Propane use has always come down to efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and the construction market may be the next to hop onboard.
Propane use versus other power methods
Compared to battery and cord power, propane simply outperforms when it comes to industrial machinery like warehouse forklifts or commercial floor burnishers. Aside from the superior power provided with propane use compared to batteries and cords, the fuel allows for totally free mobility and full power from full tank to the last bit of vapor.
And while diesel or gasoline would provide the same lasting power to the machinery’s engine, propane is preferred because it is a clean-burning fuel. It’s ultra-low emissions makes it the only gas fuel approved for both indoor and outdoor use.
It’s these near-zero emissions that have the transportation industry revisiting the idea of propane use for powering fleet vehicles and school buses.
Known as “autogas,” propane in the trucking industry is just starting to come back around as a potential preferred option to gasoline and diesel. However, one area it is starting to show steady growth is in school districts for student bussing.
Propane predictions for 2019
According to Jeremy Wishart, Director of Off-Road Business Development of the Propane Education & Research Council, the construction industry may be the next to transition into propane use.
Wishart gave an exclusive interview to Contractor Supply Magazine recently in which he discusses the trend toward more sustainable and economically responsible job sites. He mentions that a big part of this trend is propane use replacing traditional, high-emission fuel and more traditional machinery taking a back seat to propane-ready equipment, like generators and heaters.
Wishart explains, “Propane equipment, like jobsite heaters, lights, and generators, doesn’t require additional fluids or filters like diesel equipment does to meet emissions regulations — a benefit for both project budgets and bid proposals. Unlike gasoline, propane also won’t cause soil or groundwater contamination, or expose equipment operators to carcinogens like benzene. And new propane engines for all manners of light construction equipment from concrete polishers and grinders to power buggies use a closed fuel system, which eliminates spills.”
Read the full interview here.
At Zephyr, we provide propane for forklifts and for floor burnishers. Get a free propane quote from us here.
Source: Contractor Supply Magazine