By Greentech Lead America: Propel Fuels, a retailer of
renewable fuels and clean mobility solutions, has received a $10.1 million
grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to build more than 100 Flex
Fuel E85 stations over the next four years. The award is funded through the
State of California’s AB 118 Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle
Technology Program.
The fund will be used in Propel’s E85 station development
project. Propel’s proposed stations will increase access to American-made, low
carbon Flex Fuel E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline) for the nearly
one million Flex Fuel vehicles currently on California’s roads. Propel’s new
stations aim to 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. 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,” said Matt Horton, CEO of Propel
Fuels.
This station development project is expected to create
more than 600 jobs in the State while annually displacing 145 million gallons
of petroleum and 470,000 tons of CO2 emissions. The project is scheduled to be
completed by 2016.
Propel will match this grant with over $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, enables the company’s 200-station network to be completed over
the next four years.
In total, the California
Energy Commission awarded funding of $35,031,310 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 Carla Peterman, energy commissioner.