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Feature Articles

In-depth feature stories examining the trends, challenges and innovations shaping the propane and LPG industry.

  • New “Proudly Propane” consumer campaign to launch summer 2016

    At the 2016 NPGA Southeastern Convention in Nashville last week, many had the pleasure of meeting someone special. His name is Blue, and he’s the new consumer-facing spokesperson (spokedog) to help propane-related businesses improve familiarity and favorability around propane in 2016. At his keynote speech during the event, Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) CEO, Roy Willis, introduced the upcoming integrated campaign, and discussed how PERC will work to strengthen consumers’ emotional connection to propane as a brand. PERC, industry volunteers and The Richards Group, which serves as PERC’s advertising agency for the project, came up with Blue, a dog named for the color of a propane flame. Blue, the dog, accompanies his owner, a hard-working propane delivery driver, who provides service to friends and…
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  • NPGA Legislative Alert – Contact Your Senator Today

    A recent legislative alert was sent by the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) asking members of the propane industry to send a message to their Senators telling them to support Long-Term Tax Extenders. This week the U.S. Senate is considering the reauthorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), something that is considered a “must pass” bill. Within the Senate debate of the FAA Reauthorization Bill, there is an opportunity for some expiring tax provisions to be extended. The Alternative Fuel Tax Credit and the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Credit are both due to expire at the end of 2016. The closer we get to the November elections, the less likely that Congress will be able to pass significant legislation. This makes the FAA Reauthorization one…
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  • Nestlé Waters and Bimbo Bakeries Commit to Propane Autogas

    During back-to-back press conferences at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis in early March, Nestlé Waters and Bimbo Bakeries unveiled plans for the addition of new propane vehicles to their fleets. Spokesmen from both companies noted the environmental benefits of propane, in addition to the cost savings. Environmental stewardship is just one reason Nestlé Waters North America is adding more than 150 medium-duty beverage delivery trucks fueled by propane autogas—but it’s a big motivation. Over the vehicles’ lifetime, the 155 Ford F-650 trucks will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 24.6 million pounds. The new units are being deployed this month. Nestlé propane trucks make deliveries to customers across the country, including Los Angeles; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Milwaukee, Wis.; and Fort Lauderdale,…
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  • Propane Makes a Big Impression At Work Truck Show

    Propane industry press conferences and presentations, along with truck premieres, ride-and-drive opportunities, and training drew a record-setting 11,905 industry professionals to the Work Truck Show 2016 in Indianapolis. The show took place March 1-4 at the Indiana Convention Center and is produced annually by NTEA, the association for the work truck industry. Propane garnered a great deal of attention at the Green Truck Summit, held in conjunction with the Work Truck Show, which focused on alternative fuels and the latest on clean energy innovations for commercial vehicles. The Green Truck Summit session titled, “The Propane Autogas Advantage: Reduce Your Total Cost of Ownership,” included Glenn Chamberland, fleet manager for AAA Hartford Metro Emergency Road Service. Chamberland discussed how AAA Hartford’s use of propane-fueled trucks has…
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  • Freightliner Showcases MT-45, S2G Applications

    Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp (FCCC; Gaffney, S.C.) showcased new product innovations at the Work Truck Show last month, including its LPG MT-45 chassis. The chassis itself has been around for a while, but it now features twin autogas tanks to increase the range of the vehicle. They are dual 16×53-in. side-mounted LPG tanks with 60 gallons of total volume (shown below, center right). “On the MT side, we’re continuing to have good success, especially at the larger end of the spectrum with UPS and larger fleet buyers,” said Kevin Erb, director of public relations for FCCC’s ad agency, Ferguson Advertising. Speaking with BPN following the Work Truck Show, Erb also discussed FCCC’s S2G box truck displayed at its booth. In addition, an S2G unit outfitted…
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  • Educating the Next Generation of Technicians on Propane Autogas

    The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) in February launched its newly developed Propane Autogas Vehicle Technician Training program as a way to grow the propane autogas industry by educating the next generation of alternative fuel automotive technicians. NAFTC director Bill Davis said the program features a group of training products, which the consortium will make available to automotive instructors nationwide to educate automotive technicians on propane autogas vehicles. The products include a manual with pictures and schematics, a DVD for instructors, and eventually, a website will supplement the materials, but Davis noted the importance of the printed booklet. “The technician will come away with a comprehensive instructor manual,” Davis said. “As much as we tried to go electronic on a number of things, automotive…
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  • Propane Makes Big Impression At Work Truck Show

    Propane industry press conferences and presentations, along with truck premieres, ride-and-drive opportunities, and training drew a record-setting 11,905 industry professionals to the Work Truck Show 2016 in Indianapolis. The show took place March 1 to 4 at the Indiana Convention Center and is produced annually by NTEA, the association for the work truck industry. Propane garnered a great deal of attention at the Green Truck Summit, held in conjunction with the Work Truck Show, which focused on alternative fuels and the latest on clean energy innovations for commercial vehicles. The Green Truck Summit session titled, “The Propane Autogas Advantage: Reduce Your Total Cost of Ownership,” included Glenn Chamberland, fleet manager for AAA Hartford Metro Emergency Road Service. Chamberland discussed how AAA Hartford’s use of propane-fueled…
    Read More →: Propane Makes Big Impression At Work Truck Show

  • U.S. Is World’s Largest LPG Exporter, But When Will Market Balance?

