Fuel Your Fleet With Propane

ELLSWORTH & HAMPDEN: R.H. Foster has made history in Maine by opening the first public-use propane fueling station for automobiles on High Street in Ellsworth. They have since opened a second pump at their corporate facility in Hampden. Autogas, the term for propane or liquefied petroleum gas intended for automotive use, is an alternative to diesel fuel and gasoline.

The company has been working hard to educate businesses and individuals in Maine about the many benefits of converting to propane fuel. R.H. Foster’s current target market is commercial fleets, but their pumps are available for passenger cars to use, too, according to Jim Van Uden, the wholesale sales and business development coordinator at R.H. Foster. He believes that, as the infrastructure changes and more vehicles are designed or adapted to use Autogas, they will see more traffic at their pumps.

A report by the U.S. Department of Energy shows that, in the spring, propane cost 24% less per gallon than gasoline and 31% less per gallon than diesel. This price difference is made greater with a 50 cent per gallon federal tax credit, as a result of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which was extended through the end of 2013. However, the cost savings from switching to Autogas is not the only benefit, Van Uden notes. Another advantage is environmental.

“Propane is very clean-burning, compared to gasoline,” Van Uden says.

Also noted is the reduction of the dependency on foreign oil, since propane is a natural product that is produced in North America, according to the R.H. Foster website. R.H. Foster is currently running several of its commercial vehicles on propane,but they are working to convert their fleet to propane. Read more here.