Autogas Evolution Pat Thornton

Then & Now AUTOGAS EVOLUTION PAT THORNTON

In the late 1980s, Curtis Donaldson (in photo at right) was selling wholesale propane for Conoco in Oklahoma and Mis- souri when the company decided to begin offering propane at its company-owned gas stations. At that time, President George H. W. Bush had signed the Clean Air Act Amend- ments and several larger wholesale companies believed selling clean-burning propane was a good plan for a future with more people likely using cleaner fuels. Industry veteran Larry Os- good was at Phillips 66 at the time and that company was also giving strong consideration to installing propane dispensers alongside gasoline dispensers at its company-owned stations. Conoco and Phillips 66, which would later merge into one company, decided to launch an infrastructure program in Den- ver in the 1990s and Conoco even partnered with Firestone to meter-on-a-stick dispenser to an electronic gasoline-styled support making the conversion process simple and seamless. unit.” He thanks early adopters like Moore, Platz, and Wood Other oil companies, large multistate marketers, regional pro- as they help generate demand and challenge the industry to pane marketers, and several smaller retail propane marketers step up. were also taking an interest in propane as a motor fuel by “We initially offered a simple electronic fleet unit, but migrated 1991. Propane industry leaders including Donaldson; Os- to high-hose style with card reader technology so fleets could good; Bob Myers, formerly of Petrolane; Tim and Jay Wood self-serve—talk about a giant leap—then integrated propane of Northwest Propane (Texas); Gerry Misel of Georgia Gas hydraulics into a Gilbarco OEM gasoline pump for a total Distributors (Ga.); Steve Moore of Mutual Propane (Calif.); seamless operating unit at retail sites,” Donaldson explained. and Bill Platz of Delta Liquid Energy (Calif.) joined to form the “In those days, there would be trade shows where CFT would LP Clean Fuels Coalition. The executive director was Rick be the only company representing propane motor fuel and 50- Roldan, who later became CEO of the National Propane Gas plus companies focused on the CNG market. All the CNG enti- Association (NPGA). This small band of brothers would take ties came out of the gate with leading-edge technology. I think on the lobby efforts for the propane industry to promote pro- not having a history in the engine fuel market benefitted them pane as a clean transportation fuel and try to ensure equality to some degree…no baggage, if you will. It was overwhelming amongst all the alternative fuels vying for market share. at times, but we tried to maintain focus on helping our industry At about the same time, the Department of Energy (DOE) had jump technology hurdles to remain competitive in the eyes of formed the Clean Cities Coalition, with 91 cities now partici- the fleet customers. Despite the crowd of CNG players, CFT pating. “The Clean Cities Coalition provided excellent support became busy very quickly with a contract to work with North- for our industry, primarily in deployment activities and grants,” Donald- son said. “They were very helpful as we made decisions about how to go after the propane market for motor fuel.” For Donaldson himself, he opted to depart Conoco and launch Clean Fueling Technologies (CFT) in an effort to provide propane dispensers that were seamless to the gasoline counterparts. “I’ll never forget when I started trying to convince the industry we needed to move on from what they themselves would call a

