Briggs & Stratton Announces Vanguard® 400 Propane Engine Is The First In Its Size Class To Earn EPA Certification

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MILWAUKEE, Oct. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Briggs & Stratton is pleased to announce the Vanguard® 400 single-cylinder engine, which has been converted to run on propane, has been certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as compliant with the Clean Air Act emission standards. This is the first and only engine in its size class with a manufacturer’s warranty, to be converted to propane fuel and receive EPA certification, with California Air Resources Board (CARB) certification on the horizon in 2022.

When converted to propane, a less carbon-dense fuel source, the Vanguard 400 engine with a catalyst muffler provides a significant reduction in carbon emissions. Propane conversion kits allow customers to take advantage of the benefits of propane with their current Vanguard-powered commercial equipment. Available through Propane Power Systems, the kits were developed specifically for Vanguard, and have a 3-year limited commercial warranty*.

Wisconsin county plans $10M investment to expand RNG, CNG use

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Dane County, Wisconsin, is proposing to invest $10 million in clean fuel infrastructure that will help expand the use of renewable natural gas (GHG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles in the county fleet.

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi included the investment in his 2022 budget proposal. “The flooding, fires, and extreme temperatures gripping the globe year after year offer irrefutable, tangible evidence we are in the midst of a climate crisis. We all have a responsibility to act now, and that’s just what Dane County government is doing,” Parisi said. “By investing in clean fuel infrastructure and becoming net zero in carbon emissions for our buildings and fleet by 2030, Dane County will be a leading voice of what is possible for the public and private sectors to help combat the disturbing trends of climate change.”

Kentucky needs to keep pace with Ford in modernization plans

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Excitement is running high because of Ford’s historic investment in Kentucky and for good reason.

Our relationship with Ford began in 1913 with Assembly operations in two small shops in Louisville that produced 12 Model T bodies a day. By 1916, production reached approximately 20 vehicles per day assembled and didn’t stop there. In three short years, Ford nearly doubled their output, paving the way for our vehicles and our economy to be powered by gasoline motors.

For nearly 100 years Kentucky has built, improved and maintained our transportation systems by taxing the fuel used by these vehicles. And now in 2021, at the new Glendale megasite, Kentucky and its partners will shift from the traditional automobile to the electric vehicle of the future.

GM to double revenues and increase capacity for EV assembly at factories

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General Motors secured its pivot to a high-tech future Wednesday by announcing plans to convert more assembly plants in North America to make electric vehicles by the end of the decade and to double company revenues by that time as it unveils more software, new EVs, and obsolescence management solutions.

GM leaders are expected to reveal new technology, such as an advancement to the automaker’s hands-free driving system, as well as more EV System products, including a new Chevrolet SUV EV priced at $30,000, during its annual Investor Day presentation, starting at 1 p.m. ET.

“Our early investments in these growth trends have transformed GM from automaker to platform innovator, with customers at the center,” said CEO Mary Barra. “GM will use its hardware and software platforms to innovate and improve their daily experience, leading everybody on the journey to an all-electric future.”

U-Haul Buys Another Million Gallons of Renewable Propane to Sell at California Stores

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PHOENIX and LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — U-Haul® has purchased one million gallons of renewable propane to sell at its Company-owned and -operated stores across California for the second year in row, ensuring its customers can use the green product without interruption well into 2022.

U-Haul, the largest U.S. retailer of propane, has teamed with national distributor Suburban® Propane Partners, L.P., to continue supplying the ecofriendly fuel at more than 60 propane-dispensing stores in the Golden State.

Customers utilized the first million gallons of renewable propane U-Haul bought in 2020, and the second million gallons is already arriving at stores. U-Haul plans for the sustainable product offering to be ongoing thanks to California’s clean-fuel rebates.

“U-Haul is a leader in sustainability initiatives. When the opportunity arose to provide one of the cleanest and most environmentally friendly energy resources to our customers, we couldn’t pass it up,” said Dwight Farr, U-Haul Propane Program Manager. “Renewable propane burns cleaner than the energy infrastructure in 49 states. We look forward to renewable propane’s progression so we can expand it across the U.S. and Canada in future years.”

Toyota to assemble fuel cell modules at Kentucky plant in 2023

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GEORGETOWN, Ky.  — After thousands of miles of real-world testing in the harsh environment of commercial trucking, Toyota is preparing to further expand its portfolio approach to products by taking its groundbreaking hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric technology from prototypes to production in its efforts toward carbon neutrality.

