Green Fleet

Discussing alternative fuels for fleets.

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A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

Greek proverb

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Safety First!

I read an article about the Sandy Springs Police Department using propane autogas for their police cruisers. Force 911 performed the installations and the department has saved a substantial amount due to reduced fuel expenses. You can read more here:

http://neighbornewspapers.com/view/full_story/22609819/article-Propane-%E2%80%93-Is-it-safe---?instance=all

The article reminded me that although there's been an increase in the use of CNG and propane autogas for vehicles, people are still concerned about safety.

A few safety items to note:

1. Propane autogas tanks are made with 1/4 thick steel. Gas tanks are made of Polyethylene, a hard plastic, which can be punctured more easily.

2. CNG and propane autogas systems installed in the U.S. go through evaluation at the EPA and receive EPA approval after successful testing.

3. Propane will ignite only with a fuel-to-air ratio between 2.2% and 9.6%. Propane has a more narrow range of flammability compared to gasoline.

4. The ignition temperature of propane autogas is 920-1020 degrees Fahrenheit vs. 495-536 for conventional gasoline.

Safe driving!

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Nature is a mutable cloud, which is always and never the same.

Ralph W. Emerson

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Abundant and affordable

We frequently get asked about the availability of propane autogas. Because propane isn't quite as recognizable as natural gas, most individuals assume the U.S. doesn't have an abundant supply.

Did you know that the U.S. is a net exporter of propane? In 2012, the U.S. exported approximately 2.6 billion gallons of propane, leading to net exports of almost 1.0 billion gallons.

In fact, propane is the world's third most popular vehicle fuel behind gasoline and diesel. Countries like Turkey, South Korea, Poland, Italy, and Australia have long been using propane as an automobile fuel because it's more affordable compared to diesel or petrol.

To learn more about the growing use of propane in the United States, check out ICF International's "2013 Propane Market Outlook" report.

http://www.icfi.com/insights/reports/2013/propane-market-outlook-2013 

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"No One Size Fits All Solution"

The great thing about the Alternative Fueled Vehicle Roadshow is that all the players in the alt fuel industry have opportunities to serve various segments of the vehicle market.

As Joy Kramer, Director of the Alternative Fueled Vehicle Roadshow, states "There's no one size fits all solution." Check out this video of her discussing the latest event in Tennessee.

http://tfponline.com/videos/2013/mar/15/6499/

Electric vehicles are great options for families that don't need a lot of range. CNG is a good solution for heavy duty garbage/trash trucks and buses. Propane autogas is very flexible for light to medium duty sedans, trucks and vans.

The reality is, we can all get off of foregin oil, enjoy the environmental benefits of going green, and save money in the process. Now that's a solution!

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If we truly want an innovative and creative renewable fuel industry, then it needs to be challenged. And if we create a set of protections that allow it to not be as creative and innovative as possible, then we aren't doing a service to the industry or to the people of this country.

Tom Vilsack

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

Speech, October 12, 2006

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EV's aren't completely green

We love alt fuel vehicles. But it's important to note that electric vehicles aren't completely green. Electric cars don't emit carbon-dioxide while driving but the energy used for their manufacturing and battery charges does. And it's more than you would think. Check out this post on WSJ...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324128504578346913994914472.html?mod=wsj_valettop_email

Don't get us wrong, getting off of foreign oil/gasoline is a huge benefit. Anyway we can do it is a plus - electric, propane, natural gas, biofuels, etc. Just keep in mind that most people power their EV's from electricity made with fossil fuels, manufacturing of EV's throws off carbon dioxide, and lithium for batteries comes from mining.

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Force 911 was interviewed on the radio program "Speaking of Green" on September 12, 2012. We discussed propane autogas vehicles and electric vehicles with our host Beth Bond. The link will take you to the recorded radio program.

If you don't have time to listen to the broadcast, here's a few of the highlights mentioned in the program:

We install a bi-fuel propane system.This system is added on to your existing fleet vehicles. It can be used on sedans, trucks and vans.

The bi-fuel system is an independent fuel system that is added to the vehicle which allows you to operate on propane or gasoline. A separate tank, hoses and computer are installed.

This is a vapor sequential injection system. The vehicle will always start on gasoline. It takes a few seconds for the system to warm up and then switch to propane.

Users can switch back to their gasoline system if they run out of propane.

There are dedicated propane systems on the market where the car can only operate on propane (no gasoline back up).

The payback on a bi-fuel system like this is approximately 12-14 months if you are driving a vehicle 20,000-25,000 miles per year.

Safety is a big concern. We decided to do a shooting demonstrations a few years back. The video is online at our YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/force911girl.

We work with a lot of law enforcement agencies. They are probably one of the toughest organizations on cars. The bi-fuel system is being used by several law enforcement groups and they report no change in performance (and sometimes comment the performance is better when driving on propane).

Propane is 104 octane. It burns cleaner. You can double your engine life by using propane autogas. It also reduces the intervals for oil changes.

Propane costs significantly less that gasoline. In early September 2012 our organization was paying $1.60 per gallon for propane (at our main office in GA).

When you drill for CNG, you also get propane. About 70% of propane comes from natural gas.

Propane is a domestic fuel source. Approximately 90% of propane is derived from sources in the U.S.

Several fleets in the Southeast have implemented propane for their vehicles.

Force 911 also offers electric personal mobility vehicles as well as electric low speed vehicles.

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Get the facts, or the facts will get you. And when you get them, get them right, or they will get you wrong.

Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

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Mutual Fund Approach

We recently participated in the Alternative Fuel Roadshow with the State of Georgia. It was great to learn about the new technology on the horizon.

