Page 7 - Nov-Dec 2019 Vol37 No5

“This is like a no-brainer. There
is no reason why you don’t do

this. The taxpayers are the
winners.”

Steve Hightower, Kingsport Fleet Manager

innovations, lauds Virginia Clean Cities
for its kickoff grant and is appreciative
of East Tennessee Clean Fuels for its
partnership in the propane journey. He
said East Tennessee Clean Fuels’ role as a
partner was especially helpful in assisting
with conversions, in helping showcase
vehicles at events and in alternative fuels
advocacy.

“Their fleet data analytics, experience
with networking in the industry and
knowledge of funding sources can really
help other governments interested in
this type of conversion,” he said. Equally
as important, he said East Tennessee
Clean Fuels has good relationships with
granting agencies and has provided
assistance in developing project
proposals, lending their expertise in
writing grant applications.

Since its inception, Kingsport’s
program has received various awards,
including the Davy Crockett Award for
innovation, and that recognition has
made the Kingsport fleet team popular
in sharing best practices at various
conferences from transportation to
alternative fuels to emergency response/
government trainings.

“We’ve won a few awards and had a
little publicity with a Bristol TV station.
That’s nice for our credibility, but that’s
not what’s foremost in our minds. We
want to share our experiences on this
because it’s good for the environment, for
the air, for cost savings and for showing
that the vehicles are relatively trouble-
free,” he said.
Taxpayers Win in the End

“I always tell folks I sell the green part
up and the performance part down.
The green part is attractive to certain
segments in city governments, and the
performance part really drives some of
the other interest, because the vehicles
are more dependable. In this type of fleet,
performance issues are relatively minor,”
Hightower said.

“This is like a no-brainer. There is
no reason why you don’t do this. The
taxpayers are the winners,” he said.

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