CleanFUEL USA, a leading supplier of alternative fuel infrastructure and propane engine systems, will build and certify a multi-purpose 8-liter General Motors (GM) propane engine in partnership with Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC), a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America. Featuring CleanFUEL’s new 8L liquid propane injection (LPI) system, the... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has added a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) Sprinter dual fuel variant to the line-up: the Sprinter 316 LGT (Liquefied Gas Technology). Models begin production this month. Certified to Euro 5 standard, the Sprinter 216 LGT features s four-cylinder, 1.8-liter gasoline engine designed to run on LPG (also called autogas).... Read more →

The electric Transit Connect. Click to enlarge. Ford Motor Company is unveiling the all-electric version of the Ford Transit Connect at the Chicago Auto Show; the small electric van will be in fleet operators’ hands later this year, according to the company. The 2011 Transit Connect Electric will use a... Read more →

The 2-cylinder engine is the first of a range that will expand to include 4- and 6-cylinder engines. Click to enlarge. Ricardo and Cooper Corporation of India launched of the first of a completely new range of Cooper engines at the Delhi Auto Expo. The 2-cylinder vertical in-line engine family... Read more →

The Chevrolet Spark. Click to enlarge. GM Europe is launching the Chevrolet Spark (earlier post), providing more detail on the all-new mini car prior to its going on sale in Europe in the first quarter of 2010. The mini-car (A car) segment is the fastest growing area of the new... Read more →

Opel’s LPG range. Click to enlarge. Opel is now offering five dual-fuel LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)-powered Corsa, Meriva, Astra station wagon and Zafira models with a wide performance range, expanding its line of ecoFLEX models with alternative propulsion. The Opel LPG models can run on gasoline or LPG—the switch happens... Read more →

The Sandero 1.4 LPG. Click to enlarge. Dacia, a member of the Renault group, is broadening its offerings of fuel-efficient and low-emissions engines. During 2009, Dacia will introduce the Sandero and Logan 1.4 LPG, Logan MCV 1.6 LPG, and the Sandero 1.6 E85 bioethanol. Sandero and Logan will also be... Read more →

Juniper LPG engines. Click to enlarge. Juniper Engines Inc., a joint venture between Westport Innovations Inc. and SIT’s subsidiary OMVL SpA (OMVL) of Italy, presented its new 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter alternative fuel engines at the ProMAT Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Juniper’s engines, initially targeting the OEM liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)... Read more →

The 7-speed DSG. Click to enlarge. Volkswagen is staging the world premieres of the New Golf Plus and low-emissions Golf BiFuel with autogas (LPG) and gasoline drive at the Bologna (Italy) Motor Show (3-14 December). In an Italian premier, VW is showing the Passat TSI EcoFuel (earlier post). VW also... Read more →

The LPG system on the Alloytec V-6. Click to enlarge. In Australia, GM Holden has reduced the cost of Holden’s dual-fuel LPG system by $1,500: from $3,900 to $2,400 on Commodore Omega, Berlina and 60th Anniversary sedans; and from $4900 to $3400 for VE Omega ute (automatic model only). The... Read more →

UPS is adding 306 alternative fuel vehicles to its fleet by placing an order for 167 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) delivery trucks while taking delivery of 139 new Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG, or propane) delivery trucks in North America. Additionally, the company has launched an initiative to use biodiesel fuel... Read more →

The Board of Airport Commissioners has approved the purchase of 30 alternative-fuel buses and trucks for use at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as part of its ongoing replacement of existing gasoline-powered vehicles when they reach the end of their useful service life in the airport’s fleet. The Board approved... Read more →

To accelerate the adoption of alternative fuels and to offer lower-cost fuel options than afforded by gasoline, Australia is now offering A$1,000 (US$760) toward the purchase cost of a new Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)-powered vehicle, and a grant of A$2,000 (US$1,519) to the cost of converting existing private vehicles to... Read more →

Maruti’s new LPG WagonR Several major automakers, including Maruti Udyog, Tata, Ford India, and Hyundai, are expanding their line-up or introducing their first-time offerings of alternative-fueled cars in the Indian market. Maruti Udyog, Suzuki’s Indian subsidiary, introduced India’s first LPG-powered car—the WagonR Duo—on Wednesday along with a new version of... Read more →

CleanFUEL USA, a US-based provider of alternative fuel and refueling infrastructure and engine systems to fleet management programs, is investing US$5 million $5 million in India to set up 160 outlets in mainly Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab by 2008 to satisfy rising demand for autogas (liquefied... Read more →

In a settlement agreement filed in the Federal District Court in San Francisco, the US Departments of Commerce, Labor, Transportation, and the Veterans Administration admitted to violating the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) in their continued failure to make required purchases of Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs) and agreed to bring themselves... Read more →

AFV Solutions has received a certificate of conformity from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its gasoline/LPG bifuel conversion system for the model year 2003 Ford Motor Co. 4.6 liter engine. The system allows a vehicle to operate on either gasoline or Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) with a flip of... Read more →

Optima Bus Corporation delivered 14 propane-fueled American Heritage Streetcars to VIA Metropolitan Transit, located in San Antonio, Texas. VIA was the first transit agency to purchase the turn-of-the-century design streetcars from Optima more than 20 years ago. The transit agency only recently retired those first streetcars, and is replacing them... Read more →

GM Holden Commodore GM Holden (Australia) is launching new dual-fuel versions of its large sedan and wagon, the Commodore, featuring a newly-developed version of its 3.6-liter Alloytec V6 (one of GM’s global engines). The engine is modified to run on gasoline and LPG, using a new injection system, new valves... Read more →

Hybrid Fuel Systems, a provider of CNG and LPG conversion system for heavy- and medium-duty diesel engines, intends to acquire DRV Energy, a small-volume manufacturer of bi-fuel and dedicated natural gas and propane turnkey conversion systems for light-duty vehicles. The result of the acquisition will be a larger company that... Read more →

The Telegraph. The state government of West Bengal in India is ordering all commercial vehicles manufactured before 1990 off the roads of the Calcutta (Kolkata) Metropolitan Area unless they convert to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or compressed natural gas (CNG) by the end of the year. Transport department officials say... Read more →

As noted in a previous post, a series hybrid electric shuttle bus powered by a UQM propulsion system is under test by a Tier One supplier. A Ford LSG 642 (6 cylinder, 4.2-liter) engine fueled by propane drives the generator. Maximum output at 2200 rpm (the UQM operating speed) is... Read more →

D’Ande Lyon, a UK investment and marketing firm, has introduced an LPG bi-fuel conversion kit for the Smart Car. Developed with Prins Autogassystemen BV and Alternatech Fuels Systems (a Prins distributor and installer), the D’Ande Lyon Smart Car LPG conversion is the first and only Powershift-approved conversion for the Smart... Read more →

Clean@auto reports from Monaco that the French Propane and Butane Federation (CFBP) and the World LP Gas Association (WLPGA) are showcasing a Prius hybrid modified to burn Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in its engine. RM Gaz worked with the CFBP and the French Petroleum Institute (IFP) in building the Prius... Read more →

Bloomberg. Japan, the world’s second-largest user of liquefied petroleum gas (behind the US), plans to spend as much as $1.1 billion this year building emergency storage tanks and terminals as a safeguard against any disruption of LPG supplies. Japan imports about 75% of its LPG, with most of it coming... Read more →

The Telegraph. In a bid to clean up Calcutta’s air, the West Bengal state government is planning to phase out diesel taxis and replace them with cars operating on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). “We’ve told taxi unions that the government plans to phase out diesel taxis to clean Calcutta’s air.... Read more →