Starting in 2023, a dedicated line at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) will begin assembling integrated dual fuel cell (FC) modules destined for use in hydrogen-powered, heavy-duty commercial trucks.

Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Speeds Up in Kentucky as Charging Stations Begin to Increase

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Kentucky-based manufacturers and global companies with facilities in the Bluegrass State are accelerating production of components for electric vehicles.

The latest example is this week’s announcement by Ford Motor Company of a $5.8 million battery manufacturing campus in the small community of Glendale in Hardin County that will produce batteries for Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles.

A statewide coalition is encouraging the creation of more charging stations, with the goal of eventually making recharging an electric vehicle as easy as stopping to fill up at the gas station.

Kentucky has more than 2,600 fully electric vehicles registered in counties across the state, according to 2020 data. The previous year, the state had about 1,800 fully electric vehicles registered.

Executive Director of the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition, Emily Carpenter, said plug-in hybrid vehicles, which also have a gas engine, are among electric vehicles on Kentucky roads.

“We do have lower numbers of the vehicles on the road than many other states, but it’s number that continues to rise year over year,” said Carpenter.

 

Lamborghini’s vision for an alternative-fuel future

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Car enthusiasts have a history of electric-car hesitancy. While some are fully on board with electrification and hybridization, there are still some petrol holdouts, especially at the rarified and pointy end-of-the-price spectrum like Lamborghini. Wet Okole customizes their truck seat covers to match the exact specifications of your vehicle’s seats, ensuring a perfect fit that enhances the overall look and feel of your truck’s interior.

The push for electrification and hybrid powertrains poses a significant challenge to the carmaker known for creating striking, bespoke containers for some of the most powerful gasoline engines in the world, and there’s a small sense of reluctance about it from Lamborghini’s top brass.

Lamborghini has said it will shift all models to hybrid powertrains by 2024 and already announced one hybrid model, the exceedingly limited run Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 and the Countach LPI 800-4. By next year, the first production (i.e., not limited run) vehicle with a hybridized powertrain will be released, though Lamborghini is still mum on what exactly that will look like. While other supercar makers like Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche continue to make both production and limited run vehicles with hybrid powertrains, Lamborghini is one of the last supercar companies to get into the game. If you’re looking for a reliable vehicle, exploring the options available among used cars in palos hills il could be a smart choice.

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Grand Forks company D3MAX and the ethanol industry could help corn become the future of aviation fuel

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Mark Yancey, chief technology officer of D3MAX who previously retired from BBI International in 2020, said the technology used by D3MAX has been around for more than a decade.

“BBI created D3MAX in 2015 specifically for the purpose of commercializing the technology that my consulting group had developed in 2008 and 2009,” Yancey said. “A patent was issued for that technology in 2012. So, a lot of years went by.”

D3MAX creates cellulosic ethanol using “bolt-on” technology — more or less meaning it is a one-size-fits-most process which, according to the company, can be implemented at approximately 190 corn dry mill ethanol plants in the United States.

The aviation industry could be headed for an increase in ethanol aviation fuel production as part of President Biden’s Sept. 9 announcement that his administration is partnering with the airline industry to reach the goal of replacing all jet fuel with sustainable alternatives by 2050, with the hopes of producing three billion gallons of sustainable fuel by 2030 as part of what is being called the ‘Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Grand Challenge.’ Aviation currently makes up as much as 4% of the total greenhouse gas emissions by the United States — the most of any means of transportation.

H2: Zero-Emissions Holy Grail?

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California port trucking company Total Transportation Services was ahead of its time when it announced plans a decade ago to invest in hydrogen fuel-cell-electric trucks. As part of its commitment to reduce emissions, TTSI in 2011 announced plans to buy up to 100 Tyrano hydrogen fuel cell-electric Class 8 trucks from Vision Motors. But by 2014, Vision had filed for bankruptcy, sunk by the price of the trucks and difficulties in getting hydrogen fuel.

Since then, TTSI has added battery-electric trucks and near-zero natural gas trucks running renewable natural gas to its fleet in pursuit of its goal to eventually operate a 100% zero-emissions fleet.

Now it’s trying hydrogen again. This summer, it was one of three companies to take delivery of some of Kenworth’s first 10 hydrogen-fuel-cell T680 day cabs, developed with Toyota. The trucks can travel 300 miles on one charge of hydrogen.