Sharp Energy, Inc., a subsidiary of Dover-based Chesapeake Utilities Corporation announced that New Castle County’s first propane fueling station is open for business.
Located at AutoPort’s Conversion Center at 201 Pigeon Point Road in New Castle the new station will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. AutoPort converts vehicles for export through the Port of Wilmington. It has also been involved in the vehicle to grid program at the University of Delaware that uses electric vehicles and hybrids to operate and store electricity.
“Propane autogas is the highest grade of commercial propane, and is the most widely used alternative fuel for gasoline and diesel vehicles in the world. It’s environmentally friendly, creating less pollution than gasoline. It’s domestic, with the new supplies coming from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. It’s also economical,” said Bob Zola, president of Sharp Energy, Inc. “Vehicles that have converted to propane autogas will save $1.25 to $1.50 on each gallon of propane as compared to gasoline.”
By converting existing fleet vehicles — such as buses, taxis and shuttles — to propane autogas, customers experience fuel cost savings, and the implementation costs are significantly less than for other alternative fuel options, according to Sharp, the largest propane supplier on the Delmarva Peninsula.
“We are thrilled to be working with Sharp Energy to make propane autogas easily available to all vehicles utilizing the world’s most popular alternative fuel,” said Roy Kirchner, President and CEO of AutoPort, Inc.
The fueling station is conveniently located to serve local customers and those as far as Baltimore, Philadelphia and Trenton. Additional fueling stations are located in Georgetown, DE and Salisbury, MD.
“We have a great product and we can help you save a lot of money,” Zola. said “ We are continually educating customers on the many benefits of propane autogas.”
Sharp Energy and Autoport are members of Alliance AutoGas. Alliance AutoGas is a national consortium with over 35 propane fueling providers and more than 40 vehicle conversion centers.
Based in Salisbury, Md, Sharp Energy distributes propane to about 36,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Pennsylvania. The company has four rail facilities and more than two million gallons of propane storage. Further information is available at www.sharpenergy.com.
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation is a utility company engaged in natural gas distribution, transmission and marketing; electricity distribution; propane distribution and wholesale marketing; advanced information services and other related businesses. Information about Chesapeake Utilities Corporation and the Chesapeake family of businesses is available at www.chpk.com.
Established in 1981, AutoPort, Inc. is a privately held company with property totaling over 175 acres in the private sector and in the Port of Wilmington, DE. Auto Port has handled, processed and modified well over 2,000,000 vehicles destined to market for U.S. based automotive manufacturers including Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, American Honda, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Toyota.
