A police officer filling his car last March in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where the department estimates they save about $1,500 every week using autogas. (image: wxow.com)
Town planners in Knightdale, North Carolina, expect to save around $10,000 of the town’s budgets by converting ten of its police cars to run on propane autogas, NBC17.com reported today. The cars will be able to switch back to gasoline if necessary, but officers are looking forward to tapping into the advantages autogas offers.
“It burns much cleaner and it’s cheaper, about a dollar cheaper. So we’ll be saving more and reducing the emissions that come out of these ten vehicles,” said Seth Lawless, Knightdale’s town manager.
Though industry officials are working hard to expand autogas infrastructure in the United States, fueling stations aren’t yet commonly accessible. So, Knightdale is installing its own fueling station right outside the police compound. Presumably, the station will be available to the public and will hopefully inspire area residents to consider making the switch as well.
Each car will cost around $5,400 to convert, an expense the police department is offsetting with federal grant money available for almost any driver, commercial or otherwise, looking to invest in clean alternative fuels.
“It’s really part of our effort to do as much as we can for the environment as well as saving money on fuel,” Lawless added. Police forces around Raleigh are said to be working towards a similar move.