As original equipment manufacturers like GM and Ford start to dabble in bi-fuel technology specifically for compressed natural gas (CNG) and gasoline trucks, experts are apparently claiming we’re in the midst of a “very quiet revolution” in the automotive industry. But this isn’t exactly breaking news. As many of you may already know, Alliance AutoGas provides a versatile “bi-fuel” alternative fuel conversion technology called the Prins VSI system that has successfully been used in Europe for years.
Bi-fuel vehicles are unique in that they can run on more than one fuel, and may seamlessly switch between them, like Alliance’s gasoline and propane autogas technology. The Prins system has been used for years in Europe, and bi-fuel technology has already been proven with propane autogas and natural gas vehicles in other countries.
Light- and medium-duty vehicles running on autogas typically achieve 85-90 percent of the miles per gallon they would on gasoline, while CNG vehicles might have around 60 percent of a gasoline vehicle’s range. This is due to the very high pressure involved in storing natural gas (see: Autogas for America’s white paper). Since autogas fleets are currently experiencing cost savings of $1.25 or more per gallon while not using up all their payload capacity with heavy storage tanks like natural gas vehicles have, it’s a win-win situation all around.
Learn more about why propane vehicles might be a good fit for your fleet on the Alliance AutoGas website.
