Vol. 1, No. 2. | Winter 1995 |
The previous issue of Clean Fuels Florida reported on an AFV grant competition funded by the Florida Energy Office (FEO) division of the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Local governments could form partnerships with fuel suppliers, transit agencies, and other organizations to compete for a matching grant of up to $300,000 for the purchase of conversion of AFVs.
A total of 42 local governments and their partners submitted proposals, and the 12 highest scoring proposals were announced in November 1994. The following are brief descriptions of the winning proposals:
Alternative fuels consultant John Stark, author of the Dade County Aviation Authority proposal, is pleased with the FEO selection process and ties the Authority's request in with other alternative fuel programs in Southeast Florida.
"DCA's selection of the Dade County Aviation Authority is consistent with the objectives of Governor Chiles' Florida Gold Coast Clean Cities Coalition which places special emphasis on the Dade-Broward-Palm Beach corridor for the development of alternative fuels," said Stark.
Once the municipal AFV programs are under way, this year's FEO "Local Government Alternative Fuel Initiative" will have put over 600 alternatively-fueled vehicles on the road and helped in the construction or upgrading of a dozen AF refueling stations.
The environmental benefits gained by the use of alternatively-fueled vehicles is apparent to everyone. What may not be considered, however, are the economic benefits produced by the manufacturers of these vehicles. "Green" businesses, of which these manufacturers are a part, not only take responsibility for their impact on the environment but focus on keeping business in the local communities, helping to produce economic gains for Florida by retaining resources and jobs.
Much attention has been focused on what the major American manufacturers of vehicles are doing in the alternative fuels arena. What hasn't been highlighted are the smaller manufacturers and converters of alternative fuel vehicles who have found interesting niches in this market. These companies are not only finding a market but are prospering as well.
Florida AF Businesses
Many different types of small businesses have been established in Florida in response to the call
for alternative fuel vehicles, from manufacturers to converters to researchers and developers.
This article highlights four of these Florida-based small businesses, each with their own niche in
the alternative fuels arena.
Renaissance Cars, Inc.
Renaissance Cars, Inc., of Palm Bay recently began production of the Tropica Renaissance, an
electric vehicle with a sporty design that is built from the ground up (rather than converted from
a conventional vehicle). The company hopes to produce 2,000 of the vehicles in 1995 at a selling
price of $15,200. Two hundred of this year's production are already sold. Renaissance is
distributing its vehicle in both Florida and California and maintains that its electric vehicle is the
first to receive a certification from the California Air Resources Board as a zero emission
vehicle.
The founder of Renaissance Cars, Bob Beaumont, was originally a car dealer. In the mid-1970s he created the Citicar, a lightweight electric vehicle produced from May 1974 through December 1975. At the height of production he was the sixth largest producer of electric vehicles in the United States. (When the oil crisis in the 1970s ended, interest in the Citicar dropped off.)
The Tropica is the evolution of the electric vehicle from a novelty to a viable option to internal combustion vehicles. Renaissance believes that demand for its electric vehicle will continue to increase with the growth in interest in alternative fuels.
The manufacturer currently employs 40 people but plans to increase to 100 by the end of the year as proposed demand increases.
Solar Car Corporation
Another type of alternative fuel-based business is companies that convert conventional vehicles
to those that use alternative fuels. Solar Car Corporation is one of many converters located
throughout the U.S. These businesses range from businesses that convert on an as-needed basis
to businesses that build their own conversion kits and convert new vehicles.
Solar Car Corporation of Melbourne, Florida, converts Chevy S-10 pick-up trucks to electric vehicles and sells conversion kits and parts for those who want to convert a vehicle on their own. The biggest market so far has been in conversion kits, 30 of which were sold last year, mostly to electric vehicle hobbyists. The 15 trucks converted in the last year were primarily for government fleets.
The company also offers solar and hybrid options for its vehicles and has participated in research projects in Florida that are looking into the use of hybrid vehicles.
Solar Car Corporation employs eight highly skilled people in engineering and mechanics capacities. The company realizes that as the demand for electric vehicles increases the vehicles will need to be built from the ground up rather than converting existing vehicles.
