Fleet owners, government officials and community members are welcome to test-drive clean propane autogas vehicles and learn from industry experts. The event is free with registration, and a complimentary lunch will be provided. Speakers include representatives from leading industry organizations like Alliance AutoGas, ROUSH CleanTech, the Propane Education and Research Council, ALLGAS/Lampton-Love and the Alabama Propane Gas Association.

The vehicle ride and drive begins at 2pm, after the informative presentations have wrapped up. Attendees will get hands-on experience with autogas vehicles during the ride and drive, and local fleets such as Lewis Pest Control, Lee County and Community Counseling Services will discuss their experience converting to autogas.

Propane autogas fleets save on fuel and maintenance costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, all while operating on an American-made fuel. Propane autogas is the most widely used alternative fuel, with 21 million autogas vehicles around the world. U.S. autogas fleets save an average of $1.50 per gallon on fuel versus gasoline.

Representatives from Virginia Clean Cities say the Program will complete the targeted total of 1,200 propane autogas vehicle conversions by December 2013.

Follow Alliance AutoGas on Twitter and like us on Facebook for daily news updates!

• Jackson Heating & Air, an HVAC company in LaGrange, Ga., is powering 20 fleet vehicles on propane autogas through Alliance AutoGas, with conversions from Force 911 and fueling from Blossman Gas.

• The American Clean Skies Foundation (ACSF) says running more heavy- and light-duty vehicles on natural gas would have “minimal impact on natural gas prices.”

• The Propane Gas Association of New England held a demonstration at the state capitol Wednesday, featuring a school bus, commercial lawn mower, a truck and a bi-fuel car that run on clean propane autogas. The Shelton school district is adding 60 propane-powered buses to its fleet.

• Experts from the propane autogas and automotive industries spoke about autogas for fleets on the Detroit PBS program “Autoline” last weekend.

• A proposed bill in California would give a tax break to alternative fuel vehicles.

• State transportation officials in West Virginia state hope to solve the “chicken-or-egg” problem for natural gas vehicle fuel by converting a portion of the state’s fleet to compressed natural gas as fueling stations are built. The governor’s Natural Gas Vehicle Task Force recommends the state convert 25 percent–or 1,952 out of 7,811 fleet vehicles–to CNG within four years.

• Speaking of natural gas, UPS is adding a whopping 700 fleet vehicles that run on LNG and building four refueling stations by the end of 2014. I wonder how many more propane autogas stations and vehicle conversions they could implement for the same price tag?

• The Federal Trade Commission is getting rid of fuel economy labels as it requires automakers to disclose comparative driving range performance between alternative fuel and conventional gasoline vehicles.

Follow us on Twitter or like our page on Facebook for the latest news affecting your fleet or the alternative fuel industry.

The new Alliance autogas technology center features an autogas equipment distribution center, a vehicle technician training facility and an autogas equipment research and development center. It’s managed by Blossman Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Alliance AutoGas founding partner Blossman Gas.

Blossman Vice President Jessie Johnson and Alliance AutoGas Technical Director Scott Spence head up the center, which serves as the U.S. distribution hub for propane autogas vehicle and fueling station equipment, along with warranty support. The vehicle technician training facility will lead autogas education initiatives and ongoing fleet technical support, as Alliance AutoGas continues to help more American fleets get up and running on clean, affordable propane autogas.

“Alliance AutoGas is committed to meeting the vehicle and fueling technology needs of American fleets,” said Johnson. “That’s why we guide fleets through the process of switching fuels and provide the ongoing support needed to make sure their autogas programs are successful.”

Alliance AutoGas provides a complete program for fleets, including propane autogas vehicle conversions, fueling, on-site fuel station installation, data integration, training and ongoing technical support. The versatile bi-fuel Prins Vapor Sequential Injection (VSI) system enables drivers to switch to gasoline if the autogas tank runs low, and the conversion kits can also be transitioned to new vehicles as older models retire. For fleets interested in learning more about Prins technology or switching to clean, affordable propane autogas through the Alliance program, visit www.allianceautogas.com.

