LPGas Magazine Features Alliance AutoGas as "One-stop shop" 

Topped off with federal funding, a coalition of companies is making a national push to promote propane as a motor fuel in existing fleet vehicles.

The Alliance AutoGas network has been in the works for years, but its official launch came earlier this year, formed from a partnership between Blossman Gas and American Alternative Fuel. The alternative fuel platform is based on an all-inclusive philosophy – converting vehicles from gasoline to propane, implementing refueling sites at fleet home bases, supplying the fuel and providing safety training and ongoing technical support.

“The reason the alliance works and is so effective is because the fleet, whether a police fleet or taxi fleet, has a one-stop-shop type of scenario,” says Steve McCoy, an Alliance AutoGas representative from Blossman Gas. “With one call we will take care of not only the conversions but also the refueling infrastructure and support afterward.”

Autogas is the common name for propane, specifically outside the United States, that’s used in motor fuel. McCoy says Alliance AutoGas hopes to build on the appeal of a proven, alternative energy such as autogas to power on-road motor vehicles.

Alliance AutoGas is headquartered in Asheville, N.C., and its partnerships provide a dense presence in the Southeast and beyond, reaching from Florida to Chicago, Denver and Detroit.

Blossman Gas, a regional propane marketer covering nine Southeastern states, is the refueling infrastructure and fuel provider, while American Alternative Fuel, based in Coxsackie, N.Y., is the conversion system provider. Blossman runs about 150 of its 178 bobtails on a propane-diesel injection system.

“In areas where we do not have a footprint we will partner with other propane marketers to provide the refueling [component],” McCoy emphasizes. “There will be other partners brought into the alliance to help this implementation across the United States.”

McCoy says there are about 12 certified conversion centers in place – including Baker Equipment (Richmond, Va.); Force 911 for police fleets (Pendergrass, Ga.); and German Motor Werks (Asheville, N.C.) – and expects that number to double in the next six months. Alliance AutoGas also can train fleet centers to handle their own conversions.

Taking advantage
Alliance officials say propane’s advantages in this application are three-fold. Compared to gasoline, propane reduces emissions and operational costs (especially with available federal tax credits), and it deters the nation’s energy dependence on foreign oil. The alliance has the potential to displace sizeable loads of gasoline with propane.

“There are 10 million vehicles on propane autogas in the world today – 200,000 in the United States,” McCoy says. “We want to start by getting at least 100,000 vehicles in the United States operating on propane autogas.”

Good candidates for these aftermarket conversions include taxis, police vehicles, shuttle vans, limousines, town cars, food and beverage trucks and utility trucks, among others, the alliance notes. A handful of companies already have converted their fleets, including Colorado Cabs, Detroit MetroCars and Peninsula Propane.

Promotion of the Alliance AutoGas network is being done through partnerships with these target industries, such as vehicle outfitter Force 911 for law enforcement agencies and the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA), a non-profit trade association of the private passenger transportation industry.

“These have been the two biggest ways we’ve gotten the word out to our target markets,” McCoy says. “As we develop the program, we will use similar channels to approach other industries.”

The Alliance AutoGas conversion system is EPA certified to support a select list of makes and models, including the Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Mercury Town Car and Grand Marquis, Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra. These vehicles were targeted because they can realize the largest number of conversions, the largest number of miles traveled and most likely return to a home-fueling facility. Fleet customers refuel at their home base with a spill-free dispenser that Alliance AutoGas installs and maintains. Cleveland-based Superior Energy Systems, an alliance partner, manufactures the fuel dispensers.

“As other vehicle platforms emerge and become more viable, we will go and get the EPA certifications on those vehicles as well,” McCoy says.

Alliance AutoGas uses the Prins Vapor Sequential Injection (VSI) system, which converts a conventional gasoline vehicle to run on propane and gasoline. The average cost for the conversion is $5,800 per fleet vehicle. McCoy says the European system is durable and simplistic in its operation.

Maintenance and service issues that arise can be handled by the conversion centers, and fleet mechanics also can be trained on system basics to handle maintenance themselves, McCoy says.

While the Prins system has EPA certification, it awaits California Air Resources Board (CARB) certification, McCoy notes. The system cannot be sold in California and other states requiring CARB certifications.

Granted wish
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) August announcement of grant award winners – funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – will help expand that propane infrastructure in the Southeast.

The federal government says its strategy is to transform the nation’s vehicle fleets to support job creation, improve the environment and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Funding for propane projects aligns with this strategy, totaling more than $33.5 million. Alliance AutoGas is a benefactor of $8.6 million awarded to the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and will be implemented by Virginia Clean Cities.

“The grant gives the market a jumpstart,” says Shelby Stephens, a spokesperson for Alliance AutoGas. “It provides a way for a collection of fleets that committed under the program to move forward right away, to convert a large volume of vehicles.”

The grant will fund more than 1,000 fleet vehicle conversions and 17 publically accessible propane-fueling stations along roadways from Washington, D.C., to Florida, to Mississippi. According to DOE, the AutoGas Corridor Development Program will help displace about 4 million gallons of petroleum annually.

“The grant will be a springboard as we spread this alliance and its work across the country,” McCoy says. “Prior to the grant announcement, hundreds of vehicles were being converted. The work is already taking place, and the grant announcement gives us some other great success stories on which to promote.”