It’s been a few weeks since completion of the event, and I keep coming back to a comment made by a representative from the University of Georgia. Forgive me, I don’t know the professor’s name, I only remember what he said. For the sake of this post, we’ll call him Professor Green.

To sum it up, Professor Green said organizations should take a “mutual fund” approach to alternative energy. He explained that many organizations approach the implementation of alternative energy already having decided on one particular fuel without completing any due diligence to review all options.

Professor Green continued his discussion saying that alternative energy fails when these organizations pick the wrong fuel for their application. Ultimately, the users are unhappy. The project is unsuccessful. And that group will never embark on another alternative fuel project. Additionally, the organization will share their dislike for alternative energy which influences the buying decisions of others.

All of these consequences occur because adequate time was not taken to evaluate all alternative fuels. Professor Green went on to state that we shouldn't become so transfixed with one fuel and think it is the only viable path for the organization/company/country. Much in the same way, one stock or investment can’t meet everyone’s expectations.

For example, a company making short distance trips each day without cargo could implement electric hybrids for their fleet. A police fleet that operates mostly sedans would benefit from propane autogas. A city with a municipal bus system could operate efficiently on compressed natural gas.

At this stage, one alternative fuel is not a clear winner for all vehicle applications. Success depends on matching the right alternative fuel for your application.

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All in favor of conserving gasoline, please raise your right foot.

Author Unknown

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Green Fleet magazine has a great feature in the July/August 2012 issue titled "Decisions, Decisions: Retrofitting to a Cleaner Fleet". Take a look at the article to learn more about retrofit solutions for fleets. (Sometimes referred to as upfitting.)

Here are take-aways we think are important when evaluating alternative fuel choices:

1. Are you located in an urban or rural environment?

2. How many miles do you drive each day?

3. How often is it practical to refuel?

4. If you're a municipality, are other fleet vehicles using an existing alternative fuel and can you share in the fueling infrastructure cost?

5. Do you want to use alternative fuel on your existing vehicles or do you plan to purchase new vehicles?

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Think Beyond CNG

It's summer tradeshow season and we're on the road for the next two months. We exhibited multiple  propane vehicles and electric vehicles at a tradeshow this past weekend for municipal governments. Over and over again, attendees would stroll by and make comments about compressed natural gas (CNG).

Yet, no one  could share why they thought CNG was a better application than propane. I'll take that back, with the exception of having existing CNG fueling infrastructure in their city or county, people really can't explain the advantages of converting a vehicle to CNG versus Propane.

Of course, we think that's a score for the CNG industry. They've done a phenomenal job promoting CNG, getting press and working on legislation to encourage CNG use. And with a backer like T. Boone Pickens, it's natural for the public to think the only domestic fuel source (other than wind, electric or solar) is compressed natural gas.

Pickens has touted natural gas as the best vehicle fuel alternative because it is domestic, burns cleaner and reduces foreign oil consumption. But did you know that those three characteristics are exactly the same for propane. In fact, when you drill for natural gas you also get propane.

So here's two advantages to propane (and we think they are pretty big advantages):

1. Propane fueling infrastructure is significantly cheaper - A fast fuel propane station for fleet vehicles starts around $30,000. Whereas, a fast fuel CNG station for fleet vehicles starts at $500,000 and can climb to a million dollars. Furthermore, most propane retailers will give you the fueling infrastructure at a discounted price if you contract to buy their propane.

2. More range - Comparing a propane tank to a CNG tank of the same size and dimensions (this is the fuel tank inside the vehicle), the propane tank holds twice the amount of fuel. Therefore, one tank of propane autogas will take you twice as far as CNG and you won't have to refuel as often.

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This year's Propane Days are scheduled for June 4-6 in Washington, D.C. Don't forget, propane does more than just power your Grill. It's used for airport shuttles, airport TUGs, vehicles, homes, lawn mowers and more. It's versatile, it's clean and best of all - it's domestic.

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Alternative Fuels - Let's Support All of Them

Truckinginfo.com featured an article titled Alternative Fuels Mean Energy Independence based on information presented at the ACT Expo, May 15-17, 2012. It's nice to see the ACT Expo having an open panel discussion with various alternative fuel spokespeople. We're for developing all forms of alternative fuel. Of course, our primary experience is with propane; we've seen the benefits of propane autogas as a vehicle fuel.

I think too much attention has been given to natural gas. But I'll counter that comment with the natural gas industry has done a great job at marketing its product and lobbying for its use. It's no wonder people seem to readily accept natural gas instead of propane as a vehicle fuel. Couple that with people's perceptions about propane are based on old technology and it's easy to see why natural gas pulls ahead in public awareness. But the reality is that today's propane conversions for vehicles are safe and advanced. Just like natural gas, they've been rigorously tested and approved by the EPA.

Propane and natural gas are readily available across the U.S. These two fuels are just being used for other applications. Propane and natural gas have distribution networks; they just need more fueling stations. In the case of propane, our experience is that it's much easier and cheaper to set up a fueling station at a fleet base compared to CNG.

And of course, there's electric. We offer some great specialty electric vehicles that are quick and easy to charge. But currently, dedicated electric vehicles just aren't a good choice for long distance, high mileage driving.

Clear advantages and disadvantages come with each form of alternative energy. At the end of the day, we support each one. After all, who wants to depend on the Middle East for our mobility?

Let's hope our government encourages all forms of alternative energy instead of passing legislation to support just one.

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Great video showing propane autogas working for a county in Georgia.

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Energy and persistence conquer all things.

Benjamin Franklin