Therefore, in the future Solar Car Corporation could switch to the production of a ground-up electric vehicle as conversion of conventional vehicles becomes obsolete.
Motor Fuelers, Inc.
Motor Fuelers, Inc., of Clearwater is also a converter of vehicles, but to compressed natural gas
and propane rather than to electricity. The bulk of its business is in the conversion of vehicles for
government and private fleets, but it also converts vehicles for individuals.
In addition to conversions, Motor Fuelers also provides conversion training for dealers and mechanics. The company was started 15 years ago by James Morton, a CNG conversion expert. The company has grown to 17 highly trained employees who provide services for units of government, private companies, and individuals throughout the southeast United States.
Motor Fuelers predicts that, in the future, there will be a greater emphasis on providing CNG conversions for individuals. They already work closely with dealers who provide CNG as an option in the purchase of new vehicles. Motor Fuelers either converts the vehicles for the dealer or provides the expertise for the dealer's mechanics. They predict this business will continue to grow as more and more fueling stations are made available to the public, making the CNG option more attractive.
In addition, Motor Fuelers is exploring the use of fueling stations, and it has a fueling station for the general public at its current location. As CNG vehicles gain popularity, Motor Fuelers predicts that major car manufacturers will offer more vehicles with the CNG option installed at the factory. This development would limit Motor Fuelers' business in conversion and training, so the future emphasis of the company is expected to be in the provision of additional fueling stations.
Energy Partners
Research and development is another growing area in the field of alternative fuels. Energy
Partners of West Palm Beach is a research and development company focusing on the
development of hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered engines. It has been in business for four years and is
funded primarily through private sources such as Ford Motor Company.
Rhett Ross of Energy Partners predicts that many spinoff industries will result from research in hydrogen fuel-cell powered engines. The hydrogen fuel cell is applicable not only for vehicles but for other modes of transportation such as trains, ships, and submarines, and for stationary power generation. The company currently employees 22 people.
Benefit to Florida
These four companies are examples of businesses that are good for Florida. As well as being
successful, their goals include taking responsibility for their impact on the environment and
focusing on bringing and keeping business in the local communities.
All four of these companies have created niches for themselves, thereby bringing jobs and business that would have otherwise not existed in Florida. In addition, they have invested in the long-term future of alternative fuel vehicles by adapting their efforts as the industry evolves.
Florida would do well to focus on attracting other businesses such as these.
Transit buses, shuttle vans, and delivery trucks are not the only type of vehicles that can be converted to alternative fuels. Consider the conversions of the following "unusual" vehicle types:
In September 1993, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched its Clean Cities initiative. Clean Cities is a voluntary program that encourages local civic and business leaders-including fuel suppliers, vehicle manufacturers, utility companies, and government officials--to form partnerships committed to developing the alternative fuel vehicle market. Each local coalition may devise its own strategies for promoting AFVs. Technical assistance and limited financial assistance are available from DOE regional coordinators and state energy offices.
The DOE identified two of Florida's urban areas as high-priority for starting a Clean Cities program: Southeast Florida, encompassing Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties; and the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, encompassing Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota Counties. With assistance from the regional DOE office in Atlanta and the Florida Energy Office (FEO) in Tallahassee, both of Florida's priority areas have begun developing Clean Cities programs.
Southeast Florida
The FEO wasted no time in starting up a Clean Cities Coalition in Southeast Florida. A few
weeks after DOE announced the creation of the national program, Florida Governor Lawton
Chiles signed an Executive Order creating the Florida Goldcoast Clean Cities Coalition. The
Order cited the high cost of gasoline, the potential to improve air quality, and the Governor's
policy to build energy self-sufficiency within the state as motivations for creating the group.
The stated goal of the Coalition is to put enough alternative fuel vehicles on the road by the end of 1996 in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties to displace 1 percent of the gasoline consumed statewide.
As the regional planning body for the three-county area, the South Florida Regional Planning Council (SFRPC) was selected to provide support services to the Coalition. Coalition meetings take place at SFRPC offices in Hollywood. SFRPC staff record meeting minutes, facilitate brainstorming sessions, prepare coalition documents and provide other staff support services as needed. SFRPC Regional Planner Juliet Burdelski is the Coordinator of the Florida Goldcoast Clean Cities program.
