More and more fleets and private vehicles these days are being converted to run on propane, adding to the more than 15 million vehicles worldwide now running on autogas – about 200,000 in the U.S., according to Alliance AutoGas.

Department of Energy statistics note that there are actually more LPG (liquified petroleum gas or propane) fueling stations in the United States than E85 – 2670 LPG stations compared to 2498 E85 pumps. Propane autogas is a bi-product of natural gas and oil refining and Alliance AutoGas estimates that 90% of autogas used in this country is made here, with an additional 7% coming from Canada.

Midwest-based GROWMARK and its FS cooperative members are national leaders in propane marketing and distribution and we had a chance to see a propane pump in action recently at the Fast Stop General Store in Effingham, Illinois. In this video, the pump is being used to fill the tank of a camper which uses the propane for heating, water and cooking – but they use the same system to fill the tanks of vehicles converted to run on propane. While they note that fuel efficiency is lower with propane, the cost is quite a bit less than gasoline. The GROWMARK System was recently named number six on LP Gas Magazine’s list of the top 50 LP-gas retailers in the United States.