Van's on propane.... How $ much do you save?

[One Awesome Inch]

Looking at CL I see a few vans using propane as fuel. Various ads have different percentages of savings... 20%, 60%, 40%... its all over the board.

So as a percentage how much cheaper would a van on propane be versus a van on regular gas?

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I don't know.

I do know that propane is one of the gasses in natural gas.

I have heard that the electrical generation industry - under pressure from the government - has switched entirely from coal to natural gas for generating electricity.

People I know who use gas for heat are SCREAMING about how much their bills have gone up this winter. One woman I know, used to seeing about a $300 bill, just got one for $900.

My suspicion is, thanks to supply and demand, propane and cng vehicles may no longer enjoy a significant cost advantage.

I might be wrong. More research on this point is definitely in order.

Regards
John

 

[minimotos95]

i know back in the 90's LPG was much more cost effective than gas and diesel and was generally used by vendors/distributors who only do local or semi-local deliveries. like e85 it's not good for travel unless you plan your fuel stops ahead of time.
in other parts of the world LPG powered vehicles are more common.
i also can't speak on current prices

 

[Willy]

Well, prior to this past winter, propane was about 2/3 the price of gas and therefor an attractive alternative. This winter it skyrocketed to almost the same price as gas, which might be why so many are for sale. One thing to consider is that an engine running on propane can have a longevity comparable to that of a well maintained diesel engine.. without the associated pricy maintenance. Also, an engine properly modified to run on propane can have power/MPG equivalent to that of a gas engine. ..Willy.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

Limited places to get fuel. The commercial business that have fleets of propane vehicles have facilities to fuel them. I think most places that fill propane bottles might not fuel a propane vehicle, I had seen one turn one away and told them to go to a propane distributer to get fuel.

 

[user 423]

One thing to consider is that an engine running on propane can have a longevity comparable to that of a well maintained diesel engine.. without the associated pricy maintenance.

One of these days I will have a Honda genny converted to propane (after the warranty is up) and it will be the closest thing to a piece of equipment that will "run forever".

 

[MrNoodly]

Limited places to get fuel.

Yeah, propane might be fine if you're running routes in a city and have a regular fuel stop. But out on the road, where sometimes even gasoline is hard to find, you'd be screwed with propane.

 

[Zil]

Propane is a manufactured fuel using crude oil as the base. natural gas is a different hydrocarbon. My natural gas heating fuel has come down in price. I have received a refund from the ** Gas Co. each of the past three years.
Natural gas fueling stations are beginning to appear. Some are public but most are private. The only propane filling stations I see are the ones that fill campers and bottles.

 

[masterplumber]

The reason they usually won't fill propane powered vehicles at the normal places that fill camper bottles is that they are not set up to collect the road taxes, so they would be violating federal law. That's a quick way to get your business shut down! The feds like our money and think it's theirs! I drove a truck in the 80s that belonged to a company I worked for that was set up to run either gasoline or LPG. It always got worse MPG when running on propane. As noted above, if it is converted correctly it should get about the same, but most of the cheaper conversions aren't done correctly.
On a side note, if you add propane injection to an older diesel motor it acts as a catalyst and you'll get an incredible boost in both power and MPG. I've seen older Ford 7.3 liter pickups get a true 25 MPG even after you add in the propane used. An E350 extended van running such a set up, while more difficult and expensive to put together, would make a sweet mobile domicile. And depending upon how much you drive per year, could more than make up for the extra expense up front in fuel savings.

 

[Patrick46]

my last stepvan ran on propane.

due to the fact that there's no crappy additives in propane like there is in our gasoline (or whatever that swill is that they sell us)...you could take the intake manifold off, and the top of the engine inside was absolutely CLEAN and SPOTLESS!!!

I got my propane at our local U-Haul truck place. I've also bought it at gas stations, truckstops, and campgrounds too. They nearly never mentioned road tax to me. (except at the gas station.) I did have a fuel oil place refuse to sell to me, but that only happened once. (but I just think the guy was just being a powerhungry jerk.)

I too paid about 2/3 the price of gas, but I did use a bit more then I would had I been running on gasoline. (if I had gotten 13mpg's with gas, then I'd get about 10mpg's on propane.) Also, as propane burns cooler than gas, it doesn't generate as much power, so if you were loaded and were climbing a big hill...you wouldn't have the same power to work with.

One other thing, is that if you run outta propane out on the road...it's towtruck time. You can't quite fill back up along the road using a jerrycan like you can with gasoline.

I must say, though, that I did learn to love it!

 

[SoulRaven]

Greetings!

According to what I've read in the past, the propane powered vehicle experiment was a huge failure. Worse MPG, less power, and a shorter engine life.

The fleets that tried them have switched back, so that has to say something right there.

I know a couple of people who drive propane powered forklifts, and they hate them. They say they're always breaking down, and the gas & electric ones never break down.

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[highdesertranger]

propane has less btu's per pound than gasoline. even the junk gas they force us to buy today. therefore you will get less mpg and have less power. that said, the engines do run extremely clean. if set up correctly should give you better longevity than a comparable gas engine. highdesertranger

 

[One Awesome Inch]

How does Natural Gas compare? I see a few ads tor those as well.

 

[Lucky mike]

Natural gas is just like propane but harder to find when you need to refuel!!

 

[One Awesome Inch]

I will be staying in the same city and know of enough locations.

 

[SoulRaven]

I will be staying in the same city and know of enough locations.

Greetings!

Now... Now... Tapping into someone's house or business line without their knowledge is a no no...

Where would one buy natural gas for a vehicle? And cost?

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[highdesertranger]

in kalifornia, in the larger cities natural gas refueling station are common. as far as price I've heard it is comparable to propane. as soon as you get out of the cities I've haven't seen any. so you would be kinda on a leash. highdesertranger

 

[Patrick46]

According to what I've read in the past, the propane powered vehicle experiment was a huge failure. Worse MPG, less power, and a shorter engine life.

The fleets that tried them have switched back, so that has to say something right there.

there are quite a few municipalities who have switched their fleets over to propane, and I've never heard of any of them ever switching back.

Propane vehicles are a bit finikier, but the results are positive.

 

[Teskimo]

Here in Australia, petrol (gas) is approx $1.50 and LPG is $.89.
My 4X4 4 dr PU has a 60 (16 gal) litre petrol and 60 litre LPG tanks. PU is 2000 Mitsubishi Triton 3.0L 5 spd, dual cab.
The LPG only goes about 60% (240 km/150 miles)the distance of gas. The power towing a horse float appears to be the same with either, slightly better with gas.
Availability around the capital cities and major highways are good with price increases further away. The more remote areas may not have availability though.

Most cars with LPG tanks also keep their gas tanks as well, doubling the distance they can travel, as long as you have room for the tank. My tank is under the bed replacing the spare tire.

 

[Patrick46]

what's a horse float??

(sounds like something for a parade!)