Suellen Fardelmann, Mayor of the City of Cooper and chair of the regional planning council, also serves as chair of the Coalition. In a letter to the Miami Herald, Chairwoman Fardelmann speculated on the Coalition's future. To meet the Coalition's gasoline displacement goals, 10,000 AFVs would have to be put into service in South Florida by the 1996 deadline.
"With three million [gasoline-powered] vehicles currently operating in the tri-county area, we have a lot of work to do," said Fardelmann.
The Coalition held its first meeting in January 1994, and by February it had published its Action Plan. The plan spells out the principles and goals of the Coalition and outlines the it's organizational structure. Voting members of the Coalition itself are local elected officials and representatives of state and federal agencies. Subcommittees called "working groups" focus on issues specific to particular fuels.
The Action Plan gives a brief analysis of the current situation and market for AFVs in Southeast Florida, discussing how many AFVs are currently on the road and how many AFVs can the Coalition expect to be purchased or converted without intervention.
The Action Plan also gives a brief overview of barriers and incentives to AFV use. This section of the Action Plan was later expanded in the report Obstacles and Incentives to Alternative Fuel Vehicle Use in the Florida Gold Coast, published in November 1993 by the SFRPC. Barriers include the current fuel tax structure, which taxes fuel by volume instead of energy content. (Most alternative fuels, especially CNG, have a lower energy content than gasoline and therefore require more fuel to power a vehicle the same distance.) Incentives include Florida Energy Office grant programs and other funding sources.
After completing a Memorandum of Understanding that lists actions Coalition members will take toward meeting its goals, the Coalition applied to the U.S. Department of Energy designation for official Clean Cities designation. The application was approved in May 1994, making the Florida Goldcoast the 9th area (out of a total 34, as of November 1994) to receive official U.S. DOE recognition.
Well into its second year, the Coalition is undergoing a restructuring effort. Working groups have been realigned according to functions: Market Development, Legislative Issues, Mobile Emissions Reductions Credits, and a Steering Committee. The Coalition members will vote on whether or not to allow private sector representatives to become voting members.
Coalition members and regional planning council staff are currently working on a Proposed Market Development and Legislative Initiative Plan. This plan would be the 1995 component of the Coalition's overall five-year plan. The document lists a legislative agenda which, the Coalition hopes, will be introduced in the Florida Legislature during its 1995 session. State Senator Matthew Meadows, a member of the Coalition and an active proponent of AFVs, has indicated his willingness to introduce the proposed legislation.
Coordinator Burdelski is upbeat about the future of the Coalition. "We are trying to build public-private partnerships, so the whole program can be sustainable over time."
Tampa Bay
The Tampa Bay metropolitan area recently began the drive toward its own Clean Cities program.
In February 1994, representatives from the Florida Energy Office approached the Center for
Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida to serve as the
coordinator for a Clean Cities effort for Tampa Bay. In December 1994, CUTR received official
word from FEO to begin recruitment of Coalition members.
Although the Tampa Bay Coalition will not be created by Gubernatorial Executive Order, the lack of such a high-profile inception may give the Tampa Bay Coalition an advantage of flexibility. CUTR Project Manager Diane Holling wants the goals, membership, and organizational structure of the Coalition to evolve naturally: "I hope that the Coalition will develop a plan that will both address the individual member concerns and promote alternative fuels in the Tampa Bay region." Membership in the Coalition is open to anyone in the region from the public or private sector.
Like Southeast Florida, the Tampa Bay Coalition has an ambitious schedule. It is Holling's goal to have the Coalition members in place by April and to receive official DOE designation by August 1995.
"Once the Coalition is assembled, we should be able to complete a Memorandum of Understanding and Action Plan fairly quickly, so that we may apply for official Clean Cities designation." Holling says.
For more information about the Florida Goldcoast Clean Cities Coalition, contact Juliet Burdelski of the South Florida Regional Planning Council at (305) 985-4416. For more information about the Florida Suncoast Clean Cities Coalition, contact Diane Holling of CUTR at (813) 974-3120.
