleets realize the benefits of propane autogas while experiencing no loss in power or payload,” said Wayne Moore, COO of CleanFUEL USA.

CleanFUEL USA is expected to soon gain EPA certification for a vast number of General Motors (GM) 6.0L light-duty applications, including GM’s 2500/3500 pick-up trucks and cargo vans.

Propane autogas is the third most widely used transportation fuel globally, and is proven to be the most attractive option from an economic and environmental standpoint. 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. The lowest greenhouse gas emitting fuel, vehicles fueled by propane autogas emit 20 percent less nitrogen oxide, 60 percent less carbon monoxide and up to 25 percent less greenhouse gases.