Follow us on Twitter or like our page on Facebook for the latest news affecting your fleet or the alternative fuel industry.

Photo courtesy of the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition

• Hop on over to the Mississippi Business Journal for a Q&A with Alliance AutoGas President Stuart Weidie. Weidie says that, though he supports multiple alternative fuel solutions to enhance American energy security, propane autogas is the most viable choice for U.S. fleets compared to other clean fuel technology on the market today.

• Veolia Transportation is continuing its rollout of clean propane autogas taxi conversions across the country under the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program. Yellow Cab of Pittsburgh is adding 55 autogas taxis to its fleet.

• The U.S. Postal Service is running up against hurdles, such as fuel availability and fueling infrastructure, as they aim to run their fleet on alternative fuels.

• Attention New Hampshire fleet operators: the Granite State Clean Cities Coalition is hosting a “Green Your Fleet!” workshop at the Nashua Community College this Friday.

• The Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program roadshow series made two stops in Tennessee this week, one in Knoxville and one in the Nashville area. A local Knoxville NBC affiliate WBIR-TV was there to capture the action at the roadshow, which featured clean, cost-effective autogas vehicles from fleets such as Kingsport County. (See the photo above for an Alliance AutoGas cruiser at the event.)

• Speaking of propane autogas roadshows, catch ROUSH drag racer Susan Roush-McClenaghan at the Maryland International Raceway next Friday. She’ll talk about her experience racing a propane-powered vehicle, and industry experts from organizations like Alliance AutoGas and ROUSH CleanTech will be on hand to answer questions about autogas technology.

Follow @AllianceAutoGas for ongoing updates on news affecting the alternative fuel and fleet industries.

Davidson County Transportation Manager George Hodges says their drivers have been happy with the performance of the autogas vehicles, and that the fleet saved about $1500 on fuel costs the first month of running on autogas. Ten Ford E-450 vans are already converted, with another two larger, 22-passenger vehicles slated for conversion this summer. Davidson County mechanics completed certification training to maintain their autogas vehicles and convert more county fleet vehicles in the future.

Dwayne Childress, Davidson County Purchasing Director, had this to say about the autogas conversions:

“I supported converting our fleet to propane autogas specifically because it’s such a reliable and proven technology. The fact we received a grant from the Solar Center to cover the cost of conversions, paired with the fuel station infrastructure at no additional cost through Alliance AutoGas, made switching to autogas a really good deal.”

Autogas is a cost-effective clean fuel option for fleets who want to start saving on fuel costs right away. The infrastructure and conversion costs for autogas are simply more affordable than other alternative fuels on the market today, and autogas is currently saving fleets around $1.50 per gallon at the pump.

To see if your vehicle make/model can be easily converted to run on propane, check out the Alliance AutoGas website for a full list of EPA certifications. Follow @AllianceAutoGas on Twitter for more alternative fuel updates affecting your fleet.

The Jackson County, Ga. Sheriff’s Office started researching alternative fuels in 2008 – back when gas prices were at their worst in years. Sheriff Stan Evans knew the situation wasn’t sustainable, and went in search of alternatives. As it turned out, propane autogas conversions for the office’s Ford Crown Victorias were just what his fleet needed.

As of 2011, the sheriff’s office had 60 vehicles in their fleet running on autogas, with plans to convert another 20 (or more) vehicles with Alliance AutoGas. Sheriff Evans said of the decision: “I felt we needed to do our part to keep our money here at home, contributing in a small way by not buying foreign oil – and propane autogas was a great alternative.”

Do you know how much running 60 vehicles on inexpensive propane will save you on your fuel bills every year? Over $110,000. Let that sink in for a second. And, as a fleet run by a publicly funded organization, saving that much money means saving taxpayer dollars.