If you have an article for the newsletter or an idea for one, contact:
Newsletter Editor, AF Center
Center for Urban Transportation Research
University of South Florida
4202 E. Fowler Ave., ENB 118
Tampa FL 33620-5350
(813) 974-3120
fax 974-5168
In the late 1970s, when the City of Milton (Florida) began considering the conversion of its municipally-owned vehicles to compressed natural gas, it had many incentives to do so. The oil crisis of the time was driving prices up and threatening the wide availability of gasoline and deteriorating air quality was a major concern. In addition, the City owned the local gas utility, which made it more convenient and less expensive to obtain alternative fuels.
Recognizing the benefits, the Milton City Council and the Mayor decided to convert City vehicles to compressed natural gas (CNG). More than a decade later, this small town 30 miles north of Pensacola with a population of less than 12,000 people has one of the most sophisticated municipal alternative fuel programs in the nation.
The City has converted 86 percent of its total fleet of 70 vehicles to compressed natural gas. Any vehicle that can be converted has been converted, notes City Fleet Manager Grady Rich. In addition to cars and vans, Milton has converted utility service vans, police cruisers, garbage trucks, and even sludge haulers to run on CNG.
All conversions are "bi-fuel," meaning that the vehicles can run on either gasoline or CNG. Drivers switch between the two fuel delivery systems by flipping a switch located near the steering column. Rich estimates that the average City vehicle needs to run on gasoline about once a month to keep the gasoline from getting stale.
Rich has found that two CNG tanks mounted on a CNG-powered truck will fuel the vehicle for 80 miles of travel. Even with the 5.66 to 1 ratio of energy per gallon between CNG and gasoline, the City saves money when running its vehicles on natural gas because the supply is inexpensive. "For us, the reason [to convert] was primarily economic," Rich says.
As with any fleet conversion, training of drivers and maintenance personnel is essential to the City's successful AFV program. Maintenance technicians are shown a video depicting the reliability tests that, by law, all compressed natural gas cylinder manufacturers are required to pass. The video shows the tanks being shot at by a gun, dropped from a high altitude (10 feet) and burned in a bonfire. In each test, the cylinder is designed to "degrade gracefully", that is, to expel the gas through small leaks, but not allow the tank to rupture nor allow the gas inside the tank to catch fire. The tanks are designed to maintain their structural integrity for 10,000 refueling cycles or about 2 million miles. After watching the video, drivers and maintenance personnel feel more comfortable using and handling CNG.
As a recipient of the Florida Energy Office's 1993 "Local Government Alternative Fuel Initiative," the City was able to construct a public CNG refueling station in addition to the two existing stations which are only for City use. The public CNG station will allow drivers to "pay at the pump" with credit cards or cash, just like gasoline refueling stations. The City is currently developing the station and completion is scheduled for summer of this year.
The first customer of the public station will be the Santa Rosa County Council on Aging (COA), the only public transportation provider in the county in which Milton is located. As part of the grant, the COA will convert eight of its vans to run on CNG.
Executive Director Ann Spencer says that she will allay possible fears of CNG safety by showing passengers the same publications and videos that were used to recruit her for the County's CNG program. Spencer also notes that the electronic payment feature of the CNG refueling facility will allow her to keep accurate records of how many miles were traveled by each vehicle and each driver.
The aggressive pursuit of AFVs by the City of Milton and Santa Rosa County has set the stage for other organizations in Northwest Florida to convert their vehicles to alternative fuels. Eglin Air Force Base, which takes up nearly half of the land area of neighboring Okaloosa County, has a project to convert 300 of its vehicles to run on CNG. Okaloosa County recently opened a public CNG refueling station in Niceville, a small town surrounded by the base and the Gulf of Mexico.
Even though the City of Milton's original motivation for pursuing its AFV program was economic, clean air is also an important consideration. According to Grady Rich, the air quality of nearby Pensacola and Escambia County is deteriorating. Rich believes that small urban areas like Pensacola and small towns like Milton will soon be required to improving their air quality: "What is happening in major cities will eventually happen here, too." The City of Milton's aggressive alternative fuels program will undoubtedly be part of the solution.
CUTR's AF Center has obtained access via the Internet to the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) run by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. The AFDC database contains locations of public AF refueling sites around the country, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) AFV information, performance data on AFVs taken from U.S. DOE-funded operational tests, and other useful information.
