Propane providers, in renewed push to get the fuel into vehicles, say we should call it 'autogas'

Could propane, whose rounded oblong taks make it a familiar fuel in much of rural America, become a major alternative to gasoline and diesel fuel? The National Propane Gas Association hopes so, and has formed a coalition that it hopes will also lend a new name to propane: Autogas for America.

"The coalition launched last month in an effort to unite the fractured industry around promoting the fuel for transportation," reports Jason Plautz of Environment & Energy News. "Their pitch: The domestically produced gas burns cleaner than petroleum, is cheaper than other fuels, and the infrastructure is available now." Well, not really, if you consider vehicles part of the infrastructure. However, automakers are making more conversion or propane-only engines, and some vehicle owners are capable of installing their own conversion kits.

"Fueling stations can be set up in a matter of days for just $15,000 because the fuel can be stored in a liquid state in large tanks. Natural gas, meanwhile, needs a compression system," Plautz writes. "The rise of liquid propane injection engines, which delivers the fuel straight into the combustion cylinder, makes such storage facilities more viable."

However, several tax credits for propane as transportation fuel are set to expire at the end of the year, and "The autogas industry is also facing competition from other alternative forms of transportation, some with significantly larger lobbies," Plautz writes. Many propane suppliers are small, family-owned businesses, and that has undercut previous efforts to get the fuel into vehicles. "Even though autogas offers the industry a stable, year-round funding source, many companies do not see the need to expand beyond the local home heating market," Plautz writes. What does your local propane dealer think? (Read more, subscription required)