THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 17, 1995 TAG: 9507150259
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY CARTER, BUSINESS WEEKLY
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
Bill Dozier and Tom Pritchard began their Virginia Beach car care service three years ago with the same foresight used when founding the Alpha Phi Tau fraternity at Virginia Tech three decades ago.
Their company, Enginuity, is a first. It's the only business specializing in alternative fuel conversion in Hampton Roads, and one of few in Virginia and the United States.
Since launching the engine conversion arm of Enginuity last year, Dozier and Pritchard have installed 18 units that enable autos to burn either gasoline or natural gas: four for the city of Hampton and 14 for Virginia Natural Gas.
They've begun work on 10 new jobs, including six vans for Warner Communications in Hampton and four pickup trucks for the Norfolk Redevelopment Housing Authority.
The engine conversion business is an ancillary part of Enginuity. So, profit hasn't been a major concern, yet.
It's an industry that is tied to bids, and we've bid on 15 more jobs from Virginia Natural Gas, so our customer base is primarily fleet managers,'' Dozier said.
According to Charlotte LeGates, spokesperson for the Natural Gas Supply Association in Washington, D.C., the mainstay of the alternative fuel engine business is fleet conversions, at least for the time being.
There are two primary reasons for the conversions: economic and environmental.
Federal laws are forcing auto makers to be more environmentally accountable. That goes for cities and metropolitan regions, like Hampton Roads, that aren't in compliance with federal clean air standards.
Burning natural gas is seen as one solution to pollution problems. By some measures, the fuel produced about a third less pollution emission than gasoline powered engines.
Pritchard says compressed natural gas the equivalent of one gallon of gasoline costs about 50 cents.
The company modifies fuel injector systems. All of the conversions have been bifuel, allowing the operator of a vehicle to switch from compressed natural gas to gasoline.
Dozier said bifuel systems are necessary in Hampton Roads because there are only four commercial natural gas filling stations in the region. Virginia Natural Gas has several and Norfolk Transit Authority has its own station.
Dozier and Pritchard plan to open a duel pump stations. They co-own an Exxon station and Dozier owns another.
The partners concede that the technology is cost prohibitive, at least for now. And they discourage the average consumer from spending approximately $5,000 to convert to compressed natural gas.
But even with Chrysler's plans to unveil at least 4,000 vehicles equipped to use compressed natural gas in the next model year, the partners say down the road they see more consumer conversion to bifuel systems.
Dozier and Pritchard, both 48, earned degrees in business management from Tech in 1969 and went their separate ways. Dozier worked for Exxon 10 years before buying his own service station in 1979.
Pritchard, on the other hand, has always been an entrepreneur in Virginia Beach, except for the year he spent in Miami designing offshore power boats. The two were reunited in 1981 and have been partners for the past 14 years, pursuing their dream work.
``We're in the automobile care and repair business for the most part, where we build service relationships with our customers and rely on integrity in the way we treat them and their vehicles,'' Dozier said.
``As for alternative fuel conversion, it's fleet today, perhaps consumers tomorrow. If it can be done economically and it's feasible, we'll be on the leading edge of automobile technology, no matter what it is.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH
Tom Pritchard, left, owner of Enginuity, and partner Bill Dozier
with a van that will run on natural gas.
by CNB