Roush CleanTech announced that Denali National Park and Preserve has been weighing propane autogas against various alternative fuel options for their fleet vehicles by testing a Roush CleanTech propane autogas Ford F-250 over a six-week span.
Propane autogas received a welcome reception in Alaska with the success of last month’s Alaska Propane Technical Summit that showcased how propane autogas technology can promote job growth and environmental sustainability throughout the state, capturing the interest of local municipalities, government officials and other stakeholders, including Matanuska Electric Association.
“One of the reasons we’ve looked at moving toward propane autogas has been to lower the amount of conventional liquid fuels that move across our state and spill onto rural roads and inside national parks,” says John Quinley, assistant regional director for the National Park Services in Alaska.
Two Roush CleanTech propane autogas Ford F-250 pickup trucks have been used to determine how propane autogas can perform in the subfreezing Alaskan weather for the past nine months through a program coordinated by the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority.
Roush CleanTech says many Alaskan fleets operate on ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel that is trucked in by ice road trucks; meanwhile, more than 4 million gallons of propane surfaces from the North Slope in Alaska every day, and 90 percent of all U.S. propane supplies are produced domestically. In addition, propane autogas is nontoxic and, if spilled, will not harm soil or groundwater.
“By weighing alternative fuel options like propane autogas, we’re taking steps toward reducing harmful environmental impacts,” Quinley says. “Propane has so much availability in Alaska, so utilizing these propane autogas vehicles is a great match for Alaska National Park Service.” Roush CleanTech says propane autogas burns cleaner in engines than gasoline and diesel, resulting in reduced maintenance costs and the potential for a longer engine life, and that propane autogas costs about 30 percent less per gallon than gasoline.
“Denali National Park and Preserve, with its remote, rugged terrain, is the perfect place to prove Roush CleanTech propane autogas technology is an environmentally sustainable and economically feasible alternative fuel that can perform in the starkest of conditions, while minimizing operational costs for the park,” says Todd Mouw, vice president of sales and marketing for Roush CleanTech. “Environmentally friendly propane autogas can help keep our national parks beautiful for many generations to come.”
