ALTERNATIVE FUEL
Popularity rising with fuel costs and
climate concerns. By Becky Schultz
here was a time when nearly
T every major commercial mower
manufacturer had a dedicated propane-
powered mower option. As of early
PHOTO: PROPANE & EDUCATION RESEARCH COUNCIL
2020, estimates showed more than 150
models produced by 14 manufacturers in
a variety of configurations, from walk-
behinds up to zero-turn.
Then, came the pandemic, with its
lockdowns, workforce shortages and
extended supply chain disruptions. With
OEMs struggling to find both people and
parts to produce their bread-and-butter
products, propane-only mowers – which
are highly subject to the ebbs and flows of
fuel pricing – quietly faded from product
lineups.
Environmental concerns are
helping to drive adoption of
propane fuel.
manufacturers to ensure compatibility
“As gasoline prices cheapened… we
lost all of those OEM manufacturers
[producing propane-only models] right
out of the factories, and now they’re just
making the gasoline version,” said Mike
Newland, director of agriculture business
development, Propane Education &
Research Council (PERC), who also
oversees commercial mowing. “We’re
down to conversions… but they’re very
effective conversions.”
A handful of companies offer
EPA-certified conversion kits
for gasoline mowers, each
designed for a specific
engine. Kit suppliers work
directly with the engine
NOVEMBER 2022 | DIESEL PROGRESS | 31
and ease of application.
“We have kits available, I would say, for
every major engine manufacturer that’s in
this space,” Newland said, noting, “A lot
of the big OEMs are very supportive of
the conversions.”
The kits enable easy, lower cost
(~$1,000) adoption of propane by
customers without the need for OEMs
to produce a propane-only mower for
what has been a select customer base. In
2020, PERC estimated roughly 20,000
propane-powered commercial mowers
were in operation across the U.S.,
representing about 5% of the total
mower market. While a substantial
uptick from the prior decade, it >
www.MeanGreenProducts.com/Nemesis
ALTERNATIVE FUEL
still qualifies as a niche segment, and it’s
unclear what affect the pandemic had on
this figure and the trajectory of growth.
INTEREST RISES WITH
FUEL COSTS
Despite what may seem a rather tenuous
foothold, Newland said there is upside
potential for propane in the commercial
mower market.
“What we’ve seen with propane, and
commercial mowing especially, is kind
of an ebb and flow through history,” he
said. “Gasoline prices and diesel prices
have really driven adoption if you look
back and track those historical prices.
So, when we see the price of diesel and
gasoline climb, we see propane market
share respond and increase right along
with it.”
But Newland sees propane currently
in a “unique spot” given the state of the
crude oil market. “We track propane
prices versus crude oil and there’s always
a nice relationship between those two
commodities. That spread has gone a
little bit out of kilter over the last four to
six months, and it’s in favor of propane.
The price advantage that we always
historically see over gasoline and diesel
fuel has widened considerably.
“[Propane] is in a very advantageous
position versus its competitors right now,
so it’s getting a lot of attention.”
This attention could expand further as
the colder months progress. Geopolitical
factors – particularly the war in the
Ukraine – have caused price estimates
for traditional heating fuels to skyrocket.
In fact, as of mid-October, the U.S.
Energy Information Administration was
forecasting U.S. households to spend
28% more for natural gas, 27% more for
heating oil and 10% more for electricity
this winter, yet only 5% more for
propane.
“We’re seeing some pretty big numbers
potentially coming out of the Northeast,
especially on diesel and heating fuel this
winter, and we are internally keeping
an eye on it,” Newland said. “We think
our fuel could be at a bigger price
advantage in the coming months than it
is currently.”
32 | DIESEL PROGRESS | NOVEMBER 2022
PHOTO: PROPANE & EDUCATION
RESEARCH COUNCIL
As gasoline and
diesel prices climb,
propane market
share, particularly
in landscaping,
tends to increase
with them.
CLEANER IS BETTER
Interest in propane among landscapers
and turf management companies isn’t
driven by cost alone. Also driving not just
interest but adoption of propane fuel is
concern about the environment – led as
much or more by their customers as by
the companies themselves.
“We’re seeing more and more contracts
being issued to cutters that have an
environmentally friendly fuel source. The
contracts and bids are specifying that
they’d like to see clean alternative fuels
being used,” Newland said. “A number
of cutters that are using propane in their
commercial mowing fleets are winning
contracts as a result of having that clean
fuel and being able to tout that in their
bid process.”
Yet, ironically, when it comes time
to talk clean air solutions, propane isn’t
always included in the conversation.
“[Propane is] a great fuel that
unfortunately some regulators in some
states aren’t giving a lot of credence to,”
said Newland. “I believe that we are part
of a very real solution to clean air. Any
time that propane is involved, we are part
of that solution.”
Substantial emphasis has instead been
placed in some states on electrification,
with many commercial mower
manufacturers now offering electric
models. But there are arguments that
favor propane as the cleaner choice.
“The power that propane provides for
the entire day without any recharging
or any downtime, we think is a huge
benefit,” Newland said. “But we also
look at the total lifecycle of generating
that electricity from start to finish.
We’ve done in-depth studies looking at
total lifecycle emissions and comparing
propane to other energy sources, such as
electric… and if you consider the source
energy for electric production and the
inefficiencies of the current electric grid,
propane mowers are simply cleaner as far
as cleanliness and environmental impact.”
As such, PERC is working to
pull propane back into the clean air
conversation. “We get into a clean air
discussion, we’re in great shape, because
we think [propane] will compete
incredibly well against EVs because we
take into account where the power that’s
turning that EV, that electric motor, is
coming from” said Newland. “Electric
isn’t clean coming out of the wall.
Most U.S. grid electricity is produced
by burning natural gas or coal. If the
demand for electricity increases, the rate
at which natural gas and coal is burned
also rises. The result: more greenhouse
gases polluting the air in communities
where electricity is generated. You have
to take into account how it’s made, where
it’s made and the transmission loss in
getting it from that power plant to that
electrical outlet.
“In many states, [propane] is cleaner
than the electric grid. So, we’ve got a
great story to tell.” ■
To learn more about propane
use in the landscape and turf
management industry, as well
as propane conversion kits, visit:
www.propane.com