FORT VALLEY, Ga. — The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) launched the newly developed Propane Autogas Vehicle Technician Training at the Blue Bird West facility here on Wednesday.

NAFTC officials said that with nearly 200,000 propane autogas vehicles on U.S. roads and more growth projected, propane autogas technicians to service these vehicles are in high demand.

NAFTC National and Associate Training Center members were given first access to the course at the Blue Bird West facility. They will utilize the training in their automotive program classrooms across the U.S. Following this initial training session for members, the Propane Autogas Vehicle Technician Training will be made available to automotive instructors nationwide.

The course was developed by the NAFTC with funding from the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC).

“This course will help us to educate the next generation of alternative fuel automotive technicians, in this case propane autogas, as well as communicating how and why the adoption of this new course into current automotive technology curriculums will benefit students, schools and their communities,” said Stuart Flatow, PERC’s vice president of safety and training.

The three-day Propane Autogas Vehicle Technician Training covers such topics as how to convert vehicles to run on propane autogas, how to service these vehicles safely, understanding the theory of operation, and diagnosing and repairing propane systems.

The course is designed for automotive instructors, pre- and in-service automotive technicians, and fleet managers.

The Propane Autogas Vehicle Technician Training is available at the NAFTC headquarters in Morgantown, West Virginia, and at other locations nationwide. The next training session is scheduled for April 12-14 at the NAFTC headquarters.

More information, including where and when the training will be conducted, can be obtained by calling (304) 293-7882 or visiting www.NAFTC.wvu.edu or www.propaneautogastraining.com.