09.05.18 — Township High School District 211 added 15 propane autogas-fueled buses to its fleet for the 2018-19 school year. These Blue Bird Vision Propane Type C models reduce operating costs and help the school district lower its carbon footprint.
The fuel tank is at the heart of our propane autogas fuel system. Like any other part, you need to consider preventative maintenance.
The propane fuel tank should be inspected during each regular preventative maintenance interval or, at a minimum, annually. Look for signs of corrosion, peeling paint or rock chips.
With time, you may see this normal wear and tear.
Rust or corrosion on the propane tank does not necessarily mean there’s an issue. Propane autogas fuel tanks are designed with strict guidelines to meet or exceed the corrosion and structure requirements for vehicles. But just like with frame rails, axles and suspension components, the tanks will develop rust or corrosion over time.
If operating the vehicle in higher corrosion areas or severe climates, it’s recommended by tank manufactures to routinely clean and repaint the fuel tank with a rust preventative system. If the rust or corrosion seems excessive or concerning, then it’s recommended that the fuel tank be inspected by an ASME-certified repair facility to ensure the tank can stay in service.
Keep in mind that the fuel tanks we use are built to ASME standards and are rated for the usable life of the vehicle when properly maintained. Most propulsion propane tanks are built to stricter ASME standards. This is different than DOT tanks that have a more limited service life. A propane fuel tank should never need to be removed and replaced at any point during the vehicle’s life cycle.
Complete instructions and frequently asked questions can be found on our website in the Service section. For instructions, see “Tank Refinishing Procedure,” and for a downloadable list of FAQ, see “Tank Refinishing FAQ.”
If you have a concern with the integrity of the fuel tank, contact the National Board for tank refinishing at http://www.nationalboard.org/ManufacturerDirectory.aspx.
For other questions about fuel tank preventative maintenance, please contact Mario Genovese at Mario.Genovese@roush.com.
The regulations for heavy duty-onboard diagnostics (HD-OBD) have been updated to include 2018+ alternatively fueled medium-duty vehicles. ROUSH CleanTech is the first propane autogas fuel system manufacturer to receive the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board’s HD-OBD certification for all its engines. Until 2018 model year, alternative fuel vehicles were exempt from this certification, but are now held to the same requirements as gasoline vehicles.
Keep in mind that this is an emission regulatory standard that requires new vehicle monitor parameters and reporting. We are ready to meet these regulations with a 50-state certified system for all our vehicle platforms.
What does this mean to you? The check engine light will illuminate for more conditions — most notably evaporative emissions systems. ROUSH CleanTech uses an evaporative emissions system to depressurize fuel rails after shutdown, allowing better vehicle starting and injector life.
Our service manuals have been updated with the new monitored parameters to help you diagnose vehicle issues. They contain helpful descriptions and causes for diagnostics trouble codes related to the fuel system. Be sure to download the latest version at roushcleantech.com/service.
If you have any questions about HD-OBD, please contact Lance Suttle at Lance.Suttle@roush.com.
ROUSH CleanTech said it has developed the first available propane autogas engine certified to California Air Resources Board’s optional low oxides of nitrogen emissions standard for heavy-duty engines with 0.02 grams per brake horsepower-hour. The engine is 90% cleaner than the current Environmental Protection Agency’s most stringent standard.
If any speculation about the validity of alternative fuels existed in the 1990s or 2000s, that doubt has diminished. For years, much of the advances in fuels other than gasoline and diesel were limited to consumer vehicles or government-related projects. Early on, the goals were to find cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels that were less dependent on foreign sources — especially as those sources became more expensive.
08.28.18 — Alternative-fuel technology company, ROUSH CleanTech, has developed the first available propane autogas engine certified to California Air Resources Board’s optional low oxides of nitrogen emissions standard for heavy-duty engines with 0.02 grams per brake horsepower-hour (g/bhp-hr). The engine is 90-percent cleaner than the current Environmental Protection Agency’s most stringent 0.2 g/bhp-hr heavy-duty engine standard.
If you haven’t already, adjust your search criteria and seek teammates with exceptional ‘learning agility,’ not perfect experience qualifications.
