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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• Last week, Alliance AutoGas announced the addition of new Canadian partner Canwest Propane. The network now serves all of Canada with the only complete program for switching fleets to autogas.

• Here’s a great article about ROUSH CleanTech and propane autogas OEM options for fleets.

• Declines in driving is continuing to complicate vehicle taxes that fund transportation infrastructure.

• Meanwhile, a State Senator from Atlantic City is working to ensure owners of alternative-fuel vehicles fairly contribute to maintaining state bridges and roads.

• Propane autogas has been making headlines in Maine as the first autogas station in the state opened this week.

• The city of La Porte, Ind., has added to autogas-powered vehicles to its fleet.

• High gasoline prices are continuing to hit fleets like taxi cab companies.

• Halliburton just deployed 100 light-duty natural gas-powered trucks in its fleet.

• A North Carolina school bus fleet is test-driving clean autogas buses.

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“By using American-made clean fuels for transportation, we can reduce the supply disruption and price volatility that come with reliance on foreign oil,” says Stuart Weidie, founder of Autogas for America and president of Alliance AutoGas. “Improving national security and stabilizing the cost of transportation is a critical next step for America’s growth. Propane autogas is a proven fuel that can help to meet our country’s transportation needs. It’s American made, cost $1.50 less per gallon than gasoline, and it’s immensely practical for America’s transportation sector–all while reducing harmful emissions by 30 percent compared to gasoline.”

Check out the full video below, and be sure to visit the Alliance AutoGas YouTube channel to learn more about propane autogas for fleets.

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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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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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• Mentioned in our blog post about propane pricing earlier this week, a Wisconsin coffee roaster is switching fleet vehicles to propane autogas with the help of Charter Fuels. Charter provides the Alliance AutoGas complete program for fleets in Wisconsin, including vehicle conversions, fueling and staff training.

• An alternative fuel vehicle conversion facility is being funded in West Virginia. Alternative Fuel Solutions received financing from INNOVA Commercialization Group for a facility to convert vehicles to run on natural gas, propane autogas, and other alternative fuels.

• More alt fuels news from West Virginia, as Kanawha County continues converting its fleet vehicles to clean fuels.

• Ford, Mercedes and Nissan have apparently “signed a technology pact to produce a car that emits nothing but water by 2017.” The three automotive powerhouses will split development costs and share decades of research in order to deploy the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles within four years.

• A school district in Montana has renewed its contract with First Student Inc. for another five years and plans to switch to new propane autogas school buses to cut cost and reduce harmful emissions.

• Indianapolis Power & Light Company is installing 26 electric vehicle charging stations for non-emergency electric plug-in vehicles in the city’s fleet. The mayor signed an executive order last December requiring the city to replace approximately 500 non-police sedans with hybrid vehicles.

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• Charlotte, N.C., hopes to one day be home to an environmental initiative called ReVenture Park, a large renewable energy complex at a 700 acre site along the Catawba River that will repurpose infrastructure already in place and reserve a section for natural wildlife habitats. One of the projects planned for the site is a facility to convert vehicles to run on propane autogas.

• A business in Massachusetts just received approval for an 18,000 gallon propane tank to service their new autogas fleet.

• Propane autogas is gaining ground in West Virginia.

• Alliance AutoGas partner Crystal Flash has expanded its services in Michigan with the acquisition of another propane distribution company.

• Denton Independent School District is being recognized for its propane autogas bus fleet.

• The 2013 North American International Auto Show is being held in Detroit this week. Here’s a list of Forbes’  “break out stars” on display at the expo.

• A Pike Research study finds that “nearly one million natural gas trucks and buses will be sold from 2012 to 2019.”

• Fontaine Modification Services, a truck modifications specialist, is dividing into three business segments, including the new Fontaine Alternative Fuels, which will focus on modifications for autogas and CNG-powered heavy-duty trucks.

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• Today, hundreds of events promoting clean transportation are taking place across the nation in recognition of National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day Odyssey. The kickoff event is being held in Indianapolis, sponsored by Alliance AutoGas, Honda, ROUSH, Toyota and Vectren Energy.

