Asheville final homecoming stop of 5,600-mile Coast- to-Coast Clean Air Ride
After setting a record for the fastest recorded alternative fuel cConversion to propane autogas in 1:32:25 at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, the Alliance AutoGas converted F-150 is concluding its 5,600-mile, 12-city “Alliance AutoGas Coast-to-Coast Clean Air Ride” in Asheville, N.C.
On Monday, May 23 at the AutoGas Research & Technology Center, in Asheville, the vehicle arrived back to its home after traveling the country for the prior three weeks, spreading the word on cleaner air and lowering emissions. The event was hosted by the Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition, Alliance AutoGas and Blossman Gas.
One of the Ride sponsors, Worthington Industries and the Ride Charity Partner, the American Lung Association of the Southeast attended the homecoming.
“Worthington Industries was proud to support the Alliance AutoGas Coast-to-Coast Clean Air Ride as we remain invested in manufacturing products that will help reduce emissions and put more environmentally friendly fleet vehicles on the roads,” notes Chris Hanners, alternative fuels product manager of Worthington Industries.
“Motor vehicles are a significant source of air pollution, which is why cleaner fuels need to be a part of the solution,” said Martha Bogdan, chief executive officer for the American Lung Association of the Southeast. “Alliance AutoGas supports our clean air work, and we were happy to be a part of the Coast-to-Coast Clean Air Ride.”
Sponsors and Partners of the Ride included: Propane Education Partner: Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), Charity Partner: the American Lung Association of the Southeast, Inc., and Media Partner: Bobit Business Media/Work Truck Magazine. Local Clean Cities Host Partners: Metropolitan Energy Center/Kansas City Regional Clean Cities; Northern Colorado Clean Cities; Utah Clean Cities Coalition; Western Washington Clean Cities;Valley of the Sun Clean Cities Coalition; Land of Enchantment Clean Cities; Central Oklahoma Clean Cities/Association of Central Oklahoma Governments; Arkansas Clean Cities; Clean Cities- Georgia; North Florida Clean Fuels Coalition and Land of Sky Clean Cities Coalition Corporate sponsors: Blossman Gas, Worthington Industries, Blue Star Gas and thyssenkrupp and Charity Supporter: Wounded Warriors of MS
The goal of the F-150’s trip was to underscore the importance and impact of reducing CO2 emissions through the use of propane autogas, in addition to the benefits of American energy security, quality technology and fuel cost savings for fleets. According to Alliance AutoGas, “We wanted people to see first-hand, how simple and easy it is to convert a vehicle, how well it runs, and a how it gives the fleet manager a well-documented return,” noted Ed Hoffman, president of Blossman Services, Inc. The truck held program stops in Kansas City, Mo., Fort Collins, Colo., Salt Lake City, Seattle, Phoenix, Albuquerque, N.M., Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Ark., Pearl, Miss., Decatur, Ga., and Jacksonville, Fla.
The Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition www.cleanvehiclescoalition.org presented a program called “Improving Our Air Quality by Reducing CO2 Emissions.” Featured speakers were: Bill Eaker, coordinator, Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition; Ed Hoffman, president, Blossman Services, Inc., and Alex Catchings, director of sales, Alliance Small Engine Systems. A Show and Tell of several propane autogas vehicles and propane mowers took place, along with an informal networking with several western North Carolina and Henderson County fleets currently converted to propane autogas.
Alliance’s new Engineered Conversion System on a bi-fuel 2016 3.5L Ford F-150 V6 was converted to propane autogas almost 30 minutes faster than the predicted two-hour window at the recent Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. The F-150 “traveled the talk” on the coast-to-coast trip that started May 2, trailering a propane mower. The propane mower is a 2013 Exmark Lazer Z Ultra Cut 60. It is powered by a 25.5hp Kawasaki FX801 V-Twin gasoline engine, converted to propane by Alliance Small Engines.
Stuart Weidie, president and CEO of Blossman Gas and president of Alliance AutoGas adds, “The cross country trip in Alliance Autogas’ Ford F150 was a great opportunity to demonstrate why propane Autogas is the world’s No. 1 alternative fuel. Our hope was to educate citizens across the country about the extended range of autogas vehicles as well as the benefits of real costs savings and emissions reductions.”
The Alliance AutoGas Engineered Fuel System features a single plug wiring connector and a 21-gal underbody autogas tank. All wiring is a “plug and play” no cut install. Everything is bracketed and designed to be installed without any drilling or fabrication. By deploying these features, labor times and conversion costs are significantly reduced.
