The Propane Council of Texas, in partnership with the Alamo Area Clean Cities Coalition, held its 4th Annual Commercial Propane Mower and Vehicle Fleet Event Oct. 3 at Padre Park in San Antonio. The Propane Council of Texas’ public awareness campaign, Fueling Texas, has been touring the state to educate Texans about the benefits of operating commercial lawn equipment and fleet vehicles on propane autogas. It features a series of statewide road shows providing fleet operators, drivers and community members a hands-on experience with clean autogas technology.
Those in attendance at Thursday’s public event had the opportunity to demo commercial-grade propane mowers from top manufacturers and test drive fleet trucks powered by the alternative fuel. The event also highlighted the benefits of powering commercial lawn mowers and vehicles with cleaner-burning propane autogas, including potential savings on fuel and maintenance costs.
“San Antonio is already an early adopter of propane autogas. Northside Independent School District has had propane autogas in their school bus fleet for over 30 years, and the National Parks have both mowers and trucks powered by propane autogas,” said Jackie Mason, education & marketing director for the Propane Council of Texas. “This event is to showcase those already using propane autogas and to educate those new to propane autogas on the benefits of running their landscape or vehicle fleet on the greener fuel.”
Propane autogas is the most widely used alternative fuel in the world, behind gasoline and diesel. It powers more than 21 million vehicles globally, and U.S. fleets running on cleaner-burning autogas support the nation’s energy security because 98 percent of the U.S. supply is made in America. Texas propane mower and vehicle fleets, in particular, are helping to boost the local economy—Texas is home to more than 700 propane autogas marketers and the world’s largest propane storage.
Recent Fueling Texas case studies have highlighted Texas mower fleets, including Austin-based Benchmark Landscapes, which saved 58 percent on fuel costs with propane mowers; and Dallas area EarthWorks, which saves $41,600 on fuel costs annually with 44 propane mowers.
