In rural Wisconsin, when you hear propane, you may think about heating homes or drying grain. After all, that’s a huge part of what Wisconsin uses propane for. However, the Propane Education & Research Council says there are more ways to utilize propane in your everyday life that could save you money.
Imagine fueling your car or tractor with propane instead of gasoline or diesel. You’d need a different setup, of course, but it’s a possibility. Mike Newland, PERC, says propane fuel for vehicles and equipment is a market they’re trying to grow.
First, he debunks some common safety misperceptions about having propane on board. Newland says people are unsure about having a propane tank on their vehicle because of the risk of explosion. But that worry is unnecessary, he says.
Newland reminds us that millions of children are transported every day on propane-powered school buses. In the event of a crash, propane is the strongest of the fuel tanks and can take heavier crash loads.
You can transition your vehicle or your farm equipment to propane. The barrier is locating a fueling station. For fleets (taxis, school buses, etc.), they typically have a refueling station where the fleet is housed. A refueling station is a propane tank equipped with a pump.
Newland says as propane autogas has grown, the equipment has evolved and is easy to use.
“If you can use a gas pump, you can use a refueling station,” he says.
He says 800,000 farms today already have propane on them, and it’s easy to put a pump on your main tank on the farm.
