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During the cold months, temperatures may drop, but the performance of propane autogas vehicles doesn’t. With propane autogas technology, propane vehicles are dependable in below-zero temperatures, ensuring that fleets can carry on with business as usual.
Dependable Start-Up in Cold Climates
Propane autogas vehicles have no cold-start issues in temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit. Because propane is completely gaseous when it enters the engine, propane autogas vehicles are easier to start in cold weather than gasoline and diesel vehicles.
Since they are more reliable upon start-up in cold-start conditions, propane autogas vehicles eliminate several costly frustrations for fleet managers. Gone is the need for staff to arrive early to start and monitor the diesel engine block heaters, which reduces labor expenses. Diesel fuel can also thicken when temperatures fall, rendering the vehicles useless or difficult to start, requiring fuel additives to prevent gelling and filter clogging. These measures are not needed for propane autogas vehicles.
Propane autogas also outperforms electric vehicles in colder temps. According to Scientific American, the rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries used in EVs perform poorly in cold weather and are better suited for temperatures over 32 degrees Fahrenheit. American Automobile Association (AAA) said that electric vehicles had a 12 percent decrease in driving range at 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Increased Passenger Comfort
“Our propane buses perform flawlessly,” said Brian Swestka, director of transportation for Howard-Winneshiek Community School District in Cresco, Iowa. “They warm up substantially quicker than our diesel buses. The propane buses are ready to go in just a few minutes compared with 20-30 minutes for diesel to warm up.”
Keeping drivers and passengers warm and comfortable is as important as being able to start the vehicle. In a thermal test performed in Duluth, Minnesota, by ROUSH CleanTech, a new propane autogas school bus was compared with a new diesel school bus in frigid temperatures — the outside temperature at testing was -5 degrees Fahrenheit, with overnight temps of -18 degrees Fahrenheit. When comparing the two buses under the same conditions, the indoor cabin temperature rose more quickly with the propane autogas bus — it reached 32 degrees Fahrenheit at about 30 minutes while the diesel bus reached that point at the one-hour mark.
ROUSH CleanTech also asked drivers for their feedback and found that they preferred the propane autogas buses because they build heat faster and hold and maintain cabin heat longer, providing a ride that is more comfortable for everyone.
Jeff Schwepker, director of transportation for Fort Zumwalt School District in Missouri, expressed the same sentiment. “The drivers enjoy driving them. The drivers were a little tentative at first. But that dissipated quickly when they realized that the new [propane] buses warmed up the cabins quickly, a major plus in our Midwest winter cold.”
Environmental Benefits of Propane Autogas
One of the key factors for fleets adopting propane autogas vehicles is their environmental benefits. During the fall and winter, the colder air is denser and stagnant. This means that pollutants are also not dispersed and can lead to a higher concentration of pollutant buildup, including vehicle emissions.
“Being in the Pacific Northwest, we endure some rough winter conditions,” said Ron Mountain, fleet manager of Whatcom Transportation Authority. “Transitioning our paratransit fleet to propane is one of the most effective ways we can reduce our emission footprint.”
When used in on-road applications, propane has significant emissions-reducing qualities that offer a better environmental impact. Propane, an approved clean alternative fuel under the Clean Air Act, is nontoxic. If a propane leak occurred, it would not harm the soil and it would have negligible effects on the ozone layer. Since propane is a low-carbon alternative fuel, it produces significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than diesel, gasoline and electricity in a wide range of applications. Compared with diesel vehicles, propane autogas vehicles can emit up to 36 percent fewer nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
For fleets in cold regions, propane autogas vehicles can dependably keep their operations moving, remove cold-weather headaches and reduce harmful emissions.