    The U.S. now stands as the No. 1 LPG exporter in the world. Gulf Coast operators alone shipped about a half-million barrels of propane nearly every day last year, up 40% from 2014. Many of those waterborne cargos left the nation’s shores on very large gas carriers (VLGCs), each with the ability to carry a minimum of 550,000 bbl. Most of those vessels loaded propane and butane at terminals near Houston or Nederland, Texas, discharging their cargos as nearby as Latin America and the Caribbean but as far away as Japan and China. Nearly 27 MMbbl of propane left the U.S. in January, the latest data available, along with another 2.7 MMbbl of butane, reports the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). Propane exports grew 15.4%…
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  • A Few Key Factors Could Ramp Propane Prices Up

    By Pat Thornton. . . As we entered March 2016, propane inventory levels were at 63 MMbbl in the U.S. It wasn’t that long ago when we were over 100 MMbbl, and then only a couple of months into 2016 and after a lackluster winter we were only 8 MMbbl ahead of the year prior. During the first week of March, the natural gas price reached an 18-year low at $1.57/MMBtu. But by the beginning of March propane price increases had surprised a few industry members who kept seeing crude oil in the low-$30/bbl range, and thought with so much crude oil supply and Iran adding to the glut crude would just keep holding everything, including propane, down. An uptick for propane prices while crude…
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  • 13 Tons of Leno’s Lovingly Restored Americana

    Advance steam traction engines turned soil, planted and harvested, hauled, and performed numerous other tough jobs that required power and mobility. Their furiously spinning flywheels ran auxiliary, belt-driven apparatus such as sawmills, all driven by a single, steam-propelled piston that powered tractors to a top speed of about 4 mph. A 1906 Advance engine, all 13 beautiful tons of it, has been lovingly restored by Orman Rawlings, a friend of comedian and steam power enthusiast Jay Leno. Manufactured by the Advance Threshing Machine Co. of Battle Creek, Mich., the engine was featured in an episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage.” “Four miles an hour may not sound like much, but four miles an hour in this thing will scare you to death,” says the long-time “Tonight…
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  • Alliance AutoGas Kicks Off “Coast-to-Coast Clean Air Ride” In Propane F-150

    Soon after achieving the Fastest Recorded Alternative Fuel Conversion to propane autogas at the 2016 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis (converted in one hour thirty-two minutes) the Alliance AutoGas crew hits the road on a 5500 mile, 12-city cross-country trip in the 2016 Bi-Fuel 3.5 Liter Ford F-150 V6. The “Alliance AutoGas Coast-to-Coast Clean Air Ride” kicks off in Kansas City May 2, 2016 in the new F-150 Engineered Conversion System that is “traveling the talk” to underscore the importance and impact of reducing CO 2 emissions through the use of propane autogas, according to Alliance AutoGas. The goal is to demonstrate real-time results of a clean-burning, domestically produced, cost-effective fuel option for fleets. Reducing CO 2 also helps improve air quality and reduces the…
    Read More →: Alliance AutoGas Kicks Off “Coast-to-Coast Clean Air Ride” In Propane F-150

  • ROUSH CleanTech Develops Propane Autogas Fuel System for the Ford F-750

    LIVONIA, MICH. (April 6, 2016) — ROUSH CleanTech has developed a propane autogas fuel system for the Ford F-750 chassis that costs less than similar diesel counterparts. Operating up to 33,000 GVWR, the model was created in response to the growing demand for an autogas-fueled medium-duty chassis for bobtail applications, cylinder delivery trucks, and larger tank setters and box trucks. “Ford places great value on being a leader in the truck market by building reliable vehicles that consistently outperform competitors,” says Todd Mouw, vice president of sales and marketing for ROUSH CleanTech. “Now fleet managers can purchase an F-750 that not only costs less initially, but also saves money at the pump and uses a clean-operating, American-made fuel.” The Ford F-750 base model comes with…
    Read More →: ROUSH CleanTech Develops Propane Autogas Fuel System for the Ford F-750

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