When the sun is shining, you aren’t thinking about the reliability and resiliency of your fleet. But when severe weather or other power interruption events strike, fleet owners need absolute confidence they can keep their vehicles on the road and moving without reliance on the electric grid. From winter snowstorms and severe weather to increasingly prevalent forest fires and tropical storms, disruptions to electric grids and energy distribution networks aren’t a question of if they will happen, but a matter of when they will happen. Fleet owners need to be prepared for the inevitable. That’s where the resiliency and reliability of propane autogas show its value.
The resiliency of propane autogas
Fleet owners who choose propane autogas to power their vehicles benefit from the fuel’s portability and long shelf life. This is especially important during natural disasters when access to fuel sources or power is interrupted. Propane autogas is safe and easy to store for long periods of time and can easily be transported to where it’s needed most.
Propane autogas refueling options include mobile, temporary, on-site, and an established nationwide propane autogas refueling network with more than 1,500 publicly available stations. These stations can be used to refuel vehicles daily and during emergencies, and unlike EV charging stations and other fuel pumps, propane refueling doesn’t require electrical power to operate, so fleets can continue to operate even when the grid goes down.
Propane autogas fleets work with their propane suppliers to ensure a sustainable supply of fuel is always available and that vehicles are up and running during times of greatest need.
Propane to the rescue for EV fleets
For EV fleets, vehicle downtime due to power outages and emergencies presents a significant threat to operations. Propane bolsters these fleets, too. Propane-powered EV charging systems are available to provide an uninterrupted supply of power to EVs when the electric grid is unavailable or rendered inoperable. The technology utilizes a generator — powered by conventional or renewable propane. This allows the unit to operate entirely off-grid for added resiliency.
Due to propane’s portability, propane-powered EV charging units can be set up in as little as 24 hours where they’re needed most. This allows them to recharge EVs in rural areas where charging stations aren’t easily accessible, or in populated areas where charging stations are down due to power outages.
Redundancy and resiliency
More fleet owners across the country are looking to add multiple energy sources to their lineup to increase redundancy and prepare for any situation. For example, some fleets are operating both EVs and propane autogas vehicles—EVs for shorter routes with a smaller payload, and propane autogas for routes that require a longer range, heavier payload, and increased reliability.
Those fleets also benefit from dual-purpose refueling and recharging solutions. The propane tank used to recharge EVs can be connected to a refueling dispenser for propane autogas vehicles. This gives fleets the freedom to operate both types of vehicles with one refueling/recharging setup.
Having a resilient energy plan can mean the difference between adapting and overcoming an emergency or having your entire fleet grounded while you wait it out. If you can’t afford to lose days or weeks to downtime, it might be time to reevaluate your emergency power plan. Propane autogas can help keep your fleet on the road when disaster strikes and help your customers when they need you most. To learn more about the benefits of propane autogas, visit propane.com/fleet-vehicles.
Jim Bunsey is the senior manager of business development at the Propane Education & Research Council. He can be reached at [email protected]. For more information, visit propane.com.
