Baking & Snack - August 2018 - 132

VEHICLES

high-quality frozen foods through home-delivery and
mail-order services. Popular product lines include the
company's signature pizza, breakfast items and desserts.
"Propane-powered vehicles have played a key role
in Schwan's product delivery for more than 40 years,"
said Danielle Stariha, senior manager of fleet and procurement for Schwan's Home Service. "Total cost of
ownership for propane autogas is much lower than
traditional fuels and other alternative technologies,
which is why we are continually implementing the
newest propane technology."
Each Ford E-450 cutaway food delivery truck
is equipped with a Ford 6.8L V10 engine and a
Roush CleanTech propane autogas fuel system.
Implementing alternative fuels is one way that
Schwan's Home Service helps meet its corporate environmental objectives. Each truck emits about 91,000
fewer pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over its
lifetime than a gasoline-powered vehicle.
"We believe there is a place for all the different alternative energy technologies but believe propane is
the best positioned for class 4 through 7 vehicles in
the baking industry," Mr. Mouw said.
Propane weighs less than conventional fuels, so
even though the propane tanks weigh more than traditional gas or diesel tanks, the net effect is minimal
when it comes to payload, Mr. Mouw explained. "We
calibrate the engine to offer the same horsepower

and torque as the equivalent Ford gasoline engine, so
there is no sacrifice for the end user," he added.
Recently, Roush CleanTech invested heavily in
reducing the nitrogen oxides (NOx) levels to the
lowest in the class 4 through 7 market. The current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
California Air Resources Board standard is 0.2 g NOx
per brake horsepower per hour, and the CleanTech
engine is certified at 0.05 g NOx. NOx has known
to be a major contributor to smog, air quality and
breathing-related problems, such as asthma.
Running a combination of gas and LPG is also a
viable and cost-effective solution. Isuzu offers alternative bi-fuel engine systems that can run on either
CNG or LPG, with the ability to switch back to traditional fuels when needed. The return on investment
for these engines varies depending on the bakeries'
needs, according to Mr. Tabel.
Bakers need to factor in several things before transitioning fleets to CNG or LPG. First, they should consider how many miles a year a vehicle is being driven. Mr.
Tabel said bakers on the East Coast have routes that vary
from a dozen to hundreds of miles. Second, the average
return depends on the grants and public funding that
come from local, state and federal government agencies
By using alternative fuels, bakers can reduce maintenance costs and be more
environmentally friendly by reducing emissions.
Alpha Baking Co.

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Baking & Snack - August 2018

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