Five Fuel Factors

There is a lot of information to weed through when researching alternative transportation fuels. Nothing moves without fuel, but which one is right for your fleet? Here are five factors to consider.

1. Total cost of ownership. Don’t get caught up in the miles per gallon discussion. MPG is an ineffective measurement because alternative fuels don’t burn at the same rate as gasoline or diesel. Instead, focus on cost per mile and track the savings against your current gasoline or diesel solution.

Fuels that burn cleaner in engines can result in reduced maintenance costs and less wear and tear on the engine and components. And when you factor in other potential savings in your region, like access to HOV lanes for alternative fuel vehicles, you can increase your cost per mile advantage even more.

A total ownership cost analysis will provide an “apples to apples” comparison between the fuels — that’ll give you a true reading of your vehicles’ lifetime expenses.

2. Fueling accessibility. With fueling stations in every state and thousands across the country, alternatives like propane autogas provide a strong network of public refueling infrastructure for fleets without private stations. Also, if private fueling is desired, installing an autogas station costs less than any other fueling station, including gasoline or diesel.

3. Cold weather performance. During last winter’s polar vortex, Blue Bird Corporation had alternative fuel buses that provided easy starting, heat within minutes, quiet operation, and no performance issues in weather as cold as -27 degrees Fahrenheit. You can see for yourself how well the buses at Student Transportation of America in Omaha started last winter in a news program on ABC-affiliate TV channel 7 here. During that same time period, the diesel buses had to be started and warmed for 30 minutes to one hour before operation because of fuel-related issues, which adds both electricity and man power costs.

4. Vehicle warranties. ROUSH CleanTech vehicles maintain Ford’s factory warranty. That’s because our system components have been designed, developed, integrated and tested to Ford’s stringent standards.

5. Fuel versatility. With autogas, fleet operators are getting a clean-operating, affordable and domestically produced fuel. With its many economic and environmental benefits, autogas is a smart fuel solution for your fleet of five vehicles or your fleet of 500 vehicles.

Give us a call today at 800.59.ROUSH. And, we’ll be holding a press conference at the NTEA Work Truck Show next month announcing another customer adoption, so stop by our booth No. 5103 on Wednesday, March 4 at 2:35 p.m. to hear what’s new with us!