Written on: March 24, 2025
Last month, we discussed the stubborn environmental issues with electric vehicles, including the emissions associated with the rare earth mineral mining for their batteries and the high carbon intensity of the grid-based electricity needed to charge them. The upshot is that EVs are not a “silver bullet” for decarbonizing our roadways.
Today, we want to check in on a major U.S. city that’s achieving environmental success with an “all of the above” strategy to lower the carbon impact of its public fleets: Raleigh, North Carolina. This city is turning to several alternative energy sources, and renewable propane is playing a major role in their plan.
The U.S. depends on a large volume of road vehicles, meaning our transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Raleigh’s transportation sector is even more GHG-intensive, comprising 52% of the city’s emissions.
When considering ways to lower the carbon impact of its roads, Raleigh’s leadership first addressed its city fleet of over 4,700 vehicles. In 2016, they set forth the Fuel and Fleet Transportation Plan, which transitioned 80% of this fleet to clean alternative fuels.
Now, Raleigh is setting the goal of a city-wide GHG emissions reduction of 80%.
That is a tall order — and renewable propane has been integral to accomplishing it.
While Raleigh is exploring ways to add more EVs to their city fleet, the technology isn’t ready for some of its heavier-duty vehicles. Happily, there have been multiple eco-friendly alternative energy sources that don’t require the cost and disruption of electrification. For example, Raleigh’s small trucks and SUVs all run on E85 rather than gasoline. The city also is building the Neuse River Resource Recovery Facility, which will convert wastewater into renewable natural gas to power buses. This facility is scheduled for completion this year.
Then, there is the renewable propane component. Presently, Raleigh’s city fleet includes 105 autogas vehicles (twice the number of EVs). These vehicles are running on renewable propane autogas, which the city’s website calls the “cleanest option available for large equipment.”
Conventional propane autogas is already a considerable improvement over gasoline, diesel and grid electricity in terms of carbon intensity. Renewable propane autogas — produced from recycled and organic feedstocks — takes this even further. This sustainable fuel can cut a vehicle’s carbon intensity by up to 77%, with ongoing advancements in low-carbon feedstocks poised to further minimize its environmental impact.
The City of Raleigh is celebrating the incorporation of renewable bio-energy throughout its public fleets with a massive mural by local artist Max Dowdle, “In the Land of Clean Energy.” They even gave the city’s renewable propane tank a creative facelift!
Source:
The City of Raleigh
In its massive project to address climate change, Raleigh is reducing its city-wide carbon footprint today by embracing green innovations it can institute immediately. Renewable propane is one “right now” decarbonization strategy that’s proven to work.
Stay up to date on all the latest developments in renewable propane and other low-carbon renewable liquid gases — Join the Renewable Propane Alliance.