Marketers Cashing in on No Destruction

Marketers Cashing in on No Destruction Texas Light Duty Vehicle Statewide Incentive Program

$5,000 per propane vehicle

The State of Texas is continuing to offer incentives for alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) through its Light-Duty Motor Vehicle Purchase or Lease Incentive Program (LDPLIP) administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) through its TERP arm. The statewide light-duty vehicle incentive program, unlike its counterparts, knows no boundaries (not restricted to non-attainment or near non-attainment areas). Basically, the incentive is offered to any end user no matter where they are in Texas. Clean air or not.

TPGA member Doyle Fevig spends the winters in the Texas Hill Country, away from the bitter winters of Minnesota, managing his Minnesota propane business from afar. So, when he needed a truck for his Texas ranch, he knew propane was the only answer. With the help of the Propane Council of Texas complimentary grant writing services, he was able to get an incentive to convert his new pickup to propane autogas.

“It was easy with the assistance of the Propane Council of Texas” Fevig said. “I would have been intimidated by the length of the application without there help.”

Fevig used a local Texas propane marketer to do the conversion. “They were very good to work with too.” He’ll primarily be using the newly converted vehicle in the Hill Country looking for business opportunities, as his primary business is in Minnesota.

Josh Kasprzak, co-owner of Texas Star Propane, Plantersville, relates his experience with the program. One day he was driving down the road and said it was like a light bulb went on in his head. “It was like, why am I selling propane and not using it in my personal vehicle,” he said. Kasprzak went on to receive a grant through the Light Duty Vehicle Incentive Program for a Ford F250 conversion.

“Since that vehicle can last me 30 years, I knew it was worth it. I’m already saving 10 percent a month on fuel costs.” Not only that, ProCOT’s grant services helped him a lot, he said. “Sure, writing grants is never the easiest thing in the world, but Heather Ball took the burden away, and it is a kick-butt program, for sure! In the grand scheme of things, why would you not accept free money to use a fuel that saves you at least 40 percent in the operating costs of the vehicle, helps the environment, and promotes the product you sell,” he said.

The program was allocated to the tune of $10M. While electric and hybrid vehicles only receive $2,500, propane and natural gas vehicles get $5,000 per new vehicle purchased or converted. There is still nearly $5M left just for LPG and CNG, which equates to 994 more incentives.

If it is a conversion, it must be converted within the first 500 miles. This program even allows for bi-fuel. The incentive recipient does not have to replace a vehicle or destroy a vehicle. It’s pretty simple.

Purchase or convert an EPA certified propane vehicle with a GVWR less than 10,000 lbs. TCEQ manages a list of qualifying vehicles and conversion kits on its website and certified kits are updated throughout the year.

Eligible vehicle options include everything from an F-150 or a Chevy pickup, to vans and chassis under 10,000 lbs. Contact the Propane Council of Texas with a vehicle you are interested purchasing and we will see if there is certified kit for that vehicle and help get the certified kit on the list if it is not already on there.

TAKEAWAYS

• Statewide incentive • Any end-user fleet or consumer • Can be bi-fuel or dedicated • No vehicle destruction or replacement • Vehicle must have GVWR • Must be an EPA certified kit

WHEN TO APPLY?

Apply now or anytime throughout 2020. The program is set to close on January 7, 2021. Worried funding will run out? Historically, it hasn’t happened; however, incentive reservations can be made with TCEQ if you have a P.O.

GRANT WRITING ASSISTANCE

Contact the Propane Council at (800)325-7427 or info@propanecounciloftexas.org if you need help finding a qualifying propane vehicle, propane conversion system or need assistance writing a grant for this program or any other of the available autogas grant programs.