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Propane Vehicle Availability

No light-duty propane (also known as liquefied petroleum gas or LPG) vehicles are available for sale by automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). However, certified installers can economically and reliably retrofit many light-duty vehicles for propane operation (see below for more information on retrofitting/conversion). Roush Industries is developing a dedicated propane pickup truck to meet OEM-like standards.

Propane engines and fueling systems are also available for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles such as school buses and street sweepers, including some from OEMs. Following are two examples of heavy-duty engines and vehicles:

  • School districts in Dallas and Denton, Texas, and Portland, Oregon, rely on propane school buses. Dallas County operates 500 propane buses. In 2007, Blue Bird Corporation introduced the Vision Propane model, the first propane bus from a major manufacturer since 2002. It features CleanFUEL USA's Liquid Propane Injection (LPI) system.

  • Cummins Westport released the 5.9-liter propane-powered B LPG Plus engine in 1997. It is available in new vehicles manufactured by El Dorado National, Elgin Sweeper Company, Ottawa Truck, and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation.

For more information about available propane vehicles, see the AFDC Vehicle Make and Model Search.

Propane Vehicle Conversions

Conversions in the United States require U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval and a licensed propane conversion technician. See the AFDC Conversions page.

The average cost of conversion of a light-duty vehicle from gasoline to dedicated propane fuel ranges from $4,000 to $12,000. The upfront costs to convert fleet vehicles to propane can be offset by lower operating and maintenance costs over the lifespan of the vehicles. Conversion to a dedicated propane or bi-fuel propane vehicle can be attractive when fueling infrastructure is in place and volume fuel discounts are available. The payback period depends on the average distance traveled by these fleet vehicles. Fleet vehicles typically are high-mileage, high fuel consumption vehicles operating in a limited area, so the payback period on propane fleet vehicles can be very reasonable.

More Information

If you are interested in purchasing a propane vehicle and need more information, see the AFDC's information on propane: