REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Propel Fuels, a leading retailer of renewable fuels and clean mobility solutions, has been awarded a $10.1 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to build more than 100 flexible-fuel E85 stations over the next four years. The award is funded through the State of California's AB 118 Alternative & Renewable Fuel & Vehicle Technology Program.
Propel's new stations will dramatically increase access to American-made, low-carbon flex-fuel E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) for the nearly one million flex-fuel vehicles currently on California's roads. With gasoline prices at historic highs, providing California's drivers more choice at the pump helps make progress towards the state's clean energy transportation goals while reducing petroleum use and lowering dependence on foreign oil.
"With America's largest base of alternative fuel-capable vehicles, California's drivers are rapidly embracing new fuel choices," said Matt Horton, CEO of Propel Fuels. "This funding will enable us to provide greater access to E85 in the state's most underserved markets and provide a critical link to the next generation of low-carbon fuels coming into production."
This station development project, scheduled to be completed by 2016, will create more than 600 jobs in the state while annually displacing 145 million gallons of petroleum and 470,000 tons of CO2 emissions, according to the company. Propel will match this grant with more than $24 million in private investment and manage the construction, operation and maintenance of the fueling infrastructure.
This award, combined with previous grants and private capital, will enable the company's 200-station network to be completed over the next four years, it said.
In total, the California Energy Commission awarded funding of more than $35 million to projects that accelerate the development of green fuels and technology, improve the environment and help California attain its climate change policies.
"These awards support a diversity of alternative fuel and vehicle types, including biodiesel production, natural gas vehicle technologies and incentives and E85 fueling stations, which together provide a crucial boost to the development of clean energy transportation in the state. They will enable the deployment of more advanced technology vehicles on the roadways--and support the development of the fueling infrastructure needed to keep them rolling," said energy commissioner Carla Peterman. "Investing in these innovative projects will benefit all Californians by improving our air quality, creating jobs, and providing the diverse transportation options that we need today and in the future."
Propel stations will serve the growing demand for renewable fuels driven by Ford, Chrysler and GM's commitment to manufacture a growing lineup of alternative fuel-compatible models, said Propel. Along with thousands of individual consumers, Propel customers include hundreds of private and public fleets, including the U.S. Postal Service, the California Department of General Services and the Department of Transportation. As advanced biofuel production facilities continue to scale, Propel stations will connect California drivers with future lower-carbon fuels made from nonfood sources such as agricultural byproducts and household waste.
Based in Redwood City, Calif., Propel builds, owns and operates a network of green-built, self-serve filling stations providing convenient access to American, low-carbon fuels and clean mobility solutions. The company offers consumers and fleets new fuel choices that make progress towards reducing carbon emissions, creating jobs and lowering America's dependence on foreign oil, it said. Propel has also developed CleanDrive, which it said is the nation's first integrated carbon emission reduction tracking platform. Propel operates a growing network of locations providing cleaner mobility options in California and Washington.
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