To read the full case study from Alliance, click here. You can also view a complete chart of propane autogas vs. gasoline prices for the past two years on the “Save Money” page. As always, be sure to follow us on Twitter at @AllianceAutoGas.

Below are links to articles about some of the most recent projects going on across the U.S.

• In Georgia, Muscogee County Sheriff John Darr (it’s German in case you were wondering) is converting 20 of his cruisers to run on autogas. Read more.
• Buncombe County, NC’s public transportation system, Mountain Mobility (…because who wants to walk up a mountain), has converted a quarter of its vehicles to run on autogas.  Read more.
• Thyssenkrupp Elevator -the leader in elevated travel- has begun its own autogas program, unveiling one of their vehicles at the 2010 Green Fleet Conference. With autogas, the sky’s the limit (or at least the top floor). Read more.
• In Frederick County, VA more police vehicles are being converted. The article states that the department will be getting friendlier to the environment- not criminals- by using AutoGas (total ripoff). But how else could they be friendlier, I wonder? Tasers charged by renewable sources. Non-Toxic mace. Biodegradable bullet casings. Make it happen! Read more.
• Recently, a father-daughter team completed a cross-country road trip powered solely by AutoGas, proving that AutoGas can provide an ill-advised, close quarters trip that starts of well and ends with regretful remarks about one another and a trash filled car just like gasoline or diesel. Read more.
• Greenville County, SC is converting 100 of its vehicles to run on autogas. The company converting the vehicles is called Light ‘N’ Up, which is coincidentally the feeling you get when you use autogas. Read more.
• Appropriately named Peninsula Propane of Florida along with Cobb (Salad) and (Lewis) Carroll counties of Georgia  are converting their vehicles to autogas. Read more.
• Portland, Ore. schools are converting their buses to propane because….think of the children! Read more.

What were you expecting me to say?

A story about the vehicles’ extended range – from its unique bi-fuel system using propane AutoGas – leading to an arrest after a 400 mile high-speed chase through streets of Atlanta before ending in a shootout with armed suspects carrying a weapons cache in their backseat of their vehicle – that ran out of gas- as the officers took refuge behind their extremely puncture resistant tank located inside the vehicle that still allowed them to drive the suspects back to the precinct after the day’s unbelievable circumstance because the clean-burning fuel ensured a healthy engine that can run long after its expected lifetime?

You can tell it's high-speed becuase it's blurry

Well, I’m sorry. I don’t have that for you. I want that too. But all I have is a story about how one Sheriff’s efforts and leadership will save thousands of dollars for the citizens in his county while simultaneously protecting their health…for now.

Until the great AutoGas chase occurs, read the full story about Sheriff Darr of Georgia and his department’s new vehicles here.

Every two years the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) puts on Odyssey Day, a National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day, educating the public on Alternative Fuel Vehicle technologies. The single day event is hosted at locations all across the nation, allowing for ultimate exposure.

Propane AutoGas will be just one of many AFV technologies showcased at this event. Visit the Odyssey Day website to learn more and find locations.

However, if you said that both signed contracts that would forever change the rest of the nation’s perception of Indiana, then…that’s a really good guess because you are correct.

Alliance AutoGas has been awarded a $3.2 million contract to create an AutoGas fueling infrastructure throughout the state while simultaneously converting vehicles from the Indiana state fleet. This will allow any propane vehicle to travel across the state without fear of the fuel gauge reaching empty while cutting fuel and vehicle costs for the state of Indiana.

This is just one of many alternative fuel vehicle programs that is taking place across the nation, and propane AutoGas is a major part. It’s already easier to travel around using AutoGas than any other alternative fuel,  and it’s only a matter of time until it is just as easy to travel on AutoGas as it is gasoline or diesel.

Click here to read Bruce Smith’s article about the Indiana propane AutoGas program in the Indianapolis Star.