Transport committee  Thank you, and good morning. I'm Cameron Stewart. I'm the president of Maxquip. We're a supplier of LPG autogas and CNG conversion kits. We supply this technology throughout North America. These customized conversion kits are fitted to many different engine and vehicle models. Our kits enable users to realize fuel cost savings typically in the 40% to 50% range, by converting from their original gasoline engines to LPG—liquefied petroleum gas—or by adding LPG injection to diesel engines.

Transport committee  I would agree with that. It's my understanding that there have been some instances in the past with tanks being overfilled and product being released in underground parking garages. Some of the regulations came in as a result of some instances relating to improper use. The newer technology that has been incorporated since the mid-1990s with the auto-stop filler valves has made it impossible to overfill a tank.

Transport committee  I suspect that it might be more about an awareness of new practices.

Transport committee  That's my understanding.

Transport committee  Prior to the auto-stop filler valve, people were required to open what's called a spit valve when they were filling the tank, and if they didn't do that, they could overfill the tank.

Transport committee  I would tend to agree with that. We have the CSA standards, the B149, that we work to. We also work to the Inter-provincial Gas Advisory Committee standards. We have to keep our pulse on all the different rules and regulations. So I would agree with that.

Transport committee  We offer two different systems. The DieselFlex system will operate on any turbo-charged diesel engine. The Dieselblend system will operate on any diesel engine that has an electronic control unit on it. The Dieselblend technology integrates with the OEM's electronic control unit for that engine.

Transport committee  The cost is typically going to be in the range of $3,000 to $5,000. The main variable there is the size of the propane storage tank that you're adding to the vehicle. In both kits, the LPG is added after the air filter and prior to the turbo, so it blends in with the air, so it goes into the engine with the air, and the diesel fuel goes in through its own current injection process.

Transport committee  I guess the increase might be for training their people to be able to handle and maintain that equipment, but I don't believe the equipment itself adds any incremental maintenance cost to the engine itself.

Transport committee  The only one I'm familiar with is Cummins, which, I think, just recently announced that it's going to be using some of that technology on its stationary industrial engines, larger horsepower engines, which are typically used for power generation in remote sites. I believe they're going to be making that available in the next couple of years.

Transport committee  From an OEM standpoint, I'm not exactly sure. We supply this technology for stationary applications, as well as for on-road and off-road. We put them on farm equipment, diesel-powered tractors, highway tractors, passenger buses. Tyt Transport in Quebec has a few units on the highway.

Transport committee  That's correct. You would have to refuel the diesel tank and the propane tank on that vehicle. In terms of refuelling, when you add the system for LPG auto gas, you run into some of the same challenges we've talked about if you're converting a gasoline engine to run exclusively on LPG.

Transport committee  I don't believe it is difficult to find mechanics. Essentially, when we look at training or certifying people to work on any LPG system, whether it's the DieselFlex, the Dieselblend, or a vapour sequential injection system, or a liquid injection system, we need to start with a trained automotive mechanic.

Transport committee  In our business we're talking to fleets all the time about the pros and cons of converting their vehicles to run on LPG auto gas. Typically with courier companies in certain municipalities, they have to do deliveries and go underground to do that. One of the barriers they have to deal with is that they can't take these propane-powered vehicles underground.

Transport committee  Parts of it, you certainly could transfer. On a $5,000 conversion, roughly $1,200 to $1,500 of that might be the fuel tank itself. The fuel tank has a very, very long life and is likely transferable from vehicle to vehicle. You probably couldn't convert or transfer over the harness.