Aaustin Express Saves with Propane

In 2014, Aaustin Express operated a fleet of 175 vehicles. Of those, the company converted 90 to propane autogas.

Adam McCloe, Vice President of Operations for Aaustin Express, Inc. and GM Freight, Inc., explained that they had tested three different systems in their fleets. Ultimately, they found that the Icon Liquid Injection System caused substantially less efficiency loss than running on gasoline.

“We only saw a five to eight percent efficiency loss versus the twelve to fifteen percent with the Vapor System.” McCloe stated. “Fuel is our second largest expense, so we said ‘how are we going to manage our fuel better?’ With propane autogas, our ROI on a conversion is approximately seven to eight months.”

“[Propane autogas] has helped us become an industry leader in our sector of business, and our customers want to grow and expand our company because of how innovative we have been and continue to be.”

Adam McCloe, Vice President of Operations for Aaustin Express, Inc. and GM Freight, Inc.

Aaustin Express spent about a year and a half in the research phase. At the time, they looked into Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

“The CNG tanks were larger than propane tanks,” McCloe explained. “They would have forced us to sacrifice cargo space. Setting up the fueling stations also cost a great deal. Moreover, many of our locations lacked enough public fueling stations. Propane was much more easily deployable for us in our fleet.”

“Propane has allowed us to lead our business sector,” McCloe said. “Our customers recognize that innovation and want to expand with us. We’re saving $3,425 a day—and we expect that to rise to $7,000–$8,000 a day once we fully convert to propane autogas.”

Ohio Propane Gas Association helps make propane adoption easier by offering rebates. The OPGA provides up to $5,000 per entity—$1,000 each for vehicles or mowers.