138. How Renewable Propane–Fueled EV Charging Solutions Can Significantly Cut Carbon Emissions

One fuel source that may not immediately come to mind when thinking about charging EVs is propane. However, there are innovative vehicle-charging options available using propane, and it is a relatively low-carbon fuel source, especially when “renewable propane” is available. Jim Bunsey, director of commercial business development with the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), shared details on a portable propane-fueled EV charging unit that is available today. “It takes up about a parking space,” he explained as a guest on The POWER Podcast. “It’s a trailer that weighs under 10,000 pounds—so, it’s a non-commercial load—and they have about 100 to 120 gallons of storage onboard.” During the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo (ACT Expo) held May 1–4, 2023, in Anaheim, California, PERC put the portable charging station to the test. The expo included a “Ride & Drive Event,” which allowed attendees to take dozens of the latest advanced clean vehicles for a test run. What the event needed was a way to charge the electric vehicles during the show. The portable trailer fit the bill. “Now, the fun part is, we hooked up with a large propane retailer in the area, and they actually had renewable propane available to us. So, we were charging the electric vehicles—a zero-emission tailpipe—we were charging them with a carbon-intensity score, with a blend that we had, less than 20,” Bunsey said. He noted that the carbon-intensity score for the California grid is right around 79 to 80, and that non-renewable domestic propane typically runs around 79 to 80 as well. “So, we’re equal to the grid in that area—depends on how we look at carbon intensities—but since we had the blends that were available to us, we were charging with a carbon intensity of 20, which was amazing that we were there. So, it was very successful,” he said. Bunsey said the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) demonstrating their vehicles at the ACT Expo became very excited about the possibility of charging vehicles with propane. “We were charging these over-the-road electric vehicles at 700 volts with nice, quiet, clean-burning propane that was reliable, and it opened the OEM’s eyes. They’re like, ‘Hey, we want to do this.’ And luckily, we’re starting to pair with OEMs to help them electrify the future,” said Bunsey. Using the AFDC calculator, annual CO2 equivalent emissions for an all-electric vehicle charged in California was 1,473 pounds in 2021. If we assume renewable propane offers a carbon intensity of about one-quarter that of the California grid, the CO2 equivalent emissions using renewable propane would even be close to half what was estimated earlier in the Washington state example. For fleet owners that are just getting started with EVs and may not have the infrastructure and transformers in place to charge at 700 V, the propane-fueled portable trailers could make sense. The systems could be scaled up as fleets expand, then, once permanent, grid-connected charging stations are installed, propane could be phased out or continue to act as a backup. It frankly provides a lot of options.