Before he became the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger played a “terminator” in big-budget action films. Now he is working towards terminating his state’s dependence on foreign oil and recently hosted the Summit on Advanced Transportation Industry which highlighted a variety of alternative fuel options, including the ROUSH® liquid propane-powered vehicles.
While visiting the ROUSH display, Schwarzenegger explained how excited he was to see so many different alternative fuel choices for fleet users, especially praising the OEM-quality of the ROUSH liquid propane engine conversions.
“(The) Summit is especially timely as we continue to be stunned by footage of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Now, more than ever, it is clear that clean transportation is the future, and California’s policies and companies are leading the way,” Governor Schwarzenegger said in an Imperial Valley News interview. “Our nation-leading green policies are … charting the path to a future that doesn’t depend on oil, will reduce costs for consumers and leave this world a better place for the next generation. This Summit will help us build on what we’ve already achieved by improving the partnership between state government and business so we can remain number one in clean transportation.”
“I commend Governor Schwarzenegger and the California legislators for leading by example and taking an interest in the various alternative fuel options including the ROUSH liquid propane vehicles. One aspect about the ROUSH offerings is that these are available ‘right here, right now’ and can be deployed today with a propane infrastructure already in place. ROUSH is able to assist the public and private fleets immediately to lower their operating costs as well as help to make a reduction in our dependence on foreign oil,” said Jack Roush, motorsports legend and chairman of ROUSH Enterprises.
“More than $1 billion is sent overseas every day to pay for oil. It’s a good sign for our country when domestically produced alternative fuels like propane are getting notice as an option to keep that money here in the United States and help to pay American workers,” Roush added.
In addition to cleaner emissions and lower fuel costs, the ROUSH liquid propane vehicles also create high-tech “Green Collar” jobs in Detroit, an area with far too many displaced auto workers. Based on the current projections, it has been estimated the ROUSH liquid propane vehicle business could create up to 500 new jobs over the next 18 months and add millions of dollars in base salaries to the troubled Southeastern Michigan economy.
As an alternative fuel, propane offers a variety of advantages. It is available “right here, right now” with a national infrastructure already in place. Propane burns cleaner than gasoline or diesel, with up to 20 percent less nitrogen oxide, up to 60 percent less carbon monoxide, 24 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and fewer particulate emissions when compared to gasoline. It is already the third most widely used fuel worldwide, following gasoline and diesel. Propane also plays a strong role in lowering our national dependence on foreign oil, as 90 percent of the propane used today comes from domestic sources of production.
Numerous studies have been conducted on the operational savings fleets can achieve by converting to propane as a motor fuel, and a savings calculator is available online at www.SwitchToPropane.com that allows the user to input variables specific to their usage. It is not uncommon for fleet managers to see savings of nearly $39,000 per van over a total vehicle life of 350,000 miles.
ROUSH liquid propane-powered vehicles are a smart energy choice and complete details can be found online at www.SwitchToPropane.com or by calling 800-59-ROUSH.
Former Automotive Industries Publisher dies April 29
