Davidson County Transportation Manager George Hodges says their drivers have been happy with the performance of the autogas vehicles, and that the fleet saved about $1500 on fuel costs the first month of running on autogas. Ten Ford E-450 vans are already converted, with another two larger, 22-passenger vehicles slated for conversion this summer. Davidson County mechanics completed certification training to maintain their autogas vehicles and convert more county fleet vehicles in the future.

Dwayne Childress, Davidson County Purchasing Director, had this to say about the autogas conversions:

“I supported converting our fleet to propane autogas specifically because it’s such a reliable and proven technology. The fact we received a grant from the Solar Center to cover the cost of conversions, paired with the fuel station infrastructure at no additional cost through Alliance AutoGas, made switching to autogas a really good deal.”

Autogas is a cost-effective clean fuel option for fleets who want to start saving on fuel costs right away. The infrastructure and conversion costs for autogas are simply more affordable than other alternative fuels on the market today, and autogas is currently saving fleets around $1.50 per gallon at the pump.

To see if your vehicle make/model can be easily converted to run on propane, check out the Alliance AutoGas website for a full list of EPA certifications. Follow @AllianceAutoGas on Twitter for more alternative fuel updates affecting your fleet.

In an op-ed published today in the Raleigh News & Observer, Alliance AutoGas President Stuart Weidie took aim at the proposal. The mandate would effectively let politicians decide which fuel has a distinct advantage in the marketplace, according to Weidie. “Our legislators should not be picking favorites; they should be ensuring that those in charge of our school bus and DOT fleets can choose the most economical and clean fuel available,” he says.

Besides, there are a number of fleets in the state that already made the switch to propane autogas, including the “Raleigh Police Department, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, Davidson County Transportation Department, Gaston County Access, Iredell County Area Transportation System, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Mobility of Asheville, the Town of Knightdale and the Biltmore Estate.” It’s noteworthy that these organizations chose to use propane vehicles without a legislative or executive mandate.

To add insult to injury, the N.C. state senate declined to hear from the propane industry. Perhaps this whole debate can be summed up by Weidie’s concluding words: “When it comes to clean, American-made alternative fuels, North Carolina’s fleets should be free to make their own natural selection.”

North Carolina residents can look up their state representatives and urge them to include propane autogas through this website.

The first roadshow kicked off this past weekend in Atlanta as part of the propane centennial celebration, and the next event is in Greenville, S.C., April 24. (RSVP here if you’re planning on attending.) Hosted by the Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition, lunch for this particular event will be provided courtesy of the South Carolina Propane Gas Association.

All of the propane autogas roadshows are free and open to the public. Industry professionals and autogas fleet managers alike will discuss how running on autogas saves significantly on fuel costs while reducing harmful pollutants and emissions, and attendees will have the chance to test-drive autogas vehicles. Representatives from Clean Cities coalitions, various Program fleets and Program partner Alliance AutoGas will be on-hand to offer expertise on autogas vehicles.

Courtesy of the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program

Next up in May is the North Carolina Propane Autogas Roadshow, held at the famed Biltmore Estate in Asheville by the Land-of-Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition. RSVP here if you’d like free entry to the event! We’ll keep you posted on all the upcoming roadshow events for your chance to try out high-performance autogas vehicles firsthand.

For the latest alt fuel fleet news and views, follow @AllianceAutoGas or find us on Facebook.

Enough said.

Autogas vs. Gasoline & Diesel prices in Asheville, NC

Let’s do some math.

Vehicle to be converted: 2008 5.4L Ford F-150 2wd
Miles driven/year: 50,000 mi
Miles/gallon on gasoline: approximately 14 mpg city
Autogas fuel economy: about 90% efficient as gasoline
Miles/gallon on autogas: 12.6 mpg city

So, given these facts, let’s see how much you would spend on fuel for one vehicle, using the prices from the picture.

50,000 mi on gasoline: $11,067
50,000 mi on autogas: $7,777

Fuel cost savings of $3,290 (per vehicle, per year)– the vehicle conversion cost has practically paid for itself in a year. And that’s not even including savings from fewer oil changes and decreased maintenance downtime. Asheville fleets have it pretty good over there…