Reprinted from Butane-Propane News March 2020 west Propane to install 100-plus dispensers for the Texas De- we were pulling the industry along.” Donaldson recalls talk- partment of Transportation (TxDOT), which was in the process ing to industry leaders about calling propane motor fuel what of converting 5000 of its 10,000 vehicles to propane.” his international customers called it, “autogas.” Although they While the TxDOT/Northwest Propane project kept CFT busy for didn’t give the name much credence then, the industry even- several years, the fact that there remained no original equip- tually moved that direction a decade later to help gain a bit of ment manufacturer (OEM) for propane engines in the U.S. con- a product differential in the marketplace. He also recalls trying tinued to limit the demand for vehicles and thus also for dis- to garner support to switch fueling connectors in the late ’90s pensers domestically. Donaldson made the decision that CFT to the European style given it would be easier for customers would need to expand internationally. “We had to pivot to focus to use when refueling. Again there was no buy-in at that time, on international markets to stay alive in the mid ’90s,” Donald- for a variety of reasons, including lack of manufacturers and son said. “Autogas was doing much better abroad.” In the U.S., fear of not gaining NFPA approvals, but here we are 15 or so CNG was more coordinated and continued to grow. years later and it is becoming the fuel nozzle of choice for many fleets and marketers. “In the U.S. in the ’90s, the most progress in growing propane motor fuel actually was accomplished by a Canadian compa- Challenges continued as the U.S. market only had conversion ny,” Donaldson said. “Superior Propane, under the leadership kits and no OEMs for propane engines. Warranties were be- of CEO Don Edwards, had added some 2000 fueling stations ing voided by 2002 if propane conversions took place. “We across Canada and had completed a lot of conversions as decided it was time to get into the propane engine business,” well. They decided to enter the U.S. market via acquisition of Donaldson said. “We talked GM into offering a propane en- Skelgas and marketed under the brand of ATFI.” ATFI shared gine program with their Medium Duty G Series MD Trucks. the vision to make autogas seamless to the traditional fuels. There was demand for a propane-powered bobtail as well as for school buses in Texas. We introduced liquid injection into ALONG COMES PERC AND CLEANFUEL USA the USA OEM market by launching the 8.1-liter platform in conjunction with GM, Monroe as upfitter, and 27 GM Medium With the passage of the Propane Education and Research Duty Truck dealers across the country. The bobtail program Act (PERA) in 1997, the Propane Education & Research launched in 2005 with 300 sold that year and 600 sold in Council (PERC) was put in place to begin supporting the 2006. In addition, PERC funded a $400,000 project to inte- growth of the U.S. propane market. “Milford Therell, who led grate the 8.1-L engine into the Blue Bird School Bus chassis. the process of getting PERA passed and [became] the first We sold 50 the first year, which was 2006-1/2, and in the first chairman of PERC, was a supporter of growing the motor fuel full year over 300 buses were sold.” School districts in Texas market,” Donaldson said. “In the early days of PERC, funds and a few outside that had been using propane through the were limited and not all in the industry saw the development years were back in business with an OEM product this time. of propane as a motor fuel a priority. Many independent retail propane marketers didn’t see value in developing the market, Just when the autogas movement was starting to feel like it had but a handful of independents as well as several multistate a tailwind, GM filed bankruptcy in late 2008 during an economic marketers, including AmeriGas, Suburban, and Thermogas, downturn in the U.S. and the medium-duty truck business was began supporting the industry efforts shut down. Engines were pre-ordered for our fuel to be a player in the alt fuel to carry pending bobtail orders and Blue mix. Also, several state LP-gas asso- Bird ordered enough to carry them be- ciations became very active advocates yond 2010 when they switched to a Ford and they have certainly had a big im- product. The engine eventually survived pact as autogas acceptance spread.” as GM emerged out of bankruptcy and industry advocates approached Freight- In 1999, CFT partnered with Ameri- liner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC) Gas and a few marketers to launch about continuing the medium-duty truck CleanFUEL USA. “The purpose of program on its S2 chassis for bobtails CleanFUEL USA was to target fleets and the C2 chassis for Thomas Built and both private and public fueling, a school buses. PERC worked alongside one-stop shop of sorts,” Donaldson ex- FCCC on these projects as well as oth- STEVE RELYEA plained. “By this time, PERC was rolling ers to help get them across the finish line along in its second year and my friend and launched into the marketplace. Roy Willis, the CEO, certainly saw the impact this market segment could have The biggest moment, however, was for the retail propane marketers.” in 2014 when United Parcel Service (UPS) opted to purchase over 1000 Nonetheless, there remained those propane-powered package cars in its on the Council who did not see the rural market centers. “It was the larg- value. “I’ll never forget the project to est deployment of propane vehicles in convert President George W. Bush’s history,” Donaldson said. “There were ranch truck to propane, the best proj- some 1400 units by the end with over ect ever,” he said. “I think the PERC 60 fuel stations in eight states. It was vote was like 12 to 9. It always felt like a turnkey package with vehicles and

