When David Meeuwsen joined the transportation department at Zeeland Public Schools 25 years ago the district was experimenting with propane fueled buses.
Propane was cleaner and cheaper than gasoline, but there was one major problem. During the winter, the propane had a tendency to freeze the engine’s carburetor, rendering the vehicle useless until hot water was poured on the carburetor to thaw it out.
Needless to say, the experiment was short-lived.
But things appear to have come full circle, and Zeeland will soon be putting propane powered buses on the road once again.
The district announced last week it has been awarded a $310,000 grant by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to purchase three propane powered buses for the 2010-11 school year. Because it is a matching grant, the district must match the grant with its own funds, and Meeuwsen said Zeeland will purchase an additional three or four propane powered buses.
The new buses will replace aging, diesel powered buses in the district’s 52-bus fleet. Meeuwsen, now the director of the transportation department, said fuel injectors have replaced carburators in today’s engineS, so the freezing problem is no longer an issue.
According to the Consumer Energy Center, propane holds approximately 86 percent of the energy of gasoline, so it takes a little more propane to fuel a bus. But because it is cheaper than gasoline, it’s about a wash.
Combine that with the fact that propane burns much cleaner than diesel, the new buses will be nice boost to Zeeland’s reputation as an environmentally friendly district.
Also, according to the National Propane Gas Association, propane’s high octane rating (104-112 compared with 87-92 for gasoline) and low carbon and oil contamination characteristics have resulted in documented engine life of up to three times that of gasoline or diesel engines.
In fact, Meeuwsen said if there is a down side to propane powered buses, he hasn’t found it yet.
“Emissions is a big thing. It’s as close to clean as you can get. There is pretty much nothing coming out of the tailpipe with a propane powered motor,” he said. “In years gone by, it was a little tougher to fuel them up for drivers, but the technology has changed on that, too.
“There are not a lot of drawbacks, actually.”
An added bonus is that almost 90 percent of the propane used in the United States is produced here. Much of the 10 percent that is imported comes from Canada.
Meeuwsen said the district began researching the grant in January, and in April applied for a larger grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Zeeland also applied for the state grant in June.
“We were shooting for six buses to purchase for ourselves and six more in matching funds,” Meeuwsen said. “We found out in July we did not get the federal grant, and last week we found out we did receive the state grant.”
Meeuwsen said according to last year’s pricing, propane powered buses cost about $93,000 each. He said the buses will likely have to be part of a bid process to satisfy the grant requirements, but as far as he knows, Holland Motor Home is the only company in Michigan that sells propane powered buses. They are manufactured by the Blue Bird Corp. of Fort Valley, Ga.
In order to be ready for the new propane fueled buses, Meeuwsen has made arrangements to purchase propane from Amerigas in Holland. He said the price for propane is less than diesel, and as part of the clean air initiative, Zeeland will receive a 50-cent rebate from the federal government for every gallon of propane used.
The district was one of a few in Michigan to write and receive a grant for biodiesel use in its bus fleet in 2003. After the 12-month grant period expired, Zeeland, in an effort to reduce emissions, has since continued using biodiesel fuels in its entire fleet.
