Vehicle Operating Costs

When comparing the operating costs of a vehicle, it can be more cost-effective and convenient to run your automobile on propane than any other transportation fuel available.

Conversion

Currently in Canada, no propane-powered automobiles are produced by the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), which means vehicles have to be converted to run on propane.

Converting a vehicle to run on propane consists of purchasing a conversion kit and having it installed by a professional conversion shop. It usually takes only a day or two to install the kit.

The cost of converting your vehicle can vary by region, vehicle make, model, technology used and from shop to shop. Generally the average cost is about $4,000.¹

Propane conversions are more cost-effective than conversions for compressed natural gas (CNG) - the average conversion cost for CNG is about $6,000.²

Click here to find a list of conversion shops across Canada 

Maintenance

Converting your vehicle or fleet to run on propane can reduce maintenance time and costs. Propane-powered vehicles can often go longer periods between scheduled maintenance and parts can last longer. This is due to propane’s high octane rating, and because propane undergoes a more complete combustion than gasoline, there are fewer engine deposits and fewer oil and filter changes which can lead to a longer engine life.

Clean-burning propane engines can also last 2 to 3 times longer than gasoline or diesel engines.³

Savings Success Story:
The London, Ontario Police Service has used propane for over 25 years to power much of its fleet, and has noted that propane has contributed to fewer fuel oil changes and longer engine life which has translated into higher demand and value on the resale market.

Refuelling

Propane can deliver up to 90 percent of gasoline's kilometres per litre. Its energy density relative to gasoline surpasses those of most other alternative fuels – 70% for ethanol, 54% for methanol, and 21% for compressed natural gas. If all vehicles were fitted with equal volume tanks, propane gas would require the least fill-ups on a trip, followed by ethanol, methanol and CNG.⁴

Propane is the most widely used transportation fuel after gasoline and diesel, with the most refuelling sites and largest available infrastructure compared to any other alternative fuel.

Click here to access the PGAC's Propane Services Directory

¹ Source: NRCan Office of Energy Efficiency http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/fuels/propane/propane-availability.cfm?attr=8
² Source: NRCan, http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/fuels/natural-gas/natural-gas-availability.cfm?attr=16
³ Source: US DOE EERE, Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/vehicles/propane_what_is.html 
⁴ Source: Michigan Propane Gas Association, http://www.usemichiganpropane.com/template.aspx?id=832

 
 Back to the Economics of Propane-Fuelled Vehicles