Alternative fuels are beginning to gain much more traction in the automotive industry these days, and Ford offers plenty of hybrid and electric vehicles that are easier on your wallet and the environment alike. Ford also offers a wide variety of alternative fuel options for its commercial vehicles that can bring numerous benefits to a business. Not only does using alternative fuels reduce a business’ carbon footprint, but it can cut down on costs as well by utilizing U.S.-sourced fuel. Also, state and federal governments offer numerous tax incentives to businesses that use alternative fuels for their fleet vehicles, much like the federal tax credit available to individual hybrid and electric vehicle owners.
Compressed natural gas is one alternative fuel option that Ford offers. It is cheaper than gasoline more often than not and the price is usually much more stable, leading to less volatility in fleet costs. It burns extremely clean and is safer to deal with if a spill occurs as well. It does require a larger fuel tank, as CNG has less energy output per unit of volume than gasoline, but the costs it offsets make this a consideration worth dealing with.
Liquefied petroleum gas, also known as autogas, is a mixture of different hydrocarbon gases. Usually it is composed of butane and propane. According to Ford’s website, about 90% of propane in the U.S. is domestically produced, resulting in lower costs from transportation and storage. Liquefied petroleum gas goes a long way towards offsetting the infrastructure and operation costs that are inherent in using alternative fuels when compared to more traditional fuels.
Biodiesel is usually produced from a base of vegetable oil. It is often mixed with conventional fuels at proportions ranging from 2 to 20 percent in the retail market. Biodiesel offers the benefit of reduced emissions over regular diesel fuel, and the best part is that all Ford diesel vehicles can run biodiesel up to a concentration of 20 percent.
Other options include Ford’s FlexFuel-capable vehicles, which are designed to run on blends of gasoline and ethanol, but can still run on normal gasoline. Electronic sensors detect the concentration of ethanol and adjust the fuel system and spark timing accordingly. Ford also offers a line of heavy-duty hybrids that can significantly reduce fuel costs for your fleet. To take advantage of these options for reducing your fleet’s impact on your bottom line and on the environment, contact Randall Reed’s Prestige Ford in Garland, TX and find out how we can help your fleet go green and save you some green on down the road.