The status of states’ Environmental Mitigation Trust plans is a daily moving target. We are getting closer to understanding what the next few years of Volkswagen funding for school buses and other on-road vehicle replacement programs will look like. As we take a snapshot in August 2018, 22 states and Washington, D.C., have finalized their beneficiary mitigation plans and are moving forward with the first phase of funding programs. Seven states currently have open school bus funding opportunities and are actively seeking applicants. Twenty states have draft plans published; six of which are seeking comments from the public. Eight states plus Puerto Rico are still holding out and have not published any official plan for comment.
Many of the recent plans published, either in draft or final form, have identified a range of funding that will be applied toward on-road or specific bus funding programs. We do know that we are approaching $400 million so far that has been carved out for school bus-only replacement programs. Another $300 million plus has been set aside for competitive on-road vehicle replacement programs that include school buses.
Our job is not over, and the most important part of this process will be to ensure our customers submit winning applications when funding becomes available. The ROUSH CleanTech and Blue Bird teams have been working closely over the last few months to refine the process and identify the most helpful ways to support you and your customers.
Reach out to Kuba Szczypiorski (Kuba.Szczypiorski@blue-bird.com) or Chelsea Jenkins (Chelsea.Jenkins@roush.com ) for help as you work with your state funding agency and customers to maximize success.
As of August 2018
Twenty-two states plus Washington, D.C., have final plans:
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming
Twenty states have draft plans:
Alaska, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Washington
Eight states plus Puerto Rico are still developing their plans and are accepting comments:
Alabama, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and West Virginia
Visit www.roushcleantech.com/volkswagen-settlement for more information.
A recent study from West Virginia University examines school bus tailpipe emissions. This excerpt from Propane Education & Research Council President Tucker Perkins explains.
For fleets asking if propane autogas can substantially reduce vehicle emissions at the tailpipe, whether we’re talking greenhouse gases (GHGs), nitrogen oxide (NOx), or particulate matter (PM), the answer is “yes.” And technological advancements are only making it cleaner.
New research from the West Virginia University Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions (CAFEE) looked at tailpipe emissions in school buses. The school transportation industry is ground-zero when it comes to vehicle safety because of the precious cargo it transports every day: children. That vehicle safety includes the emissions and particulate matter coming from the tailpipe, which can be hazardous to the health of students riding those buses. The West Virginia University study found an even greater emissions disparity during real-world use of school buses powered by propane autogas and diesel than what previous laboratory tests had found. When the university compared the in-use emissions levels of a 2015 model-year propane autogas school bus with a 2014 diesel school bus using two distinct test routes, the study found that the propane autogas school bus NOx emissions were 96 percent less than the comparable diesel model.
Read the full article here.
Dealer: MacAllister Transportation
Interviewee: Matt Lomas
Title: Account Manager
MacAllister Tranportation’s Matt Lomas worked hard to get his foot in the door with Lake Central School District. Once in, he was able to bust through.
The district’s region director, Christian Flores, was introduced to gasoline and propane buses at a regional presentation by Blue Bird and ROUSH CleanTech. At the time, the district was running International diesel-fueled school buses. This meeting sparked more conversations with the school.
Then, it was at a Blue Bird PIT Stop where the buses really caught on. Christian and some of his mechanics got to drive both models and were taken by the simplicity of the fuel system itself and the ease of maintenance that they expected to experience by switching away from a diesel bus.
In order to get the district even more comfortable with the Ford powertrain, Matt lent Christian a demo bus. Then, Matt brought him for a tour at ROUSH CleanTech to learn more. That combination sealed the deal. The school district made its initial purchase of five Blue Bird Vision Gasoline buses!
Once Lake Central School District ran the gasoline buses and became comfortable with the Ford powertrain, Matt felt that the district would be more open to the idea of propane buses. He explained that with propane, the school district would experience less expensive fuel costs. He let the fleet manager know that there would be additional maintenance savings compared with diesel. These two factors, lower fuel and maintenance costs, will help the total cost of ownership of a propane bus be significantly less than that of a gasoline bus.
Matt was successful. The school district now has 10 propane buses on order!
Selling propane over gasoline was an easy task for Matt. He understands — and conveys to customers — that the significant fuel savings at the pump and in maintenance will more than cover the upfront cost of a propane bus.
Congratulations Matt on securing a conquest customer from the competition!
Recent Comments