Virginia Clean Cities Reaches 1,000 Vehicle Conversions to Propane
Largest propane deployment project in U.S. history involving a government partnership
Virginia Clean Cities is proud to announce that 1,000 vehicles have been successfully converted to run on propane autogas through the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program (SPADP). The Program is supported by funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program.
“This represents a significant mark with 1,000 vehicle conversions successfully fueling and driving on cleaner and less expensive domestic propane,” said Alleyn Harned, Executive Director of Virginia Clean Cities. “This milestone is the result of years of hard work and collaboration with project partners and Clean Cities Coalitions throughout the country."
Program fleets significantly save on fuel costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by running vehicles on American-made propane autogas. Veolia Transportation is switching 300 taxis nationwide to autogas, while Southeast fleets include the City of Sandy Springs, and the Carroll, Jackson and Muscogee County Sheriff’s Offices in Georgia; Community Counseling Services and Pearl River County in Mississippi; Buncombe County, N.C.; the city of Vestavia Hills, Lee County and Lewis Pest Control in Alabama.
In the Commonwealth of Virginia alone, the Program has helped a variety of public and private fleets convert vehicles to autogas, including Groome Transportation, Virginia Premier Health Plan, the city of Newport News, Spotsylvania County and the August, Culpeper and Frederick County Sheriff’s Offices in Virginia.
Propane autogas, also referred to as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), is the most widely used alternative fuel in the world, with more than 17 million autogas vehicles on the road globally. Autogas is cleaner than gasoline and costs around $1.50 less per gallon; and, with 98 percent of the U.S. autogas supply made in America, propane autogas is cost-effective and widely available, now.
The vehicle conversions in this Program take ordinary vehicles that run on gasoline and upfit them with the bi-fuel Prins VSI propane autogas system. This bi-fuel approach is enticing to fleets because the system automatically reverts to gasoline if the autogas tank runs out, and the kit can easily be switched from a retiring vehicle to a newer model with little cost or downtime.
About the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program
The Program is putting more than 1,200 clean autogas vehicles on the road and implementing fueling stations funded by partner Alliance AutoGas. Supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program, SPADP is managed and administered by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and Virginia Clean Cities at James Madison University. At SPADP’s completion, over 1,200 vehicles from 36 fleets in 12 states will be converted to run on propane autogas. It will also implement fueling stations for each fleet, displacing 1.2 million gallons of gasoline each year, eliminating more than 2,000 tons of airborne pollutants annually and saving fleets $1.8 million a year while creating American jobs. Visit www.usepropaneautogas.com for more information.
About Virginia Clean Cities
Virginia Clean Cities is a regional nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing our energy, economic, and environmental security through petroleum reduction and clean transportation. Virginia Clean Cities is a state and federally recognized coalition of stakeholders staffed in partnership with James Madison University. The coalition operates dozens of domestic fuel and environmental education and deployment projects for federal, state, agencies and private partners. To learn more, please visit www.vacleancities.org.
Michael Phillips | Virginia Clean Cities | 804-482-1790 | mphillips@vacleancities.org
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