Alternative Fuels
There are more than a dozen alternative transportation fuels being produced or developed for use in vehicles, engines, and equipment.
Alternative fuels (AF) are affordable, domestic transportation fuels used to power alternative fuel vehicles (AFV). In NH, the most widely used AF are biodiesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), also known as propane or autogas, which are in use by several public and private vehicle fleets:
Biodiesel is produced in the US, and is a clean-burning, renewable, biodegradable substitute for diesel and is the only readily available drop-in fuel on the market today. The air quality benefits of biodiesel are roughly proportionate to the amount of biodiesel in the blend. The most common biodiesel blend is B20. The most common is B20 biodiesel which is a blend of 20% biofuel and 80% petroleum diesel that can be used in diesel powered vehicles without requiring any engine modification. In general, the use of B20 will not void the manufacturer's warranty. The City of Keene uses biodiesel year round.
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a low carbon solution for the medium- and heavy-duty arena. Natural gas vehicles, or NGVs, are good choices for high-mileage, centrally fueled fleets. NGVs with ultra-low NOx engines can produce near-zero NOx emissions. Additionally, natural gas is increasingly used to replace gasoline in smaller applications, such as forklifts and commercial lawn equipment. Nashua Transit uses has a fleet of 10 CNG powered transit buses. The City of Nashua hosts a publicly accessible CNG station which is used to fuel the transit and heavy-duty fleet, including street sweepers and refuse trucks.
Propane, also known as LPG, or propane autogas, is ideal in fleet applications such as school buses, shuttles, step vans, and police vehicles. Propane performs well in cold weather climates because the fuel's mixture is completely gaseous when it enters the injection system and engine. This allows propane-powered vehicles to avoid many cold-start issues associated with diesel. Propane vehicles have been widely used and refined for decades, and the cost of propane is typically lower than gasoline. Manchester Transit Authority is a Clean Cities success story for their commitment to transitioning their school bus fleet to propane.
Reach out if you are a fleet or business manager interested in or exploring the use of alternative fuels and would like to connect with fleet managers who are currently operating alternative fuels in New Hampshire.