To access this database, call the National Alternative Fuels Information Hotline at 1-800-423-1636 to obtain a user ID and password. Type telnet afdc.nrel.gov at your host prompt. If you do not have access to the Internet, CUTR's AF Center can perform limited searches through the AFDC database for you. Call AF Center Project Manager Diane Holling at (813) 974-3120 for more information.
Amoco and Florida Natural Fuels (FNF) announced the formation of a joint venture to develop public compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle fueling sites in southeast Florida. Amoco, a global explorer, producer, and marketer of oil, natural gas, petroleum products, and chemicals, will be combining resources with Tampa-based Florida Natural Fuels, a partnership of Suwannee Gas Marketing, Inc., an affiliate of Peoples Gas System, Inc., and Sonat Ventures, Inc., a subsidiary of Birmingham, Alabama-based Sonat, Inc.
The fueling centers will be developed in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. The first station recently opened in Ft. Lauderdale. Future CNG fueling stations will be located along the I-95 corridor from Miami to Palm Beach. Peoples Gas currently serves 31 CNG fueling stations in the state.
Both FNF and Amoco are members of the Florida Gold Coast Clean Cities Coalition. Initial Coalition plans include the installation of CNG fueling units at selected Amoco service stations. Keith Gruetzmacher, manager of transportation fuels at Peoples Gas and a Gold Coast coalition member, is hopeful that Florida will see more fueling sites in the near future. "The development of the new fueling centers was in support of the Gold Coast Coalition's action plan, and as the Suncoast Coalition develops in the Tampa region, we hope to establish a market in this area."
As part of their Florida tour, U.S. Electric Car of Santa Rosa, California, displayed and demonstrated five electric vehicles at the University of South Florida (USF) College of Engineering's Clean Energy and Vehicle Research Center. The vehicles on display included a 22-foot passenger bus, a pickup truck, a sedan, a golf cart, and a general utility vehicle. According to George Moore, director of USF's Clean Energy and Vehicle Research Center, the event was held to help educate the public on the short- and long-term benefits of using electric automobiles.
The most well known benefit of the electric vehicles is reduced emissions. Currently, 300 vehicles similar to the ones on display at USF are on the road in California, and demand for the vehicles is expected to increase as stricter emission standards are imposed. In addition to the environmental benefits, maintenance of the electric vehicles is half that of diesel-powered vehicles.
USF's Clean Energy and Vehicle Research Program has been in existence for three years and has acquired seven electric vehicles, including vans, cars, and utility carts. It is the home of the first solar powered charging facility in the U.S., according to Dr. Lee Stefanakos, Chairman of the USF Electrical Engineering Department. The program was established to monitor electric vehicles and collect performance data, which are turned over to the Department of Energy and to private companies that convert vehicles from gas-powered to electric engines.
For more information on the program, contact George Moore, Director, USF Clean Energy and Vehicle Research Program, at (813) 974-4771.
TSI Safety Course Certifies 17
Seventeen individuals from around the U.S. and Florida convened in Tampa during the week of February 13-17 to attend the Alternative Fuels Safety Workshop. Hosted by the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida and conducted by the Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) at the U.S. Department of Transportation, the five-day course addressed the use and safe handling of compressed natural gas, liquid natural gas and methanol, and provided techniques for alternative fuels safety training.
Information regarding the characteristics of each fuel was presented, including heat content, flammability, toxicity, and safety aspects. The course also included a field trip to two Tampa area alternative fuels sites.
Each class member made a five minute-presentation utilizing training techniques learned in the workshop. Manuals, overheads, and videos were distributed as part of the course material. All participants were certified to train other professionals in the use and safe handling of the fuels.
Course instructors were Richard Cacini of the Transportation Safety Institute and associated staff members Dennis Petri of ATC/Vancom of Nevada and Ronald Cotroneo of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The workshop was attended by trainers, maintenance personnel, fleet directors, and alternative fuel specialists from transit and paratransit agencies, municipal fleets, utilities, and research organizations. Participants included:
For more information on alternative fuel safety training, you may contact any of these individuals or the Center for Urban Transportation Research at (813) 974-3120.
