Oregon Sheriff’s Office Saves Thousands By Converting Fleet to Propane Autogas

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) in Albany, Oregon, converted its vehicle fleet to operate on a bi-fuel system that runs on propane autogas as well as gasoline. To date, converting the vehicle fleet to also run on clean-burning propane autogas has saved the agency nearly $24,000 in fuel costs in 2015, said Randy Camp, general manager of CoEnergy Propane. CoEnergy Propane has offices in Albany and Redmond, Oregon.

Last month, CoEnergy Propane also presented a $6,700 check to Benton County during a Board of Commissioners meeting. The check represented the 50-cent per gallon Federal rebate that is available for vehicles that operate on propane autogas.

“There are other entities now that are looking at converting to propane autogas all over the state,” Camp said. He added that there’s been a mandate by the State of Oregon to move more of its vehicles to alternative fuels, and propane is the easiest switch at this point.

“The infrastructure is already out there. There are places you can refuel all over Oregon, and that’s not true with electric and natural gas,” Camp said. Part of the Philomath School District’s bus fleet also runs on propane autogas, Camp said.

Benton County decided in fall 2014 to install equipment that would allow the Sheriff’s Office’s cruisers, SUVs and Pick-up trucks to use both gasoline and propane autogas. The work on the fleet was done at Linn-Benton Community College’s new Advanced Transportation Technology Center in Lebanon, Oregon. CoEnergy is a partner at the Center for Alternative Fuel Education that has also provided autogas technician training.

In a January 2015 interview, Benton County Sheriff, Scott Jackson, said his agency spent nearly $350,000 a year on fuel. Besides the cost savings, propane autogas allows BCSO to operate a much greener fleet by powering their vehicles on this clean-burning, abundant American fuel, Camp said.

Benton County also is looking at equipping other vehicles, such as Dial-A-Ride buses, to run on propane autogas, Camp said.

A reader posted a comment on the Corvallis Gazette-Times website that read, “Good stuff. It seems to me that post offices such as the ones in Corvallis and Albany, Oregon, could benefit from this as well. Post offices have a common fleet of equipment, housed at a central location each day, with a limited range — yet requiring enough hill-climbing power and utility range to make electric vehicles impractical. The conversion is not terrifically difficult.”

CoEnergy Propane has offices located in Albany and Redmond, Oregon, and serves the surrounding areas.

(SOURCE: Kyle Odegard, Albany Democrat-Herald, Corvallis Gazette-Times)