07/15/2010
Baker Equipment Hosts United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack

As the use of alternative fuel vehicles (AFV's) gains acceptance nationwide, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack attended an AFV facility tour and media briefing at Baker Equipment, in Richmond, Virginia. The event celebrated the initiation of the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program, an extensive and groundbreaking Department of Energy Clean Cities-supported project that is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This project will result in nearly 1,200 vehicles being converted to run on clean, domestically produced, propane fuel, and the creation of "Green Jobs" in Virginia.

Headquartered in Richmond, VA, Baker Equipment serves in the project role of the Virginia Certified Conversion System Installation Center. Baker will use its technical expertise and automotive facilities to convert fleet vehicles from conventional gasoline to propane AutoGas Hybrids, connecting them to the robust national infrastructure and guaranteed fuel supply provided by the Alliance AutoGas. Baker is a Qualified Systems Retrofitter and registered with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as a Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standards (FMVSS) Final Stage Manufacturer, with the FMVSS Alteration Certification capability and the experience required to install regulatory compliant AFV engine and on-board fuel systems.

From Model T's to AFV's —Founded in 1919, Baker Equipment began converting Model-T Ford chassis into flatbed work trucks and by the year 2000 participated with Ford in building 500 electric postal vehicles. Since then, Baker has converted airport and hotel shuttle buses, pickup trucks, school buses, dump trucks, and vans to run on clean, domestically produced, alternative fuels.

Cross-Country Alternative Fuel Van Demonstration: In a move that continues to position it as a leader in alternative fuel market innovation, Baker Equipment is also demonstrating its Extra Long-Range natural gas powered van in a cross-country tour from Richmond, VA to Seattle, WA.  Baker's patent-pending, roof-mounted, natural gas tank system holds the energy equivalent of 42-gallons of gasoline, providing a 500-mile normal driving range. "When we interviewed AFV fleet van operators, we found that they often needed an extended driving range that was not commercially available," Skip Baker stated. The Baker Long-Range Natural Gas Van was subsequently created, which is currently traveling across the USA, connecting existing natural gas fuel stations into a virtual cross-country fuel corridor. The Baker long-range tank AFV option is an excellent choice for Airport Shuttle, Van Pools, Taxi, Utility & other long-range van applications. This extra-long range tank option will soon be available for propane fuel, as well.

Please follow our Blog by clicking on the following link (http://bakerxcountrycngvan.blogspot.com) and experience with us what it's like to drive a commercially available, dedicated natural gas van from city-to-city and state-to-state, using a clean, domestically produced, alternative fuel. Let's Go Green together!

- Baker Equipment staff

Click here to view the story on PR Newswire.

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