Alabama cities get a look at vehicles powered by alternative fuels at statewide meeting in Marion 

A fully electric Ford F150 and a propane-powered Dodge Ram drive into an Arts Center in Marion.  

No, that’s not the opening line of a joke. Representatives of Alabama Power Company and Blossman Gas came to Marion to show off these vehicles at the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition in Marion, an event focused on finding cleaner and cheaper fuels for municipalities.  

Coalition President Michael Staley said the coalition will study how a municipality uses its vehicles and recommend fuels that best fit that municipality’s needs and budget. 

“We have a strong belief that alternative fuels are great to implement, but we do not believe in telling you you must do something,” Staley said. “And we certainly adhere to a strong belief it must make financial sense before we advocate anything.” 

Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition “is a clearinghouse of information” about electric, ethanol, hydrogen, natural gas, propane and bio diesel fuels. He said hydrogen fuel is still a way off, but there’s been a lot of activity in propane, electric and natural gas.  

Representatives of APC and Blossman Gas brought vehicles powered by their respective fuels to show off at the event.   

Crissy Mitchell of Alabama Power drove down from Birmingham in a fully electric Ford F150 Lightening to tout fully electric – not hybrid – vehicles. She said more fully electric vehicles are hitting the market, bringing the average price of an electric vehicle to $62,000.  

Mitchell pointed out that since EVs have fewer moving parts, there is less to maintain, which reduces maintenance cost. She also pointed out that there are no emissions like with a traditional gasoline-fueled engine. The current 300-mile range of electric vehicles will increase as battery technology improves, Mitchell said.   

To make EVs more attractive, manufacturers are working to standardize charging ports. This will be significant for municipalities because they will be able to choose from a variety of makes but use common charging stations.  

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Alabama Power is sweetening the pot with its own incentives in the form of rebates for installing a charging station.  

Not to be outdone, Bill Mayo of Blossman Gas pulled into Marion in a propane-powered Dodge Ram truck to talk about propane. He explained that propane is a byproduct of refining natural gas and crude oil, and it has been used as a fuel for a long time. Almost 40 million homes, 900,000 farms and 600,000 forklifts run on propane, Mayo said. 

Mayo explained that the reason so many forklifts run on propane is because it’s “a clean air fuel. It can be used indoors without producing any carbon monoxide or anything harmful to humans.” He also said propane is not harmful to the environment in any way.  

Researchers are looking at ways to produce propane from garbage and animal waste, Mayo said. “Renewable propane is coming,” he said.  

Mayo said there are two main systems used today, one by Roush and the other by Alliance Autogas. Both are EPA-certified and are fitted to existing engines that currently run on gasoline. There is no performance loss with either system, according to Mayo. He said Roush will fit their system on vehicles as they leave the Ford factory. 

Propane is considerably less expensive per gallon than gasoline, according to Mayo, and most converted vehicles will still run on gasoline if necessary. A propane powered vehicle can be refueled anywhere propane is sold, he said. 

Every alternative fuel has its positives and negatives. One of the services of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, which Staley said is one of the largest in the country, is to help cities determine which fuel will work best for their fleet.   

Anyone needing information about alternative fuels can call them at 205-402-2755 or visit their website at www.alabamacleanfuels.org.