The Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program is a regional effort to encourage vehicle conversions to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). This program has yielded its first LPG conversion of a taxi cab donated by Red Top Cab in Virginia. The LPG conversion was overseen by Virginia Clean Cities, a public-private partnership based out of James Madison University. This initial vehicle will be joined by an additional 30 LPG converts by the end of this month. The overall goal for the program is to get 1,189 LPG cars and trucks on the road in the next few years.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program is providing advice and technical information to public and private members of this conversion program. Funding for future conversions is largely coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The program received an $8.6 million grant for LPG conversions with more than 200 jobs created in the process. The Virginia phase of the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program is overseen by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. This local focus is replicated by state agencies from Maryland south to Florida and west to Louisiana.
Virginia Clean Cities and the Department of Mines, Mineral and Energy rely on Alliance AutoGas for technical assistance throughout the conversion process. Alliance AutoGas works with more than 25 regional partners to encourage the use of LPG nationwide. Blossman Gas is working with Virginia Clean Cities to install and maintain fueling stations for LPG vehicles in the state. American Alternative Fuel provided conversion equipment and supplies to the program for the first conversion. These groups worked with mechanics at Baker Equipment in Richmond, Virginia to facilitate the LPG vehicle conversion.
The effort to convert vehicles to LPG in Virginia should be viewed as only one component of the evolution of green vehicles. These conversions could be beneficial at keeping vehicles operational while reducing fuel consumption in the short term. We should not rely on LPG conversions as a long-term solution to our oil dependence or efforts to reduce emissions. The costs of producing a traditional four-door sedan and later converting to LPG power will come into balance soon with EV production costs. These conversions also ignore the need for changes in the shapes, sizes and weights of vehicles to reduce fuel consumption. The Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program is ideal for the next few years but may quickly become outdated with EV advancements.
