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Motor
vehicles are responsible for generating nearly half of all
the nation's air pollutants. Most of these emissions come
from fleet vehicles (defined in the Energy Policy Act as a
group of 20 or more vehicles owned, operated, or controlled
by one entity) that operate primarily on gasoline or diesel
fuel. There are over 15 million fleet vehicles operating in
the US, serving specific niche markets in the form of:
- Transit buses
- School buses
- Taxi cabs
- Airport vehicles
- Law enforcement vehicles
- Rental, delivery, and general purpose vehicles
Fleet
Vehicles - Automobiles and Trucks (Thousands)
| Sector |
1999
|
2000
|
| Fleets
of 25 or more automobiles: |
|
|
| Business
|
3,195
|
2,950
|
| Government
|
885
|
883
|
| Utilities
|
320
|
317
|
| Police
|
302
|
306
|
| Taxis
|
135
|
136
|
| Rentals
|
1,733
|
1,581
|
| Fleets
of 4-24 automobiles |
1,172
|
1,173
|
| Total
No. of Fleet Automobiles |
7,742
|
7,346
|
| Fleets
of 25 or more trucks: |
|
|
| Business
|
3,016
|
3,026
|
| Government
|
2,400
|
2,408
|
| Utilities
|
499
|
498
|
| Police,
taxis |
8
|
8
|
| Rentals
|
213
|
248
|
| Fleets
of 4-24 trucks |
1,652
|
1,662
|
| Total
No. of Fleet Trucks |
7,788
|
7,850
|
| Total
Automobile & Fleet Trucks |
15,530
|
15,196
|
Source:
"Automotive Fleet Fact Book, 2001" Bobit Publishing Company
Buses
The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments require existing urban buses
to meet stringent new particulate emission standards. In addition,
they set strict new standards for emissions of smog-forming
oxides of nitrogen from new buses and trucks. The clean air
standards pose a challenge for municipal transit authorities
around the country. Conventional diesel engines do not meet
the new EPA emission standards, and municipal transit authorities
have three options for maintaining compliance:
- Purchase advanced diesel engines that generate fewer
emissions by burning a more highly-refined diesel fuel.
- Retrofit new technology onto old buses to reduce emissions.
- Purchase new bus engines that run on alternative fuels,
including propane, electricity, natural gas, or ethanol.
Most transit authorities have chosen to implement a combination
of the three options. Bus fleets are particularly well suited
to propane use because:
- They are used on routes that require a known range per
tank of fuel.
- They have well-defined space and weight requirements
for accommodating passengers.
- They are generally maintained in central maintenance
facilities that can conveniently service the vehicles.
In
2000, there were 746,000 registered public and private buses
in the country. Most that use alternative fuels are transit
and school buses. The supply of AFV buses made available
to the market in 2000 is shown in the figure below by fuel
- propane or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural
gas (CNG), liquid natural gas (LNG), and ethanol (EVC).
AFV
Buses Made Available in US, by Fuel Type (2000)
Source:
Alternative Fuels Data Center, US Department of Energy
Transit
Buses
Buses in both transit and para-transit service represent a
potentially large market for propane. Transit buses are generally
full-sized buses used in an intracity environment within a
metropolitan area. Para-transit buses are typically mini-buses
dispatched upon demand, often to transport elderly or disabled
passengers.
Transit buses are heavy fuel users, consuming an average of
approximately 10,000 gallons of fuel per vehicle per year.
Because propane is clean burning and readily available domestically,
propane vehicles make ideal transit and para-transit buses,
particularly in high pollution areas where transit agencies
are subject to clean fuel requirements of the Clean Air Act
(e.g. The Texas Department of Transportation has converted
over 2,000 of its fleet vehicles to propane and has over 50
bulk refueling sited across the state).
The Energy Information Administration conducted a survey of
AFV suppliers and users in 1999. EIA Survey EIA-886 collected
data on about 3,900 transit buses in use in 1998 (a new survey
is currently being planned). The survey found that:
- About 7 percent of transit buses in operation in 1998
were AFVs.
- Over 6 percent of transit busses were fueled by propane.
The remainder of the AFVs include CNG, LNG, and electricity.
- Eighty-six percent of transit buses were dedicated vehicles
that ran exclusively on alternative fuels.
- Alternative fuel transit buses operate in 39 states.
Thirty-seven percent operate in California and 15 percent
in Texas. Other states with more than 100 alternative
fueled transit buses include Arizona, Georgia, Nevada,
New Mexico, New York, Ohio, and Washington.
School
Buses
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Coalition
for Clean Air (CCA) reported in 2001 that there are approximately
2,675 alternative fuel school buses operated by about 130
school districts across the country. The majority is located
in California, with large numbers present in Texas, Oklahoma,
Indiana, and Arizona. Many of these fleets actively participate
in the Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program, which
awarded nearly $490,000 for alternative fuel school bus
projects in 2001. The typical school bus uses an average
of 1,000 gallons of fuel per year. Prominent examples of
propane utilization for school bus transportation include:
- California's South Coast Air Quality Management District
(SCAQMD): California leads the country in the number
of AFV school buses. The SCAQMD Clean On-Road School Buses
Rule requires all new school buses purchased or leased
to operate on alternative fuels. Buses may also be retrofitted
with a California Air Resources Board (CARB)-certified
control device to reduce toxic air and criteria pollutant
emissions.
- Northside School District (NSD) in Texas: The
NSD, encompassing approximately 360 square miles in northwest
Texas, transports 32,000 students and logs nearly 8 million
miles annually on propane-powered school buses. The district
has been steadily converting school buses and transportation
service vehicles to propane since 1980. By the end of
the 2000/2001school year, 94 percent of its 472 school
buses were using propane in either dedicated or bi-fuel
configurations.
