Nexio, Blue Bird among approved PERC projects

August 4, 2025 By Brian Richesson 0 Comments

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) approved the following funding requests during its July meeting in Michigan, with the project applicant in parenthesis where applicable.

$6 million to facilitate Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board certification of Nexio’s dedicated propane-powered, medium/heavy-duty Class 7 and 8 trucks, Class 5-7 stripped chassis and 7.2-liter V8 engine for the U.S. market. (Nexio Power Inc.)
$2.4 million to develop and commercialize a Blue Bird Type D-RE (rear engine) school bus powered by a Ford engine and a Roush CleanTech propane fueling system. The project will help launch the first propane Type D school bus, expanding fuel use beyond the Type C segment. PERC says the white fleet D style also opens new markets for defense and transit. (Blue Bird Corp.)
$484,772 to develop and scale up a novel, on-purpose renewable propane production pathway from a lab-scale level to commercial production. This technology aims to produce renewable propane from carbon dioxide and air at ambient conditions using intermittent renewable electricity. (C+Up)
$225,000 to fabricate and commercialize a propane-fueled steam applicator for strawberry production. The project will support the development, evaluation and commercial-scale demonstration of the applicator as a sustainable alternative to chemical fumigants for controlling weeds and soilborne diseases. Each applicator uses over 300,000 gallons of propane during the four-month strawberry season, PERC notes. (Smart Steam Applications for Agriculture LLC)
$180,000 for the 2025 Utilization Technology Development (UTD) consortium. UTD is a not-for-profit, utility-directed organization that conducts near-term applied scientific research and development. This project will support the development of efficient, low-emission technologies. It will generate technical data and field knowledge on the performance and emissions of food service equipment and hybrid space heating systems. (Gas Technology Institute)
$74,985 for golf course and turfgrass flaming opportunities to combat thatch, pests and weeds. The project will support the production, delivery and demonstration of FlameWerks’ proprietary propane-powered flaming equipment, along with outreach to industry leaders and distribution of research.
$60,000 to evaluate and compare the real-world emissions of the latest model year propane and diesel school buses, and to update widely used emissions models. The council also approved an additional $35,000 for cold-start emissions testing in winter months. (Energy Environmental Analytics)