Changes in the way cars are built and powered are at the start of a hockey stick like curve. There are some tweaks on today's vehicles, but the rate of change in the design of cars on auto manufacturers' drawing boards will skyrocket in the coming decade. Unless a shop owner wants to get slapped around like a hockey puck, the shop had best be prepared to handle vehicles with alternative fuel systems and different body types.

Cars are changing. Shop owners with gray hairs from age (and not worry) have seen the tip of the iceberg. The day of the all-steel car is long past. Plastics, fiberglass and lightweight metals make up a larger percentage of auto bodies. Even aluminum engines are common. Alternative fuels are the coming rage.

Despite popular opinion, the aftermarket does more work with alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) than the OEMs do. "Virtually all propane vehicles and 80 percent of the natural gas vehicles are modified in the aftermarket," says Jim Cannon, alternative fuels specialist with INFORM, Inc., Boulder, Colo. This was true from the first vehicles, such as the GM Sierra pickup, which was actually an aftermarket conversion done by PAS. Much like hardtops are ripped out to install a convertible roof, the gas system was taken out and replaced with a conversion system done to the OEM's specifications.

American Honda recommends all leased or purchased AFVs be returned to the dealership for service. However, AFVs will get into private shops more frequently as warranty periods expire. "The most important thing when working on AFVs is to observe the proper safety precautions," says Robert Bienenfeld, AFV sales and marketing manager for American Honda. Honda makes electric and natural gas-powered vehicles. "Both are safe when compared to gasoline, but people are more familiar with working on gasoline-powered vehicles," he notes.

For example, it is important to understand how a gas works under pressure. While the composition tank with carbon fiber overwraps for natural gas is safe, never consider paint-curing natural gas vehicles in an oven.

	The Honda Civic GX natural gas vehicle has a clean-burning internal combustion engine and produces almost no emissions.
	The Honda Accord ULEV prototype is the first vehicle with a production-based gasoline engine to be tested and verified by the California Air Resources Board as meeting ultra low emissions vehicle (ULEV) exhaust levels. Emissions are reduced by more than 80 percent compared with current standards.

David Gregoricka, service engineer with Ford in Detroit, says they recommend venting the tanks, no matter what the fuel gauge says. "You could argue that with half a tank, venting is unnecessary," he admits. "But do you want to trust the gauge?" Tank manufacturers like Emco say to vent and remove the tank.

Actually, notes Franz Hoffman, no car - whether gasoline powered or alternative fuel powered - should be in a paint room with any fuel in the tank. Hoffman is the Elite Automotive Instructor for the Railroad Commission of Texas. He maintains that propane actually may be safer than gasoline: gas has a flashpoint of 650 degrees, propane 900 degrees. In a 40-foot drop test, a typical car gas tank ruptures; the propane tank just bounces. Hoffman says the propane tank is three-to-six times stronger than a gas tank. "It is an inch thick and can withstand a .38 caliber slug," he adds.

Shop owners can check NFPA 52 for natural gas tank specifications, NFPA 57 for liquefied natural gas, and NFPA 58 for propane. NFPA is the National Fire Protection Association.

Depending on the area, it may be allowable to vent to the atmosphere. Some local laws require venting to a container. Others require fuel to be burned as it is vented. "Not many shops are equipped to do that," Gregoricka says. The best answer is to contact the local gas utility for help.

"Alternative fuels are here to stay - it's past the bandwagon stage," Hoffman says. He notes that Chrysler, Ford and GM all have factory-produced, factory warranted vehicles. As those vehicles come out of warranty, technicians in the field will have more opportunity to service AFVs.

Ford formalized its program, marketing pickup trucks through its dealers (where the buyer picked model, color and seat type), then sending them to a Ford-certified shop for conversion to natural gas. Formerly called the QVM program, it now is part of the Alliance Partner program. QVM deals with chassis work, Alliance Partners with the power train. Ford also has factory model AFVs: the Crown Victoria, Econoline Van and F-Series pickups are available with compressed natural gas. The Econoline, F-150 and 250 light duty trucks are available with propane bi-fuel engines.

In many cases, the move to alternative fuels - notably propane - is driven by a desire to avoid the fuel tax. Farmers, especially, are heavy users of propane. A shop can modify the carburetor and fuel injection, add a tank to the pickup bed, and drive off with an AFV. "Is there room for aftermarket converters? The answer is very much, yes," Cannon says.

Conservationists say the United States should spend time in the penalty box. They charge team USA with waste of fuel, noting that it leads the world in CO2 emissions. In fact, 43 percent of U.S. CO2 emissions come from oil. According to Cannon, 1986 was the first year the country actually used more oil than it produced. He predicts that the United States and China could end up facing-off down the road as they jockey to buy oil from other countries.