Reprinted from Butane-Propane News March 2020 stations closely organized and rolled out with plenty of support from propane marketers in each market.” Along the journey, ROUSH CleanTech entered the market and took care of Blue Bird transitioning from the GM engine to the Ford engine it still uses today. “They have done a great job helping expand the propane vehicle market,” Donaldson said. “It has been important that multiple stakeholders have gotten involved in the propane autogas movement. At trade shows now we are a force to be reckoned with as an industry…no more is it one versus 50. PERC has helped organize our efforts and that’s a real plus as far as how we are viewed collectively as a fuel. We have more propane vehicles on the road in the U.S. than ever before.” But Donaldson acknowledged the road to success for pro- 2000s he worked with both Donaldson and Moore. So, to pane as a motor fuel has not been for the faint of heart. “A lot some degree, a team reunited and grew stronger. of us have been in the trenches together over the past 32 or After 32 years, despite all the many headwinds that have af- so years in one capacity or another. I feel like it’s been a mar- fected propane autogas, Donaldson feels that much success athon with different entities playing different roles, from those has been realized and much more lies ahead for the propane that are runners to others that are the supporters making sure autogas market. He notes we now have strong organizations in we have water and energy bars and everything we need to PERC and Clean Cities supporting autogas. We have multiple finish the race. It’s not easy and often you just want to quit, dispenser manufacturers, such as Superior Energy Systems; but passion for the market kicks in and you keep running” several OEM products, including all three school bus manu- Donaldson acknowledged the downturn of gasoline prices facturers; excellent suppliers like Agility Fuel Solutions that are beginning in 2015 that lasted more than two years made the here for the long haul; and fleets across the country that be- value proposition for propane a tougher discussion. “While lieve and have expanded their propane fleet vehicle population. we continued to press on, the lower gasoline prices slowed “If I had one suggestion to make based on lessons learned, interest in propane as a transportation fuel,” he said. “None- it would be, we need to organize similar to how Agility Fuel theless, there are plenty of incentives that today help drive the Solutions approaches the market, which is to focus on the market including the recently extended tax rebate, ongoing merits of the fuel, the service infrastructure, and the resulting state grant programs, VW grant programs nationwide, PERC customer ROI,” Donaldson said. “Without this type of focus, marketing/education support, and savings versus diesel as especially regarding service, we will not optimize market po- clean air regulations make the cost to comply with diesel tential and certainly lose market share to competing fuels.” emissions requirements much higher.” “On a personal note,” he concluded, “I think about the JOINING AGILITY FUEL SOLUTIONS people along this journey who taught, who encouraged, who led, who followed, who inspired, and encouraged again In 2017, Agility Fuel Solutions acquired the assets of Clean Fuel and again—key industry leaders such as Bob Myers, Larry USA and hired key members of the team, including Donaldson, Osgood, Wayne Moore, Calvin Thorn, Dan Granger, Brad Wayne Moore, and Calvin Thorn, to form its new powertrain sys- Garner, and so many others that have poured so much into tems business. With operations in Wixom, Mich., and George- not only keeping it alive, but help making it thrive. What an town, Texas, the new division was off and running and able to awesome opportunity it has been to build relationships and provide propane fuel systems to its key partners and OEMs as partnerships along the way; to see the industry grow and well as continuing to take care of key customers such as UPS. eventually embrace autogas; to see technology evolve, both “Agility brings propane into the mix of CNG and natural gas sys- for engines and stations, so we stay in the race; and to see tems to be able to provide what works for most types of fleets to so many new faces just in this last decade and see how the keep them going,” he said. “It has been a good fit for Clean Fuel younger generation is now impacting our industry. I’m glad to USA to move over to the Agility Fuel Solutions family.” have been a small part of a tremendous group of passionate The move to Agility Fuel Solutions brought Donaldson back people that started this market segment many years ago and together with Brad Garner, his new boss, who had been at kept it alive in the lean years and never gave up. The market Superior when it decided to enter the U.S. autogas market a has grown and with it an army of passionate stakeholders couple of decades earlier. After a stint with Superior, Garner planting more seeds than ever. The propane industry is posi- worked for IMPCO Technologies, where again in the early tioned to gather a great harvest.” n

Reprinted from Butane-Propane News March 2020