Propane for Clean Vehicle Fleets
By Brian Feehan
 If you’re only familiar with the 20-lb. propane tank that fuels your outdoor grill, then you might be surprised to learn that nearly 60 million Americans trust and rely on propane in innovative ways everyday. Propane heats homes, water, and outdoor spaces. In factories, warehouses, and communities throughout the U.S., propane fuels the forklifts, construction equipment, and fleets that drive our economy. Propane is one of the nation’s most versatile sources of energy, supplying about 4 percent of total domestic energy needs and fueling more than 10 million vehicles worldwide.
Fortunately, nearly 90 percent of U.S. propane supplies are produced at existing domestic facilities. Another seven percent comes from Canada, making propane a very secure energy resource. With the world’s largest propane storage capacity, the U.S. is well positioned to compete for growing supplies of propane being produced with the expanding global trade of liquefied natural gas. Propane provides safe, clean, reliable, efficient, and secure energy. That’s good value for consumers, the environment, and America.
Propane is rapidly establishing itself as an important alternative fuel in the transportation sector because of its impressive environmental benefits and inherent cost advantages over gasoline, diesel, and other alt-fuels. It isn’t a direct greenhouse gas when released into the air. Current measurements have not found a global climate impact from propane emissions (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change-IPCC). Compared to conventional fuel sources, propane generates fewer GHG emissions in almost every application. At the point of use, it has a lower carbon content than gasoline, diesel, heavy fuel oil, or even biodiesel and ethanol.
In 2005, the propane industry began focusing on all engine fuel applications as a cohesive segment. Creation of the Engine Fuel Advisory Committee within the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) strengthened the industry’s focus on all viable applications and the business models that demonstrate merit to propane marketers and customers alike. The propane industry has adopted a comprehensive approach to market development through R&D, safety and training, partnerships and relationships, and consumer education.
The industry approach focuses on developing 50 state-certified vehicles for specific niche market opportunities in collaboration with OEM partnerships. These partnerships reduce costs to establish Tier-II OEM vehicle platforms that come off the assembly line on gasoline and proceed to OEM sanctioned Tier-II upfitters (Monroe for GM and Roush for Ford) to produce propane vehicle models. This multimillion-dollar investment demonstrates the industry’s commitment in developing a new generation of OEM products to overcome the high cost of government regulations, while meeting or exceeding EPA and CARB certification criteria for durability and lower emission standards.
The new CleanFUEL USA liquid propane injection (LPI) system reached a significant milestone by achieving the lowest EPA/CARB certification on record at 0.7 for combined NMHC/NOx low emissions for heavy-duty engines — 30 percent lower than the 2007 1.0 standard. The LPI 8.1L platform is currently available in GM cab chassis configurations from 17,500- to 33,500-lb. GVW platforms, as well as the 2008 propane-powered Blue Bird Vision school bus. In addition, the industry also teamed up with Roush to develop the Roush F-150 dedicated propane pickup (www.propanetruck.us) now available in XL & XLT packages.
The propane engine fuel market is poised for growth with the tax incentives passed in the 2005 Energy and Highway bills that took effect on December 31, 2005 and October 1, 2006, respectively. Federal tax incentives include incremental cost of the vehicle, credits for infrastructure, as well as a .50 cent-per-gallon tax credit for every gallon of propane consumed in your vehicle. Combined, these credits make switching to propane a very attractive fuel for fleets.
Brian Feehan is vice president of the Propane Education & Research Council, www.propanefreedom.com.
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