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LPG (Liquefied Petroleum
Gas) is a clean and convenient source of energy in the UK
that helps reduce emissions. Its main applications are
Off Mains gas, Bottled gas and Automotive LPG. It has
many uses in domestic, commercial, agricultural and leisure
heating and cooking, as well as a vehicle fuel, when it is
often referred to as autogas.
LPG autogas is well established
worldwide as an environmentally friendly transport fuel in
use in over 11 million vehicles. There are over 4 million
in Europe and in the UK the market has developed over the
last 7 years to around 140,000 LPG vehicles on our roads.
Whilst LPG can be used
to good benefit in all sizes of vehicles, the UK market is
predominantly cars and light commercial vehicles up to 3.5
tonnes. Most petrol driven vehicles can be converted
to run on LPG. Conversion is relatively straightforward
and the cost is likely to be from around £1600 for a
car or light van, but this can be recouped from fuel cost
savings at the same time as helping the environment. Vehicles
converted to run on LPG retain their original fuel system
and can be run on either fuel which does provide an instant
back up if you inadvertently run out.
It is currently the most
viable option as an alternative vehicle fuel in the UK.
It is generally similar to conventional fuels in terms of
handling and ease of use, but it is the differences that provide
real environmental and financial benefits.
See how much money and
CO2 emissions you can save by converting your vehicle to LP
gas - click here
Reducing
our reliance on imported petrol and diesel
Reducing the UK's carbon emissions
Government support
Main financial benefits
Filling up with LPG
Some other benefits
Other points to consider
Reducing
our reliance on imported petrol and diesel
About 60% of the supply
of LPG comes from the separation of natural gas products,
and 40% is a by-product from the refining of crude oil.
The UK currently produces over 6 million tonnes per year of
which around 3 million tonnes is exported. Only some
120,000 tonnes is used in transport. This not only provides
security of fuel supply for many years but also a significant
margin to increase use in the UK.
Reducing
the UK's carbon emissions
LPG autogas provides a
surefire way to immediately reduce emissions of carbon dioxide
(CO2), the main culprit in climate change, by 20% from over
20 million petrol vehicles on our roads.
Additionally LPG vehicles
are much less polluting than diesel versions and therefore
bring major local air quality benefits.
In addition, noise levels
of LPG vehicles are reduced by as much as 50% compared with
diesel.
For more information,
have a look at Environmental
benefits.
Government
support
The 2007 March Budget
announcement confirmed the Government's long term commitment
to support LPG with:
- continuation
of the commitment to give three years' advance notice on
fuel duty
- the
Treasury has set a continuing low level of duty for the
next three years compared with petrol and diesel, showing
their confidence in the fuel and enabling the market to
develop and motorists/fleets to take advantage of this environmentally
friendly fuel.
(As
a result the price at the pumps should continue to be around
half the price of petrol and diesel for the foreseeable future
which makes converting a vehicle attractive for the high mileage
motorist who can save around 40% on his fuel cost compared
with petrol or 20% compared with diesel.
- the
reduction in Vehicle Excise Duty (often referred to as Road
Tax) for Alternative Fuel Cars (of which LPG is eligible)
was raised by between 50% and 100% depending on which "Band"
the vehicle emissions are.
Additional
incentives are provided by various Local Authorities.
Some examples are:
- Transport
for London - The LPG vehicles which are tested for the Powershift
Register run by the Energy Savings Trust are eligible for
a 100% discount on the London Congestion Charge and we are
looking for the conurbations funded for Road User Charging
experiments to provide a similar level of incentive for
LPG vehicles.
- Westminster
City Council - Free residents car parking permits, for LPG
vehicles converted by LPGA Approved Installers (see below).
- London
Borough of Richmond - Discounts for LPG vehicles in their
ground breaking residents' car parking charges, based on
a vehicle's CO2 emissions.
Main
Financial Benefits
- Due
to the low fuel duty, LPG autogas retails for approximately
half the price of petrol and diesel. This means that
after allowing for the lower miles per gallon when running
on LPG, you can save around 40% on your total fuel bill
compared with petrol and 20% compared to an equivalent diesel
vehicle.
- The
Government supports LPG by reducing the level of fuel duty
and by giving three years' advance notice in every Budget
of any changes compared with petrol and diesel. This means
that we know that the price at the pumps will continue at
around half the price of petrol and diesel for at least
this period.
- LPG
is better for your engine. Its simple chemical make-up
means it's clean burning, and as it is already in gaseous
form when it enters the combustion cylinder, it burns more
efficiently than petrol or diesel. Fewer deposits build
up in your car engine, so it will run smoother and last
longer.