- Dallas County Schools in Texas: Since 2000, the
district has converted approximately half of its 1,200
buses to propane. Of the seven service centers housing
its school buses, five include propane refueling stations.
Dallas County Schools estimates that in 2001, 1.5 million
gallons of gasoline and diesel were displaced through
its use of propane.
- Oregon's Portland School District: The District
converted its buses from gasoline to propane in the early
1980's. Since the conversion, the District has saved an
estimated $155,800 annually on fuel (Source: http://www.amistadpropane.com/onmove.html).
States
with Significant Numbers of Alternative-Fueled School Buses
(in blue)
Taxi
Cabs
The taxicab industry is a vibrant fleet vehicle market characterized
by:
- High mileage vehicles
- Limited driving range: Taxis generally operate within
a 30-mile radius from their home base
- Urban location: Most taxi fleets are found in highly-congested
urban areas that can benefit from reduced emissions
Throughout the country, the use of AVFs in taxi fleets is
increasing. Prominent examples of propane use in taxi fleets
include:
- Nevada: Yellow-Checker-Star Transportation in
Las Vegas, Nevada, operates 585 propane-powered taxis
that travel 50 million miles per year. Over 2,000 vehicles
have been converted to propane since 1981. Since then,
over 1 billion miles have been logged by these propane-fueled
taxicabs.
- Ohio: In 2001, the state offered special assistance
to AmeriCab, a taxi fleet based in Cleveland, to convert
30 vehicles to operate on propane. Americab has used propane
in its fleet since 1989. This latest conversion brought
the company's total Cleveland fleet of 150 vehicles to
100 percent propane operation in calendar year 2001.
Airport
Vehicles
Propane use can greatly reduce exhaust emissions from vehicles
operating at and around airport facilities. Aside from aircrafts,
common sources of emissions around airports are:
- Land-side vehicles: Includes shuttle vans, buses, taxis,
limousines, and private automobiles that transport passengers
to and around airports (e.g. from airport terminals to
hotels, parking, or rental car lots).
- Ground support equipment vehicles: Include service vehicles
that travel along the tarmac, such as tractors that push
airplanes, baggage carriers, and baggage belt loaders.
The following operational characteristics of airport transportation
vehicles make them potentially good candidates for propane
operation:
- They operate on fixed and/or short routes close to the
airport
- Many are fueled at facilities located on site
- Many operate in large urban areas with emissions requirements
Alternative
fuel vehicles are becoming more visible in shuttle fleets
and ground support equipment vehicles. At Dallas-Ft. Worth
International Airport, SuperShuttle has used propane shuttle
vans since 1971. Other cities using alternative-fueled airport
vehicles are: Denver, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt
Lake City, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, San Diego, Chicago,
and Sacramento. Propane's clean-burning properties make
it an ideal fuel to be considered under the 2000 Airport
Air Quality Improvement Act. The bill promotes alternative-fuel
vehicle usage at airports in areas with serious smog problems.
Grants totaling $20 million for adding cleaner vehicles
and infrastructure are being issued to ten airports located
in areas that do not meet federal air quality standards.
Airports targeted would be those that could benefit most
(based on emissions reductions per dollar of funds provided).
They are required to match the grants on a 50-50 basis.
Law
Enforcement Vehicles
As of 2000, over 306,000 fleet automobiles in the United
States are being used by police officers. Because these
high-mileage vehicles typically operate in urban areas,
are mostly centrally fueled, and often need to be built
to specifications, law enforcement fleets constitute a good
niche market for propane vehicles. Their high visibility
in communities also positions them favorably for promoting
environmentally friendly fuels. Although exempt from most
federal alternative fuel vehicle mandates, law enforcement
agencies have discovered that AFVs make economic sense in
terms of performance, maintenance, and fuel cost.
A survey conducted by the Energy Information Administration
(EIA-886) in 1999 (a new survey is currently being planned)
showed that enforcement AFVs were operating in 16 states.
The largest numbers were reported in Arizona, Florida, and
Texas. Over half were CNG vehicles, one-third were propane
vehicles, and 10 percent were ethanol or methanol vehicles.
Alternative-Fueled
Vehicles Used in Law Enforcement by Fuel Type, 1998
Rental,
Delivery, and General Purpose Vehicles
Propane is gaining popularity as a fuel for rented vehicles
and delivery and general purpose fleets. With over 3 million
such vehicles in use as of 2000, the potential for propane
use is enormous in the rental and short-haul delivery fleet
market, particularly in urban areas with significant pollution
problems. Propane tanks installed in a van typically have
a 40-60 gallon capacity compared with the 30-plus gallon
gasoline tanks. Many vans can go more than a week before
needing to be refueled, making them more time efficient
(Source: Oregon Office of Energy). Prominent examples
of propane use in such fleets include the following:
- The Los Angeles Times: This newspaper organization
currently has over 300 delivery trucks running on propane.
- Schwan's Sales Enterprises: Schwan's of Marshall,
Minnesota, delivers frozen foods in over 48 states. The
company has relied on propane to fuel its fleet of delivery
trucks for over 22 years. Today, 7,000 of the 7,500 vehicles
in its fleet are dedicated propane medium-duty trucks.
- United States Bakery Company: This bakery, based
in Portland, Oregon, began converting its fleet to propane
in 1985. Today, it operates 140 propane-powered delivery
vehicles (representing 70% of its fleet) from depots located
across Oregon and western Washington (Source: http://www.energy.state.or.us/trans/franz.htm
Oregon Office of Energy).
- Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission: This state
agency has 64 propane-powered vehicles in its maintenance
facilities that are supported by 14 propane filling stations.
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