ForConstructionPros.com

Sweeping equipment powered by alternative fuels has been available to contractors and public agencies for almost 25 years, but its use has not caught on, mainly because alternative fueled sweepers are significantly more expensive than diesel-powered equipment.

But recent attention to the environment combined with last year's spike in oil prices, the future uncertainty of fuel prices, and advances in technology have brought more attention to sweepers powered by alternative fuels. And while they are still among the priciest of sweepers, vehicles powered by alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquid propane (LP) are available to contractors or public agencies.

Brian Giles, sweeper products manager for Elgin Sweeper, and Tom Rokas, Tymco inside sales, say the vast majority of sweepers sold in the U.S. still use diesel fuel. Giles estimates that perhaps up to 7% of the market buys alternative fueled sweepers, and he estimates that if all positive projections come true that figure might reach 12% of sales in 2009.

"A lot of governing bodies are talking big but it remains to be seen if they'll actually come through and pull the trigger," Giles says. He says alternative fueled vehicles are sold more frequently to public agencies than to contractors, largely because they are more expensive equipment. "It's a large up-front investment, nearing $300,000 for a new unit, so a contractor looking to buy one might consider a secondary market before investing in brand new unit - unless of course the market or a client demands it," Giles says.

Rokas says that while most units Tymco sells are to public agencies, it does sell sweepers powered by alternative fuels to contract sweepers throughout the country. Rokas says Tymco's alternative fueled sweepers, which can cost upwards of $250,000, are often sold to contractors in regions where air pollution is particularly severe or where public agencies require their own fleets to be fueled by something other than diesel. In those instances a contractor buys an alternative fueled sweeper to better fit with whatever the municipal or regional requirements are.