>Friday, August 8, 2008
Last updated: Friday August 8, 2008, EDT 7:02 AMRIDGEWOOD – Village officials hope to test the use of liquefied propane gas as an alternative fuel in at least two police cars.
“If it performs as advertised, it would save money, and the side benefit is that it would be great for the environment,” said Councilman Keith Killion.
“It would cost $6,000 to equip two cars, and the cost of propane is $2.50 per gallon with a 50-cent rebate per gallon,” Killion said. “We would compare the mileage and see how the cars run for the same amount of time on propane.”
Killion said the village can take advantage of $2,000 rebates for each of the Ford Crown Victorias. If the propane doesn’t save money, the driver can turn a switch to use gas.
Fluctuations in the price of gasoline have the village thinking of alternatives, he said.
“We have to do something with rising gas costs,” Killion said. “I don’t think it’s a tremendous amount of money to give it a shot.”
– Evonne Coutros