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.

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• The Alternative Clean Transportation conference and exhibition is being held June 24-27 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and Embassy Suites in Washington D.C. The Expo Hall is free and open to the public June 26-27. Alliance AutoGas president and CEO Stuart Weidie will speak as part of a panel on alternative fuel infrastructure Wednesday afternoon. His presentation, “The Cost-Effectiveness of Propane Autogas Refueling Infrastructure, Present and Future,” will offer expert insight on how fleets can switch to clean fuel at little to no upfront cost.

• A Lead The Way propane autogas event is scheduled for the afternoon of Monday, June 24 by the Propane Education & Research Council, an ACT Expo presenting sponsor. Mike Barrett, regional maintenance director of Veolia Transportation, will share his firsthand hand experience with switching a nationwide taxi fleet to autogas through Alliance AutoGas, as part of the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program. The Clean Cities Annual Stakeholders Event is also being held that day.

• As we’ve mentioned previously, the Georgia Alternative Fuel Vehicle Roadshow is traveling around this month, with stops this week in Savannah, Augusta, Valdosta and Columbus. Fleets interested in learning more about a variety of domestic clean fuel options should attend a roadshow to learn from the experts and test drive a vehicle.

• The 2013 National Sheriff’s Association Annual Conference is being held June 20-26 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C. Law enforcement officers from across the country will gather to learn the latest trends and technologies available, including clean fuel vehicles powered by propane autogas.

• June 20 also marks the kicks off the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program’s Propane Autogas Roadshow series. The first roadshow is being held in Montgomery, Ala., and is free and open to the public, with registration. Hosted by the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, participants include Alliance AutoGas, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, PERC, as well as propane-powered fleets such as Lewis Pest Control, Lee County and Community Counseling Services. Industry experts will discuss operating both vehicle fleets and lawn and landscape equipment on clean, affordable propane autogas.

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• An Oregon sheriff fleet expects to save thousands with 10 new propane cruisers.

• The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Roadshow is making its way through Georgia over the next couple of weeks, featuring vehicles that run on propane autogas, natural gas, biofuels and electricity.

• The Flint Mass Transportation Authority is working with Crystal Flash, which is part of Alliance AutoGas, to switch 57 buses to run on autogas. They hope to have 92 clean buses by the fall.

• States are increasingly hitting owners of alternative fuel vehicles with extra taxes to offset decreasing gasoline tax revenues.

• A conference in Houston, Texas, this week focused on alternative fuel fleets.

• The largest school district in Arizona will have nearly 90 propane-powered buses in its fleet soon. According to School Transportation News: “The district said it is saving more than $0.37 per mile in operating costs and with the new buses expects to save $4.43 million in total operating costs over a five-year period.”

• The price for used Nissan Leafs is expected to fall.

• This Forbes article poses the question: should we be turning natural gas into gasoline?

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Sheriff Van Duncan accepted the Clean Air Excellence award during a WNCRAQA board meeting May 14 at the agency’s office in Asheville. The sheriff’s fleet is saving more than $13k annually and displacing 20 tons of greenhouse gas emissions running 10 cruisers on propane autogas since February 2012.

Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan accepts the Clean Air Excellence Award, along with Steve Whaley from Alliance AutoGas.

Buncombe County considered the reduction in the fleet’s overall carbon footprint as well as fuel cost savings and vehicle performance when it came to choosing an alternative fuel. Switching to propane autogas was an ideal choice to support the sheriff office’s mission to clean up the community and create a better environment for future generations. Autogas is significantly cleaner than gasoline or diesel, and U.S. fleets currently save upwards of $2 per gallon filling up with autogas versus gasoline.

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Clean Energy Economy for the Region (CLEER) will manage the project and provide training for regional Clean Cities organizations such as Denver Metro Clean Cities, Garfield Clean Energy in Garfield County, Northern Colorado Clean Cities in Fort Collins and Southern Colorado Clean Cities in Colorado Springs. These local organizations will enlist fleets to participate in the Refuel Colorado Fleets project, which will encompass at least seven communities across Colorado. Once the communities are selected, the trained energy coaches from Clean Cities will work with local government and business fleets to help them with purchasing alternative fuel vehicles and improving fleet efficiency.

“Helping local communities make more widespread use of alternative vehicle fuel technologies also helps drive economic development,” said Alice Laird, executive director of CLEER. “This project will help Colorado speed up our transition to domestic vehicle fuels, building business and jobs.”

The $225,000 Refuel Colorado Fleets project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and does not include funds for fueling stations, charging stations or alternative fuel vehicles.The Colorado Energy Office also plans to provide public information through web tools, support stakeholder initiatives to remove barriers to alternative fuel adoption, and incorporate alternative fuel vehicles in the state fleet.

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• First, the top news yesterday was from our friends at ROUSH CleanTech, who are helping DISH Network add 200 propane-powered vehicles to its fleet. Wow, that will add up to a lot of fuel cost savings and a ton (or should be say literally TONS) of displaced greenhouse gas emissions!

