Heavy Duty Trucking, September 2018

HDT SEPTEMBER 2018 70 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM same requirements as gasoline vehicles This HD OBD certification applies to all vehicles over 14000 GVWR Mouw explains The onboard monitors will now track and report out the continuing compliance of the emissions performance of a vehicle as they have since 2016 for gas vehicles All the companys autogas fueled vehicles using Ford 68L 2V and 3V engines including for medium duty fleet vehicles are covered under the CARB HD OBD certification He also says that the 3V engine is the first and only propane autogas engine available in Class 4 to 7 vehicles certified to the optional low nitrogen oxide level of 005 g bhp hr Mouw says he has seen interest in propane accelerate over the past six to nine months in line with the uptick in both diesel and gasoline prices He says the range of savings will vary by operation but it can run from 10 to 15 cents per mile it really depends on the application vs the cost of diesel And when factoring propane costs vs diesel or gasoline keep in mind that many states continue to offer incentives to help fleets save on the upfront purchase of propane vehicles Also in the wind are the billions of dollars set aside by Volkswagens settlement with the federal government on emissions fraud charges The 27 billion Environmental Mitigation Trust is being allocated to states to incentivize fleets to swap older diesel vehicles with new low emissions vehicles Fleets may want to contact state energy offices or their local Clean Cities coalition to see if their operations might qualify for any programs funded by the trusts funds contends that newer lower emissions diesel technology comes with an added inconvenience diesel emissions fluid to purchase store and change This is on top of needing more oil by volume compared with propane In cold temperatures diesel vehicles also require anti gelling agents to prevent clogging of fuel filters and lines Thirdly the council says that new diesel engines require diesel particulate filters that must be cleaned periodically noting that excessive idling will accelerate cleaning intervals Either way extra maintenance expenses are piled on top of additional lifecycle costs Moving into the mainstream All of the above stated benefits support the view of Todd Mouw president of Roush CleanTech that propane autogas is moving into the mainstream He says propane as a vehicle fuel is absolutely seeing growth noting that the push toward Class 4 to 7 vehicles using autogas began in the school bus market where range torque and power output and low cost fueling are all requirements Then interest moved to government and delivery truck fleets Aiming to further drive autogas growth according to Mouw Roush CleanTech recently became the first propane fuel system manufacturer to receive heavy duty onboard diagnostics certification for all of its engines from both the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board He says that until the 2018 model year alternatively fueled vehicles had been exempt from this certification but now theyre being held to the When most Americans think of propane they think of heat using the fuel for everything from firing up blowtorches and barbecue grills to heating homes But for at least one fleet user of propane using the fuel is all about keeping things cold Schwans Home Service has a history with propane fueled trucks that dates back to the 1970s when oil embargoes rapidly drove up the price of both gasoline and diesel Propane powered vehicles have played a key role in Schwans product delivery for more than 40 years says Danielle Stariha Schwans senior manager of fleet and procurement Total cost of ownership for propane autogas is much lower than traditional fuels and other alternative technologies which is why we are continually implementing the newest propane technology she adds In addition relying on propane power helps to meet the companys environmental sustainability objectives The Marshall Minnesota based company markets and delivers more than 300 high quality frozen foods through mail order and by home delivery via its private fleet The newest autogas fueled trucks number 600 converted Ford E 450 cutaways which will enter service this year in two batches The delivery trucks are powered by a Ford 68L V 10 engine fitted with a Roush CleanTech autogas fuel system Each truck will emit about 91000 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over its lifetime than an equivalent gasoline powered vehicle Along with greening the fleet and keeping down total cost of ownership Schwans also likes what autogas does for its drivers who deliver products to its residential and business customers Propane powered vehicles are much quieter than equivalent diesel powered vehicles which leads to higher driver satisfaction says Ron Moore vice president of warehouse and fleet operations for Schwans We deliver across the U S in various climates conditions and terrains and our drivers are excited about the Roush CleanTech powered E 450 chassis RUNNING HOT AND COLD For on site refueling propane is transported to the site via a delivery truck and put into storage tanks traditionally above ground Propane is pumped into the vehicle under low pressure so it remains a liquid PROPANE PHOTO ROUSH CLEANTECH PHOTO ROUSH CLEANTECH A L T E R N A T I V E F U E L S