Roush propane-fueled F-150 gets CARB approval
The new propane fuel conversions of the Ford F-150 pickup being produced by Livonia, Michigan-based Roush Industries are now legal for sale in California. The California Air Resources Board has made the Roush F-150 the first vehicle to be officially certified to the latest 2004 OBD-II regulations for alternative fuel vehicles. With CARB approval, the propane F-150 conversion is now available for sale in all 50 states for 2007 and 2008 model F-150s. Roush is currently working on a version of the kit for the 2010 F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pickups along with CARB certification. The propane conversions are targeted primarily at commercial fleet customers who often operate these trucks and are able to refuel at central depots.
[Source: Roush]
PRESS RELEASE:
ROUSH® PROPANE-POWERED F-150 RECEIVES CARB APPROVAL
LIVONIA, Mich. (April 13, 2009) – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has granted approval to the ROUSH® propane-powered F-150 pickup which means that it meets the strict emission standards of the state. This is the first propane-powered vehicle to receive On-Board Diagnostics II (OBD II) CARB-approval since the board enacted substantially stricter guidelines on light-duty vehicles for this alternative fuel in 2004.
CARB is the "clean air agency" in the state and has the stated goals of improving the air quality and reducing the public's exposure to air contaminants. Currently California is the only state with such a regulatory agency, but several others follow the CARB guidelines (this includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and New York).
With the CARB-approval in hand, ROUSH is now allowed to sell the propane F-150 trucks built by ROUSH in all 50-states. The CARB Executive Order (EO) for the ROUSH F-150 propane retail conversion kit will soon follow. This is valid for the 2007-1/2 and 2008 Ford F-150 pickup, and ROUSH is currently working on getting this same CARB approval for the upcoming 2010 propane-powered F-250 and F-350 trucks.
"Getting CARB approval for a propane vehicle is no simple process with the stricter regulations that were put in place in 2004. The fact that the ROUSH propane-powered
F-150 is the first light duty vehicle to pass these regulations is a great source of pride to me, and is witness to the skills of our engineering, calibration, and emissions teams at ROUSH," said Jack Roush, chairman of ROUSH Enterprises and CEO/co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing.
ROUSH recently unveiled plans to market the 2010 F-250 and F-350 with a conversion to run on propane. This is good news to fleet users who now have the additional option of having medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Both trucks will be based on the 5.4L, V-8 engine platform. Among the components changed are the fuel tank with multi-valve fuel pump, stainless steel fuel lines, billet aluminum fuel rails, an upgraded custom ROUSH PCM calibration, and all necessary wiring, hardware and instructions.
Future ROUSH plans include converting the Ford E-Series vans to run on propane as well. Complete details on the ROUSH propane offerings can be found online at www.ROUSHperformance.com/Propane or by calling 800-59-ROUSH.
As an alternative fuel, propane offers a variety of advantages. It is available "right here, right now" with a national infrastructure already in place. Propane burns cleaner, with up to 20 percent less nitrous oxide, up to 60 percent less carbon monoxide and fewer particulate emissions. It is already the third most widely used fuel worldwide, following gasoline and diesel. Propane is 90 percent domestically produced, and as an alternate fuel, the purchase of propane-powered vehicles are eligible for a variety of federal, state, and municipal tax credits or rebates.
Based in Livonia, Mich., "The Art of Performance Engineering" takes place at ROUSH Performance. To get a look at what goes on behind the scenes at ROUSH and how the vehicles and parts are designed, manufactured, tested and produced, log on to www.ROUSHtv.com. For more information, see your local ROUSH dealer, visit www.ROUSHperformance.com or telephone toll-free (800) 59-ROUSH.
*"ROUSH" is the registered trademark of ROUSH Performance Products, Inc., or its related entities."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Carney 11:59AM (4/14/2009)
Propane is not a liquid at normal temperature and pressure and is thus inconvenient as a vehicle fuel. Furthermore it is not "backwards compatible" with gasoline and thus any transition is costly and awkward.
These drawbacks, while serious, might be acceptable if propane fit neatly into a larger overall strategy to liberate ourselves from oil, or if no better alternative existed. But it does not, and there is.
Light-duty vehicles, including pickup trucks, are better fueled with alcohol. Alcohols are liquid at normal temperature and pressure, and in flex-fuel vehicles are "backwards compatible" with gasoline - an FFV low on fuel and unable to find an alcohol pump can just fill up on gasoline. This way a fleet can be fueled at a central station with its alternative fuel but still be flexible enough to go on longer trips out into our gasoline-centric world. Furthermore by building an ethanol or methanol refueling station at HQ the fleet owner is building up the infrastructure and business that can help serve us all.
There IS a non "backwards compatible" fuel that needs to be stored at higher than normal (5 atmospheres) pressure that fits neatly into an alcohol strategy - di methyl ether (DME).
DME is an excellent diesel fuel that burns clean (NO smoke, soot, or particulate matter) and which has a higher cetane rating (the equivalent of octane) than petro-diesel. While it cannot run in petro-diesel engines and petro-diesel cannot run in DME engines, transitioning heavy duty vehicles (buses, large trucks, trains, construction equipment, etc.) to it would be less disruptive than trying to do so for consumer vehicles, since heavy-duty vehicles are often in fleets that are centrally refueled.
Best of all, DME is made by reacting methanol to itself, so moving to it helps build up the methanol industry which in turn helps make the of transition light duty vehicles from gasoline to alcohol more feasible.
It's a shame "synergy" became such as over-used buzzword as to be content-free, or I'd use it now.
Again, meanwhile, propane is clearly a dead end, a distraction, and a diversion of resources.
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oldraven 10:41AM (4/15/2009)
I don't know where you're coming from, but propane has been powering my '68 Chevy C-10 LWB for four years now. Propane is a byproduct, so it's essentially free energy (and should cost a fraction of what gasoline/diesel does for that fact alone). Perhaps we should call it Bonus Energy, since the process that gives us propane is one who's purpose is to create liquid petroleum fuel. When I converted, propane was 53c/L, as Gasoline had already busted through the $1/L mark.
Why is the need for a pressure tank a problem? Try sticking a siphon hose into an 80lb propane tank.
The only difference between the old car setup and the new propane one is fuel delivery. Swap a carb back onto the intake and you're running on gasoline again. It can't be that hard to produce a FI system that can shut down injectors so propane can be fogged into the intake. There's no issue with special seal compounds like you have with alcohol vs. gasoline use. There is no change necessary to the engine internals, just in fuel delivery. MPFI paired with a propane throttle body. That sounds pretty flexible and cost efficient to me. Beyond that, it's as simple as a dual mode ECM.
The bottom line, though, is that one answer is not THE answer. An energy monopoly is what got us into this mess with volatile fuel prices in the first place. We need as many energy sources as we can get in the mainstream, and propane is one of them.
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cheapergas 3:25AM (8/30/2009)
Carney, your nuts. Ethanol is a joke. A congresional joke at best. Government work at it's finest. It will never be a large scale fuel due to its real cost. Not the subsidized cost. Propane is the cheapest and cleanest fuel out there (at least from source to delivery to usage. Alcohols are more dangerous and harder to convert. Propane hasn't been on the governments radar for years yet the network is in place esp on the coasts. With the Fed's tax credit I pay about $1.40 for a "gallon" of propane which of course is not the same as gas but is much cheaper.
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