In the Know: Promoting propane autogas

In the Know is a monthly partnership between LP Gas and Propane Resources. This month, Obie Dixon shares how propane retailers can encourage propane autogas use with customers.

Propane retailers are encouraged to educate the public about the benefits of autogas and help eliminate any perceived negatives. (Photo by LP Gas staff)

QUESTION: How can propane retailers do their part to promote the autogas market?

ANSWER: The big push from the government when it comes to transportation is green, green and more green.

The greener initiative should be the air, not the money we spend on cleaner fuel alternatives. As propane retailers, we already know we offer the cleanest-burning fuel available, but does our customer know that? Propane for cooking and heating is a given, but bridging that gap over to the area of propane autogas is another challenge.

From a prospective customer’s view, autogas can be seen as nonpractical for many reasons. Some of these include availability, ease of refueling and questions about where to purchase a vehicle that runs on propane. As an industry, we need to educate the public and help eliminate these perceived negatives.

If you’re already dispensing propane from your bottle-filling operation, make sure your marketing reflects autogas’s availability at your retail location. This can be as simple as posting a sign by your dispenser that reads, “Autogas available here.” You may go a year without refueling a vehicle on autogas, but one of your customers may see the sign and mention this to someone else.

Talk to your local car dealers and ask about the availability of LPG vehicles. Also, make yourself familiar with companies that do EPA-approved LPG conversions. Many of today’s gasoline engines can be converted to run on LPG and come from the factory as such.

Display autogas information for your customers to see. You do not have to be the authority on autogas, but just be resourceful enough to point them in the proper direction if the questions are asked.

The talk is always about being greener, and a lot of folks will respond that the green they are concerned with is in their back pocket. The next time one of your customers tells you this, bring up the conversation of autogas.

They already know what they are paying for a gallon of gasoline. Make sure they know what a gallon of propane costs, and that usually gets their attention in a hurry. Please make sure they are aware of saving at the pump and, in many cases, over $2 per gallon versus gasoline. Also, point out the savings in maintenance and longevity of an engine running on LPG versus gasoline.

Turn the autogas discussion with your customer from “Why would I do that?” to one of “How can I do that?”

Obie Dixon is the director of special projects for Propane Resources. He can be reached at 913-262-8345 or obie@propaneresources.com.