Why do people fear propane? I have a corvette that runs only on propane. At less than 2 dollars a gallon.?

Question

Clean. Safe. Cheap.

Answer 1

The supply/demand complication is what always kills the "oh, its soooo cheap" argument for any "new" fuel.  Using used "waste" grease to run your diesel at only $0.70 a gallon is great until the free market produces companies that go around collecting the waste grease, paying the restaurant $1.50 a gallon (rather than the restaurant paying someone to take it away) and turning it into bio-diesel and selling it to the public for market price (say $0.50 less than "standard" diesel).  Same thing with propane.  Once the price of propane goes up to car-driven market prices (with the conversion of a large portion of the American public's fleet), all the weekend barbequers will be paying more for their weeny roasts, and the price of your copper plumbing installation will go up (new and old construction).  EVERYTHING has effects on everything else...

Your Corvette will likely be getting the same $/mile. Interesting to compare your current $/mile on Propane vs. $/mile on Super Unleaded.

You can't say that supply will never be a problem.  Increased demand will increase price.  That is the "problem" as seen from the current view of your $2/gal.  In the same way that water supply in the southwest US is a "problem" leading to higher prices (talk to our Canadian neighbors who do not pay for water (as in "to the tap" not in the plastic bottle).

Answer 2

Good points of propane -

Relatively cleaner than gasoline (or Diesel)

Carpool lane access (solo driver) in many locations with a state-issued sticker  - even a Corvette... :)

Depending on where you live (origin of propane), propane can be considered a 'terror free' motor fuel

Neutral points -

Cost per mile about the same as gasoline (gas 3.43 today, propane 3.53 - close enough)

'Safety' is relative. In properly maintained and designed vehicles, both propane and gasoline are 'safe' when used as a motor fuel.

Bad points of propane -

Propane contains less 'energy' than gasoline or Diesel (by volume) which means the 'tank' has to be larger.  Propane tanks typically reduce trunk volume in vehicles. (taxis are typical propane powered vehicles I have seen) Instead of 3-4 'suitcases' fitting in a 'gas' taxi trunk, only one or two fit in one with a propane tank.

Propane is not as readily available as gasoline.  While many towns have at least one propane dealer somewhere in the vicinity, they may not be as convenient as the ubiquitous gas station.  Driving an extra few miles just to 'find' a propane station is a significant issue to many people.

I understand (but do not have a reference) that vehicle propane tanks have to be replaced every 5 or 10 years.  Gasoline tanks do not.  If true, this could be considered a 'bad point'.

I don't think people fear propane - It's just that they probably don't associate it with anything other than the bar-b-que in the backyard.

Answer 3

I don't fear propane. If there was a higher demand for the product it would cost as much, if not more than oil. In the U.S 190,000 on-road vehicles use propane and 450,000 forklifts use it for power.  It is a natural gas liquid, and is non renewable, so enjoy it while you can!

Answer 4

They fear it because it is under pressure in the tank.  And because not everyone can be trusted to actually tighten a fitting before filling up.  My Dad had a 79 F350 that ran on propane, it always started on the very coldest Wisconsin winter days.  I am assuming that you are filling from your own tank so you are not paying the approximately 50cents/gallon road tax.  And if I remember correctly that F350 only got about 2/3 the mpg on propane as it did on gasoline.  So you are probably not as far ahead on the LP as you are claiming to be.

Answer 5

propane was considered as an alternative fuel in the 70's, but there were problems;

1: the tanks are heavy steel as you indicated, and if one of those tanks were to let go explosively, you would have a serious problem with shrapnel flying around. granted there are carbon fiber tanks entering the market that would alleviate that issue.

2: propane is a fuel under pressure. remember that propane is a liquefied petroleum gas, that is a vapor at much lower than room temperature unless under pressure. that also has its problems.

3: since propane is a petroleum based fuel, it has the same issues that gasoline has regarding possible fuel supplies. the price is relatively low now due to the lack of overall demand, but what happens when you have 20 million people buying 18 gallons of propane daily? thats right the price goes up, and fairly quickly.

4: the infrastructure is not there to support propane as a motor fuel in large quantities.

personally i like propane as a motor fuel due to the much higher octane rating, with a small loss of fuel economy. o also like the lower emissions output as well.

Answer 6

Where do you get it so cheap? Ours is just about what gas is, so why bother.

Answer 7

People is a very general word. 4% of australian cars run on LPG and 9 millions LPG vehicles are on the roads. However in conservative markets (cf. Europe and in a less extend the US) LPG is still considered as a niche market. LPG is indeed clean, safe, cheap and available now... it is by definition not for everybody since it is a by product of oil/gas production...

However an LPG like fuel like DME which can be produced from different feestock is becoming an attractive substitute to diesel: www.aboutdme.org

Regards

Answer 8

Propane has been popular since the middle 1970's. It's all that you say it is. But it is also a fossil fuel, and in even shorter supply than oil. If everyone started using it, the price would jump very quickly to a higher level than oil would.

Enjoy what you have.

Answer 9

Propane is an explosive gas ,but heavy gas. If U are checking for it look near the ground.

Answer 10

IF EVERYONE HAD A CORVETTE THAT RAN ON PROPANE,THE PRICE WOULD GO TO 5 DOLLARS A GALLON.

Answer 11

Excuse me but I am paying $4 a gallon for propane to heat my house, where are you stealing it?

Answer 12

People fear it because they constantly show propane tanks exploding in movies. But I believe there is an automatic cut-off valve in case of an accident.

Answer 13

not necessarily safe, a small accident can cause the vehicle to burst into flames

Answer 14

People fear what they don't know, and Americans clearly don't know much about propane. LPG is mostly a mixture of propane and butane, and is in wide use as motor fuel around the world. Go to Hong Kong, get into a taxicab, and you will be in a LPG-fuelled car, surrounded by hundreds of other LPG-fuelled cars. No, they don't have spectacular movie-type explosions when there's a crash. No, the fuel doesn't cost $5 per gallon. No, it's not in short supply.