Images and article courtesy of Roush Cleantech.
“This year’s NTEA Work Truck Show was nothing short of encouraging for the future of clean transportation, with the Green Truck Summit setting the stage for vital discussions on the future of the industry and the continued advancement of sustainable solutions.
A key takeaway from the event was the undeniable progress in electric vehicle (EV) technology. With battery and overall vehicle technologies evolving rapidly, the future of EVs seems promising. However, challenges like grid capacity and the time to deploy charging infrastructure are still major hurdles for widespread EV deployment today. Amidst this, propane autogas emerges as a stellar alternative, especially for medium-duty fleets with more complex upfits where electric options are limited.
Propane not only offers a clean, accessible option but also boasts cost efficiency and reduced emissions, making it a pragmatic step toward sustainable fleet operations.
The immediate advantages: Propane has successfully been used as a vehicle fuel for decades and has proven its reliability and efficiency in medium-duty fleets. It provides the lowest total cost of ownership compared with other fuels. Propane vehicles have no cold-start issues, offer range similar to gasoline and have no impact on available payload.
A propane fueling station costs less than any other transportation energy source, including electric, CNG, gasoline or diesel. Propane also has a well-established public infrastructure in place with over 2,500 fueling stations across the U.S. to support fleet operations.
In an increasingly complicated and rapidly changing transportation landscape, propane offers the most readily available, affordable and uncomplicated clean-fuel solution.
This is why more than 4,000 fleets are running 50,000 propane trucks and Blue Bird school buses with our vehicle technology across North America. They have accumulated more than 3 billion miles over the last decade and see savings in excess of $.34/mile based on today’s fuel prices. Couple that with a significant reduction in harmful emissions, and it is a perfect, tangible solution as technologies such as battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell continue to mature over the next decade plus.
Let’s keep pushing for progress and exploring innovative solutions for a greener future.”
Todd Mouw is executive vice president of sales and marketing of ROUSH CleanTech, an industry leader of advanced clean vehicle technology. Mouw has more than two decades of experience in the automotive and high-tech industries. As former president of the NTEA Green Truck Association, Mouw helped set standards in the green trucking industry. To learn more, visit ROUSHcleantech.com.