- Most
cars having a petrol engine with spark ignition can be converted
to LPG, but it is essential that you use a fully trained
LPG specialist for the work. It costs around £1500-£2000
to conver a car or a light van. You can recoup this outlay
quickly via lower running costs and at the same time benefit
the environment.
Click
here to find out more about Financial benefits.
Filling
up with LPG
LPG has by far the widest
availability of all alternative fuels in the UK. Filling up
is easy. There are currently around 1300 public access LPG
filling stations, providing effective coverage throughout
the country. Most of these are on petrol forecourts.
For a full list of UK sites click here.
In addition to these public
access sites, companies with more than approximately six vehicles
can easily have their own bunkered fuel sites and join the
800 or so private facilities in the UK who benefit from the
convenience and discounted price of their own fuel site.
Refuelling with LPG is
as easy as refuelling with petrol or diesel, and takes the
same amount of time:
- Like
diesel and petrol, LPG is stored as a liquid, purchased
by the litre and pumped into your fuel tank through a hose.
- The
LPG hose nozzle slots into a gas filling point on the side
of your car. It’s locked into place when you turn
it clockwise and push down the handle. This opens the safety
valve in the LPG tank – all you have to do is press
the ‘fill’ button on the LPG pump and the fuel
enters the LPG tank as a liquid. The pump will automatically
switch off when the tank is full, but you can stop filling
at any time by releasing the ‘fill’ button and
returning the hose to its original position.
-
You can’t accidentally add petrol or diesel to the
LPG gas tank because only the LPG hose nozzle fits the car’s
LPG filling point.
- Just
like cars run on conventional fuels, LPG cars have a fuel
indicator. It’s built into the switch on the dashboard
that allows you to swap between petrol and LPG.
Click
here for a step-by-step guide to refuelling your vehicle
with LPG
Some
other Benefits
- Converted
vehicles are mostly set up to run on both LPG and petrol.
The petrol tank remains in the car, and you can change from
one fuel to the other at the flick of a switch.
- LPG
is renowned for its excellent safety record where storage,
transport and use are concerned. As a vehicle fuel, LPG
is as safe, if not safer, than petrol, and on a par with
diesel. In Vienna, all buses run on LPG; in 30 years of
operation there has never once been an incident caused by
the use of LPG.
- The
cleanest LPG vehicles registered on the PowerShift Register
in Band 4 can apply to Transport for London to receive 100%
discount on the London Congestion Charge.
Other points
to consider
Servicing
costs
The
additional fuel system will need servicing. Typically
this would be at 12,000 miles/annually and only involves a
general check and filter change at modest cost. Overall servicing
costs for a petrol/LPG vehicle are likely to be less than
a diesel vehicle.
Insurance
costs
Many
insurance companies do not charge an excess for LPGA Approved
conversions - click here for list
of these companies and full information on insurance.
Vehicle
mileage range
A
conversion involves the installation of an additional fuel
system and fuel tank. Typically the mileage that can be travelled
on a full tank of LPG will be less than on petrol so you may
have to fill up more often, but you will be saving money every
time. And, of course, the petrol tank is usually left
in place so petrol can be used for emergencies or by using
the petrol the mileage range of the vehicle can be significantly
increased.
Finding
a filling station
Whilst
not all petrol stations sell LPG autogas, and sometimes a
small detour may be required, with over 1300 re-fuelling sites
nationwide, most motorists find that they have a convenient
re-fuelling site for regular fill ups and when travelling
around the country motorists can plan their refuelling with
the help of the LPGA list or Four by Four Publishing map book
(see homepage).
Loss
of space
The
additional fuel tank for LPG will take up space in your vehicle.
However,
in most cases where this is an issue an LPG tank can be provided
to utilise the space of your spare wheel so losing no boot
space. Then, rather than carrying a spare wheel, motorists
have a puncture repair canister which also re-inflates the
tyre. Indeed, many vehicle manufacturers are using this
system on some of their specialist models.
Effect
on vehicle warranties
IIf
your vehicle has a manufacturer's warranty applying then this
will almost certainly be affected by the conversion. While
the original manufacturer's warranty will still apply to other
parts of the vehicle, LPGA Approved installers can provide
additional warranties to cover the parts of the vehicle affected
by the conversion. Click here for further information.
Any
small inconveniences can be more than outweighed by the savings
you can make in your fuel costs and for the environment (click
here for calculator).
Click
on the links on the toolbar to find out more about LPG, getting
an LPG vehicle (new, secondhand or converting an existing
one) and information on filling up in the UK and abroad.
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