DRIVING
GREEN
Contractors cut costs,
decrease carbon footprint
with green fleet vehicles
As A wAy to cut fleet operating
costs, contractors and fleet managers
in a variety of construction industries,
including HVAc and plumbing, continue to look for new and improved
fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel vehicles and technologies that will help
their bottom line while being environmentally friendly. Gone are the days of
driving gas-guzzling trucks and cargo
vans to service jobs and jobsites —
contractors and fleet managers have a
variety of green vehicles and technologies from which to choose today.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
An electric version of Ford’s transit
connect will be available later this
year. The 2011 transit connect Electric
will use a Force Drive electric power-
train manufactured and integrated by
specialty upfitter Azure Dynamics, a
company that develops hybrid electric
and electric-drive technology for shut-
tle buses and commercial trucks.
In addition to the transit connect
Electric, Ford plans to bring three
more electric vehicles to market by
2012: the Focus Electric in 2011 and
a plug-in, hybrid electric vehicle and a
next-generation hybrid in 2012.
PROPANE, CNG, LPG VEHICLES
Ford has also introduced engine prep
packages available to contractors and
fleet managers who want to convert
their vehicles to operate on compressed
natural gas (cNG) or propane (LPG).
Available on transit connect, E-series
and super Duty, these engine prep
packages come with hardened exhaust
valves and valve seats for improved
wear resistance and durability for
gaseous fuel systems. Ford will also
provide required calibration specifications for the cNG or LPG conversion.
According to todd Mouw, director of sales and marketing at Roush
Enterprises, a supplier of engineering
services, Livonia, Mich., the company did extensive research about
alternative fuels, including hydrogen,
electric and propane, and discovered
that propane is the best positioned
alternative fuel.
“the nice thing about propane is
that it has the same performance as
gas — same horse power, torque and
towing,” explains Mouw. “It reduces
fuel and maintenance costs and is
better for the environment without
compromising vehicle performance or
warranty. These are the economic and
environmental advantages to having a
propane fleet.”
Propane also provides fleet manag-
ers with a significant cost reduction
in fuel and maintenance, reducing a
fleet’s carbon footprint — it is an EPA
clean-burning fuel and has the most
extensive fueling network of any alter-
native fuel.
“If you were to look at it [propane]
from the eye level, it’s cheaper, lower
cost and domestically produced in
North America (90% is produced here,
so there is less reliance on foreign oil),”
says Mouw. “It’s the third most common engine fuel in the world. It’s a
