Propane-Powered Vehicles Start Better In Cold Weather

Written on: November 2, 2020

Convert your fleet to autogas from Boehlke Bottled Gas!

As the “Brace yourselves, winter is coming” memes make their annual return to your social media feeds, you are likely preparing your fleet vehicles for the cold of a southeastern Wisconsin winter.

One of the big worries you probably have is starting vehicles — whether they are cars, trucks, or buses — when the Polar Vortex pays us a visit. That’s because when it gets very cold, both diesel and gasoline can gel.

What is gelling? It’s when cold temperatures make diesel and gasoline thicker and more viscous. When gelling happens, it becomes difficult or even impossible for the fuels to be pumped or filtered through the vehicle’s engine. And that means your fleet’s going nowhere.

Gelling not only is a hassle, it adds to your vehicle maintenance and repair costs, and decreases productivity

But when your vehicles run on propane autogas, let winter do its worst because your vehicles will start!

Boehlke Bottled Gas can help you with the process of converting your fleet to autogas, then creates a custom autogas distribution center at your business site, school bus depot, wherever you need it. We will safely, reliably, and efficiently deliver your autogas so your fleet will always have the fuel it needs.

Why is autogas better in cold weather?

Autogas is an ideal cold-weather fuel for vehicles. While gasoline and diesel are liquids, autogas is gaseous, made of propane and air, when it enters the vehicle’s fuel injectors and engine. No liquid, no gelling!

That’s just the beginning of how autogas is better for your fleet vehicles in cold weather.

Starting diesel or gasoline vehicles in the cold can be expensive. For example, the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township in Indiana estimated it was spending more than $40,000 a school year on cold startups to their school buses because of the expenses of anti-gelling fluids, maintenance, and block heaters. Converting to autogas eliminated that cost.

Autogas vehicles don’t need to idle for long periods to keep running, unlike diesel. Thus, there’s less wear on the engines, which helps lower your maintenance and repair costs.

Because autogas vehicles start right away, the interiors get warm faster. Your drivers are safer, more comfortable, and more productive.

Ready to learn more about converting your fleet of vehicles, buses, or trucks to propane? Contact us today to get started!