When people talk about alternative fuels, propane isn't usually
the first topic that comes up. This is because they’ve probably
never driven in a propane-powered vehicle, and for the past few
decades have been bombarded with all kinds of talk about ethanol
(E85), hydrogen and flux capacitors being the saviors of the
human race. So you may be surprised to hear that propane is
actually the third most commonly used motor vehicle fuel, ahead
of all of those, compressed natural gas (CNG), and eye of newt.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy there are even more
places to buy propane than E85. Maybe the reason it doesn't come
up too often, then, is because it's not really all that
alternative. A quick primer. Propane is a byproduct of both
petroleum refining and the processing of natural gas, so it's a
fossil fuel and a non-renewable resource. However, more than 85
percent of the propane sold in the United States comes from U.S.
soil, literally, and pretty much all of the rest of it is
imported from Canada an