VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. — December 8, 2011 —The City of Vestavia Hills held a press conference today to announce the conversion of 14 police fleet Ford Crown Victorias to run on clean-burning propane autogas. They enlisted Alliance AutoGas to outfit their vehicles with bi-fuel, autogas-gasoline systems and install an on-site propane autogas station to give officers easy fueling access. Vestavia Hills expects to save significantly on fuel and maintenance costs.

Autogas is propane when used as an alternative fuel in vehicles and is the most widely used alternative fuel in the world. The conversion was part of the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program (SPADP). During the four-year funding of the Program, nearly 1,200 vehicles will be converted from gasoline to autogas and more than 30 autogas refueling stations will be installed throughout the southeastern U.S.

SPADP is coordinating conversions for more than 30 public and private fleets in Washington, DC and 10 Southeast states. The Program is partially funded by grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program, and it is the largest Clean Cities alternative fuel vehicle conversion deployment program in history.

Mayor Zaragoza believes the benefits of converting police fleet vehicles to autogas are numerous for the City of Vestavia Hills and its citizens. “We see the long-term advantages of embracing this technology to reduce fuel and maintenance costs, while also improving the air quality in the city limits. We are also lessening our dependence on foreign oil, since 90 percent of our country’s autogas supply is produced right here in the U.S. Running fleets on Autogas creates jobs for Americans while strengthening the national economy and ensuring a more secure energy future.”

“The City of Vestavia Hills is a great example of an Alabama municipality that is embracing a cleaner, more cost-effective and domestically produced alternative fuel for its fleet vehicles,” said Mark Bentley, Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition executive director. “Autogas is a proven technology, and this Program is a collaboration that provides cities like Vestavia Hills the resources and expertise needed to efficiently fund the fuel conversion of their fleets.”

Alliance AutoGas, a SPADP partner, performs all vehicle conversions for the Program, while also providing a year-round fuel supply and autogas vehicle training to drivers. Alliance also installs a fueling station at the fleet base at no up-front cost to those converting from gasoline to propane autogas. Certified conversion centers in the Alliance AutoGas network are performing all of the vehicle conversions for the Program. Blossman Gas, with operations in Alabama, is the primary fueling partner of Alliance AutoGas and will provide the fuel for all SPADP fleets. The EPA-certified autogas conversions utilize the bi-fuel Prins VSI system from American Alternative Fuel.

“The cost to convert existing fleet vehicles to autogas is significantly cheaper than the cost to purchase new alternative fuel vehicles,” says Mark Denton of Alliance AutoGas. “Because autogas burns cleaner than gasoline, we expect our autogas vehicles to require fewer oil changes and incur lower maintenance costs.”

Converting fleets to propane autogas costs, on average, $1 less per gallon compared to petroleum based gasoline. Additionally, autogas vehicles emit 20 percent less carbon monoxide, 40 percent less nitrogen oxide and up to 20 percent less carbon dioxide compared to gasoline vehicles.

The Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, a non-profit membership based organization, is the state’s principal coordinating point for alternative fuels and a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program. The promotion of clean, renewable, domestic energy sources helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil, improves local air quality, and increases economic development opportunities in our local communities.  For more information, please visit our website at www.AlabamaCleanFuels.org or call us directly at 205-402-2755.

The Alliance AutoGas complete program enables fleet managers to use clean, economical, American-made autogas. The growing Alliance network currently spans 34 states nationwide. Learn more at: www.allianceautogas.com. For general questions, contact David Finder, National Energy Programs Manager, dmfinder@allianceautogas.com or (828) 251-0027.