• Ford also announced that it’s offering several new options of propane autogas and natural gas trucks. The industry titan cited increasing demand for alternative fuel fleets.

• Ford also says it believes truck and van sales will get a boost in the coming years.

• Speaking of natural gas: Love’s Travel Stops is planning to open eight new CNG filling stations in Texas. The locations will be in an area known as the “Texas Triangle” along highways between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

• Echo Automotive, a technology developer that converts vehicles into fuel-efficient hybrids and plug-in hybrids debuted the first-ever, detailed and full-size “EchoDrive” chassis display.

• Mack Trucks unveiled a new medium-duty truck optimized for municipalities, landscapers and small contractors.

• Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide is now presenting a “bolt-on kit” to convert medium-duty trucks to run on compressed natural gas.

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• Alliance AutoGas welcomed Lampton-Love this week, a Southeast U.S. propane retailer that will provide the Alliance complete program to fleets in Tennessee and Louisiana.

• Gasoline prices have been rising steadily for more than a month–and counting! Could mean record highs for 2013, which is bad news for fleets that depend on traditional gasoline-powered vehicles for transportation.

• ROUSH CleanTech is providing three new propane-powered Ford trucks, including the Ford F-59, F-53 and E-450.

• A Minnesota company is helping area fleets enjoy the benefits of running on autogas.

• The Governor of Connecticut is calling for a more comprehensive energy strategy, including the use of alternative fuel vehicles.

• The City of Phoenix will add 120 new CNG buses to their Valley Metro fleet. Meanwhile, a city in Iowa is testing out CNG with two initial vehicle conversions.

• And, finally, check out this video about the new Unified Government propane autogas fleet in Kansas, which is expected to save about $133,000 annually on fuel costs with 13 vehicles.

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• Alliance AutoGas announced this week that it is now the sole U.S. distributor for Prins autogas technology. Alliance also launched a U.S. Autogas Technology Center to support this, which is managed by a new branch of Blossman Gas called Blossman Services, Inc.

• Cimarron Municipal Schools in New Mexico has added a propane autogas-powered activity bus to its vehicle fleet.

• Icom North America is making news again, this time with its Propane Optimization Process (POP), which ensures drivers of bi-fuel propane autogas vehicles will not opt to use gasoline instead of autogas.

• Still more autogas fleets cropping up: the Goddard School District in Kansas is integrating propane buses into its fleet.

• CleanFUEL USA is helping Fashion Glass & Mirror switch 40 fleet vehicles to propane autogas.

• The somewhat controversial Virginia transportation bill advanced through the Senate Finance Committee this Tuesday. According to the article, “the new Senate Finance version restores the gas tax and increases it from 17.5 cents per gallon to 22.5 cents per gallon, adds a 1 percent wholesale gas tax, increases the vehicle registration fee by $15 and would allow certain heavy-congestion localities to add another 1 percent fuel tax. The plan also directs an additional .05 percentage points of the state sales tax toward transportation.”

• Now Indiana lawmakers are looking at taxing clean vehicle drivers to pay for transportation infrastructure, following in the footsteps of states like Virginia, New Jersey and Mississippi.

• The City of Oakwood in Georgia has adopted an idle-reduction policy for city vehicles and equipment to save fuel and improve air quality.

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• Pinnacle Propane is expanding into Oregon with a new propane-tank servicing facility in Goshen. The new Pinnacle location is expected to create 36 jobs.

• Should the Mississippi Department of Transportation raise the gasoline tax to pay for transportation infrastructure? New Jersey is also struggling to address how it will pay to maintain roads and bridges as more drivers switch to alternative-fuel vehicles.

• Meanwhile in Virginia, Governor Bob McDonnell’s transportation plan to replace the gasoline tax with increases in the sales tax and vehicle registration fees was passed by the House on Tuesday, but the Senate has sent the plan back to committee after voting down two alternatives.

• A California GM plant dedicated to alternative-fuel vehicle technology is being relocated to Michigan.

• There’s a new propane autogas fueling station opening in California from Arro Autogas. The first of 13 autogas stations Arro plans on opening this year, the site is a public-access propane refueling station at Camping World in Newhall, Calif.

• Triblive.com profiles companies that are turning to compressed natural gas to power their fleets.

• Heads up for West Virginia alternative fuel vehicle drivers: you may be eligible for state and federal tax rebates.

• And finally, a Nebraska school district is testing out a brand new 2013 Blue Bird Vision propane autogas-powered school bus.

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Each session will cover the details of converting to propane autogas for an array of industries, including law enforcement fleets, lawn and landscaping companies, public transportation fleets, taxis and limousines, HVAC companies and many more. Hear experts from Alliance AutoGas discuss the only complete program to switch fleets to autogas, while the skilled professionals at Force 911 share information about versatile bi-fuel propane autogas vehicle technology and conversions for your fleet.

The webinar will be held on the first Tuesday of every month at 2 p.m. EST, beginning March 5. Visit Force 911 online for more information, or link directly to the webinar registration page here.

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