• Virginia Clean Cities is hosting two Odyssey Day events in Virginia, one in Harrisonburg and one in Chesapeake, the latter of which will also feature the Virginia Propane Autogas Roadshow. Va. Governor Bob McDonnell recently announced part of the state fleet will be transitioning to autogas, and the alt fuel experts making this happen–Alliance AutoGas and ROUSH CleanTech–will display propane-powered vehicles at the roadshow and discuss the benefits of clean propane autogas for fleets.

• A new fuel station opened near Eugene, Ore., that offers 10 different fuel choices.

• The Sunbelt Ag Expo in Georgia highlighted clean propane autogas technology for farmers. Alliance AutoGas representatives brought along a propane truck to display autogas technology.

• The Southeast Louisiana Propane Autogas Roadshow, the latest in the SPADP roadshow series, will take place next Thursday in New Orleans.

• CBS News takes a look at why the issue of energy matters in this year’s presidential election.

• Michigan’s Mass Transportation Authority is adding more alternative fuel vehicles to their fleet. The board recently approved the purchase of 60 propane autogas-powered mini buses, making it the largest autogas fleet of any public transit agency in the country. MTA will have a total of 72 autogas vehicles in their fleet.

• Recycling and waste company Republic Services will invest $25 million to bolster its CNG vehicle fleet in the St. Louis area.

• The Greater Baton Rouge Clean Cities Coalition is hosting an event Thursday to “highlight alternative fuel successes in Louisiana, talk about legislative issues and hear several announcements about the future of alternative fuel in the state.”

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The national kickoff event is hosted by the Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition in Indianapolis Thursday, where around a thousand expected attendees will have the opportunity to test drive alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. Propane autogas experts from Alliance AutoGas will be on hand at the Indianapolis kickoff event to display propane-powered vehicles and speak about this affordable clean fuel for fleets.

More than 150 other Odyssey events will also take place across the country that day. Virginia Clean Cities is hosting two separate events: the Harrisonburg Clean Energy Day Odyssey and the Hampton Roads Clean Energy Day Odyssey, featuring the Virginia Propane Autogas Roadshow.

The Virginia Propane Autogas Roadshow will highlight fleets in the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program and offer presentations from industry leaders Alliance AutoGas, ROUSH CleanTech, the Propane Education and Research Council, and VCC. Alliance AutoGas provides autogas fuel supply, fueling infrastructure and vehicle conversion equipment for Program fleets, and Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell recently signed an agreement with Alliance AutoGas extended partners to switch state fleet vehicles to autogas.

The Hampton Roads Odyssey Day event will also feature a variety of clean vehicle technology, including two Chesapeake CNG waste haulers, a 2013 Chevy Volt, a 2013 Nissan LEAF and a Hampton Roads Transit hybrid/electric bus. Click here for a full list of Odyssey Day events near you.

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• The Alliance AutoGas international network is continuing to expand with new certified conversion center AutoPort.

• Honda is expanding its hybrid vehicle offerings.

• Mississippi fleet Community Counseling Services has converted 17 vans to run on propane autogas under the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program, with vehicle conversions, fueling and safety training through Alliance AutoGas. They expect to save around $60,000 annually once they have all 29 fleet vehicles running on autogas.

• LP Gas magazine spoke to Todd Mouw, vice president of sales and marketing at Roush CleanTech; Curtis Donaldson, founder and CEO of alternative fuel equipment manufacturer CleanFuel USA; and Mark Denton, vice president of business development for Alliance AutoGas; in a feature about the U.S. propane autogas industry.

• The Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program has two new roadshows in the works, including the Virginia Propane Autogas Roadshow in conjunction with National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day Odyssey, and the Southeast Louisiana Propane Autogas Roadshow the following Thursday in New Orleans. Both will feature propane autogas technology experts and local area autogas fleets for testimonials and test drives.

• Two dozen Clean Cities Coalitions across the country have come together to host the largest alternative fuel vehicle roadshow in history, highlighting CNG vehicles.

• The City of Temple, Texas, has received a grant to convert eleven vehicles to propane autogas.

• The 2013 ACT Expo will take place June 24-27 in Washington D.C.

• A Rocky Mountain shuttle fleet has deployed 15 ROUSH CleanTech autogas vans.

• A new report finds that “the greatest certainty in the future of fuels is the growing diversification of fuels in the marketplace.”

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