Page 21 - nov-dec 2020

Propane is a domestically-sourced fuel and is a byproduct of natural gas processing and oil
refining. Furthermore, renewable propane is obtained as a byproduct of sustainable aviation fuel and
renewable diesel. Moreover, propane vehicles are already being certified for the California
2024 Low NOx (0.05 g/hp-hr) and 2027 Ultra-Low NOx emissions standards (0.02 g/hp-hr).
Propane does not contain aromatics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and thus leads to very
low particulate matter emissions; propane vehicles pass regulatory requirements with ease without
particulate filters. The national average price of autogas (common name for propane used for
4
transportation applications) for the week of Aug. 27 was $1.41/gallon . Considering a medium-duty
vehicle fuel economy of 5 MPG (note, newer propane engines are already demonstrating fuel
economy on par with diesel engines ), the cost for fuel is $0.282/mile, which is nearly 25% lower
5
than its EV counterpart. This is a very simplistic analysis and does not consider total cost of
ownership including maintenance costs or vehicle capex but whichever way you look at it, propane
would come out to be a more cost-effective and practical solution for medium- and heavy-duty
applications such as trucks and buses particularly considering the huge capex of medium- and
heavy-duty EVs. These reasons, along with the low emissions footprint of propane and concerns on
EV battery life, led to the Pittsburgh Transportation Group to deploy twenty brand new
propane-fueled buses instead of electric buses .
6

Figure Source: Alliance Autogas

4 https://www.allianceautogas.com/todays-autogas-price/
5 https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/2020-01-5008/
6 https://www.utimes.pitt.edu/news/new-shuttle-service-will

21 Alabama Propane Gas Association | November / December 2020