The City of Auburn Hills, Mich., is purchasing a number of propane autogas bi-fuel police pursuit vehicles, 2013 Dodge Chargers and a propane autogas fuel dispenser. The City decided to purchase alternative-fuel models after the Auburn Hills city council adopted a resolution based on findings in the Fuel Forward Fleet Study conducted by the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Clean Energy Coalition (CEC).

“The report from the CEC helped guide the city’s decision on planning for a cleaner, more fuel-efficient fleet while being mindful of our continued focus on economic development and supporting the automotive manufacturing industry,” said Steve Cohen, director of community development for the city of Auburn Hills.

The City expects the new bi-fuel police vehicles to save approximately $44,000 in fuel and maintenance costs combined over the 4.72 year average life cycle of the vehicles, according to the City’s Department of Public Works (DPW) Director, Ron Melchert. Melchert said ROI from these vehicles could be as soon as 2.5 years.

The City is also studying compressed natural gas (CNG) as a fuel for its DPW equipment but said constructing a CNG station would cost more than $1 million and the City can’t realize ROI from this type of project at this time.