Illinois city makes commitment to autogas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8yKfYmPohA

​The city of Springfield, Illinois, made a commitment to power all of its police vehicles and a portion of its municipal utility trucks on propane autogas.

The city now has 57 police vehicles and seven public utility trucks running on autogas, and another six new police vehicles are on order to be converted to run on autogas. The city operates seven of its municipal utility trucks on autogas.

Prairieland FS, a member cooperative of Growmark, supplies propane for Springfield’s vehicles. The police vehicles are Ford Crown Victorias and Ford Explorers.

Icom North America supplies and installs the conversion kits for the Explorers, according to a company statement.

“We held off on the purchase of the Explorers until a kit became certified to work on those engines,” says William McCarty, Springfield’s director of budgeting and purchasing. “Icom was the first one to have the kits closest to getting that certification. When Icom received the certification, the city moved forward on the purchase of the Explorers.”

Prairieland FS supplies propane  to the city at two locations. Prairieland FS set up the first bulk storage tank at one of Springfield’s maintenance garages and a second at a local fire station.

McCarty estimates the city is saving between $80,000 and $100,000 per year since it transitioned to autogas. According to Prairieland FS, these figures do not include the savings related to maintenance costs.