Cannon maintains that the United States needs to develop autos that run on fuels such as hydrogen that last forever. He also says developers should look at more effective powertrains. Today's powertrains are only about 13 percent efficient, he says. He stresses that the industry still is in the learning stages. Two publicized failures of natural gas vehicles, both used by utilities, were traced to the same problem: battery acid leaking down onto the fuel tank and corroding it. While the tanks were well protected from below against hazards like flying stones, nobody thought to protect them from above. A simple, low-tech weld-job cured the problem.

The U.S. Government would agree with the need for fuel alternatives to gas and diesel. The 1990 Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT) have provisions requiring fleet operators to acquire vehicles that operate on alternative fuels. CAA requires individual states to implement clean fuel fleet programs while EPACT mandates the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) implement an alternative fuel fleet program.

Companies like Sears, UPS, and the airport SuperShuttles all are turning to AFVs in their fleets. Noting that it is easier for fleets, with their centralized maintenance facilities, to adapt readily to the new technology, DOE also is on record supporting alternative fuels in fleets to speed the transition to cleaner air. Tax incentives, starting at $2,000 for light vehicles, up to $50,000 for buses and large trucks, are provided.

Biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, methanol, natural gas, and propane all are on the list of approved alternatives.

Developers ask, "Where is the consumer to get fuel for these cars of the future?" Supporters of AFVs note that there was little delay changing from barns and oats to an infrastructure of gas stations and oil when the car came on the scene. The same question was asked about whether TV stations should broadcast color programs or consumers should buy color TVs. It is a non-issue, a scheme to delay re-tooling and avoid re-thinking a comfortable position, activists say.

Fuel availability
"Remember the fiasco in 1978 when Oldsmobile brought out its diesel?" Hoffman asks. The company had to send out fliers listing places where car owners could get fuel. Now diesel is commonplace. He recently drove his propane-powered Mitsubishi pickup from his Austin, Texas, office to Los Angeles, Calif., purchasing fuel in Austin, El Paso, Tucson and San Bernardino. "I might spend $5 a month in gas," he notes. With a price of 76 cents a gallon for propane in Texas and a range of 400 miles per tankful, he is sold on AFVs. He notes that a propane-fueled vehicle can carry up to 160 gallons.

Availability of fuel at a single site, along with Clean Air requirements, is the prime reason commercial fleets were the early adopters of AFVs. In Canada, especially along major corridors, it is not uncommon to see propane sold with gasoline. There are 15 BP stations along Rt. 401 between Windsor and Toronto that sell propane. Texas has 2,000 public propane stations and 60 for natural gas.

The increased availability of a cheap, clean fuel is part of the reason aftermarket conversion is becoming more popular with average Joes. While propane, natural gas and electric vehicles do require extensive changes, methanol and ethanol need little modification. OEMs like systems that require few or no changes in tooling. In the case of methanol and ethanol, different elastomers in the fuel system and stainless steel in the fuel pump are required. But the rest of the installation is the same as with gas.

Handling tank damage
The Compressed Gas Association (CGA), Arlington, Va., has guidelines for maintaining both sound and damaged tanks. Even a sound, undamaged tank must be inspected every 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first.

The regulations are quite specific about what constitutes a damaged AFV tank. What most people would consider a minor nick in the surface of a tank actually may be enough to require replacement. For example, a 10-one-thousandths inch deep gouge in a compressed natural gas tank will require repair of the tank. There are additional specifications for marks, scrapes and other dents in the tank. Remember, the over-wrap on a natural gas tank is an integral part of its structural soundness. For the latest standards, get a copy of the CGA's guidelines. The latest version of the publication is C-6.4.

Any unraveling of the wrap on the tank also will require replacement of the tank. "If there is a ding or a dent in the tank, replacement of the tank must be considered," Gregoricka warns. Again, refer to the appropriate NFPA standard.

Expect some raised eyebrows at the cost of replacing tanks from insurance agents who have not dealt with AFVs. Propane tanks and systems cost more than gasoline, and compressed natural gas costs more than propane. That cost must be reflected in the shop's compensation. In addition, the insurer should be aware that bi-fuel vehicles, as their name implies, have two fuel systems, which may require repair. The engines may require specially hardened valve seats. The body is likely to be a bit heftier to carry the added weight of the two fuel systems. All of this adds up when an AFV comes into the repair shop.

For the time being, it is unlikely that shop owners will see many AFVs in their bays. Even fleet operators seem to be reserving their shops for specialized jobs (like street-sweeper maintenance), and are willing to let the AFVs go back to the dealer for service. Honda's leases require that electric vehicles be serviced by a Honda tech.

No matter who works on the vehicle, the eventual goal is to score a victory over pollution. Right now the going is tough, but progress is being made. "There will be a continuing need to tweak and modify the vehicles, whether they are OEM or aftermarket. There will be a lot of trial-and-error, using the public as guinea pigs," Cannon admits. "More problems will pop up. But," he adds, "There still is a need for alternative fuel vehicles."

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