Beckley police convert four cruisers to propane

Beckley Police Department is joining other government agencies around the state in a move toward a cleaner, cheaper fuel — one that’s produced domestically.

Beckley Chief Timothy Deems announced Tuesday that four of the city’s Ford Crown Victoria cruisers have been converted from gasoline-only engines to engines that can also run on propane auto gas.

Deems said propane fuel saves 30 to 40 percent in fuel costs when compared with gasoline.

“If you’re expending two tanks a week in a cruiser, you’re looking at about 40 gallons a week,” he said. “At a dollar a gallon savings, that’s $40 per car per week in savings.

“It’s a start, and I think it’s something we can look at down the road as an alternative to the high price of gasoline.”

The cars were converted through a grant via the U.S. Department of Energy’s American Recovery and Reinvestment and was facilitated by former Beckley Mayor Emmett Pugh last February, said Deems. Read more here.