PHOTO GALLERY
SEARCH
WHAT IS LPG?
RECONDITIONING
TESTIMONIALS
CONTACT US
COMPANY PROFILE
HOME
|
What is LPG ?
Petrol and diesel fumes are among the greatest sources of pollutants suffered by the environment today. You can contribute to a cleaner environment whilst personally saving hundreds or thousands of pounds. We can convert your vehicle to run on dual fuels (LPG and petrol) with the following benefits:
- Savings of up to 50% on fuel costs
- Reduced engine wear and servicing costs
- Significantly reduced air pollution
- Enhanced second hand value of vehicle
- Switch back to petrol for backup at any time
Increasing numbers of service station outlets are providing LPG as an alternative fuel. Fleet owners can arrange for fuel storage at their base with minimal cost. As you can always switch back to petrol at any time you will never be stranded without a fuel source.
Currently there are two gaseous variants that can be used as an alternative fuel for vehicles: Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Autogas) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Of these two, it is Autogas that presents itself as being suitably friendly to the environment, and commercially viable.
CNG’s installation requirements are mostly more expensive than Autogas. An Autogas fuel tank is designed to take only 7 or 8 bar of pressure. Therefore the Autogas tank is a relatively small and lightweight construction. CNG containers are required to support a storage pressure of 20 bar. This means that the tank must be a one-piece construction with no welding, which makes them both large and heavy.
Refuelling with Autogas takes no longer than with petrol or diesel, due to its liquid state. The most common way of filling a CNG tank is via a slow trickle method, which takes a great deal longer. The actual refuelling equipment for CNG is also a great deal more expensive.
Petrol has a fuel density of 760kg/m3, and diesel has 830kg/m3: these are the fuels that we are used to. On the alternative side, Autogas has 540kg/m3 whilst CNG has 190kg/m3. What this means is that CNG has a highly detrimental effect on the performance of the vehicle. Autogas also detracts from the performance, but this is not to a greatly noticeable degree.
The environmental benefits of Autogas are well known - in almost every circumstance it produces less harmful emissions than either petrol or diesel.
Also the UK Government is firmly committed to gas powered vehicles - even the Prime Minister’s car runs on Autogas. Over the course of the last two budgets, duty of Autogas has decreased from 17 pence per litre in 1995 to 10.71 pence. The average price of a litre of unleaded petrol is currently about 77 pence, whilst the price per litre of Autogas is approximately 36 pence. DID YOU ALSO KNOW THAT GOVERNMENT FUNDING IS AVAILABLE FOR BUSINESSES BUYING CERTAIN VEHICLES WHICH RUN ON LPG, NATURAL GAS OR ELECTRICITY? For more information click here to visit the Powershift website.
Autogas has been used as a vehicle fuel since the mid-fifties. It is currently used in approximately four million vehicles and has an excellent safety record.
Autogas burns more cleanly and slower than conventional fuels - using Autogas means less wear, cheaper maintenance and longer life for spark plugs and oil. Up to date Hi-Tech conversion costs should be recouped within 36,000 miles.
The advantages of using Autogas as an alternative fuel are clear. The benefits to the environment, your company's corporate image and of course it is commercially viable.
If you have any questions, or would like further information feel free to contact us - we can advise you on the types of vehicles that can be converted and give you a no obligation quotation.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
1) Can my car be converted to run on gas?
For us to convert you car, it must have a petrol engine to start with. Sorry, no diesels. There are some cars that we cannot do, but the majority are OK.
2) How much money will I save?
Bag fulls of the stuff if you do a lot of mileage! Some months ago when I did the calculations, I estimated that if in 1 week you spend £100 on petrol, the LPG equivalent cost would be between £50 to £60. This represents a saving of £2080 to £2600 each year. Since then the price differential has increased representing a greater saving.
3) Why is it so cheap?
In a word "TAX"! Currently Exise Duty on LPG is 7.5p/ litre which is substantially less than petrol. The reason it is so low is that the government have recognised it as a greener fuel than petrol. How long it will stay low is open to debate. I estimate / guess that we have a minimum of another 8 years before they decide to put tax up, assuming large numbers of people have conversions done or buy pre-converted cars.
LPG is a by-product of refining crude oil and in the past could be viewed being burnt off in flame stacks at the refineries. This is another reason for the low price.
4) Will I still be able to use petrol?
Yes, all our conversions have a small dashboard switch that easily allows you to change back should you wish. The switch also incorporates a fuel gauge.
5) What are the downsides to having an LPG conversion?
i) The most common concern people have is that they will loose their boot space to a LPG storage tank. We stock a range of tanks which in an average family car leave in excess of 50% of the boot space still free. For example an cylindrical 80 litre tank measures 900mm long by 360mm diameter. They are always mounted horizontally, and usually against the back of the rear seats between the wheel arches. We also have available some do-nut shaped tanks to go in the spare wheel recess to keep the boot space intact. It's worth remembering that most people drive around with an empty boot most of the time so are largely unaffected.
ii) Due to the slightly lower energy content of LPG a power loss will be experienced. Typically this loss is minimal and generally people are happy with the result. We also have developed a performance gas manifold for minimizing and in some cases eliminating these losses on particularly large engines, such as big block American V8's. Should you have any large or unsual engines to convert, please feel free to call to discuss whether conversion is possible.
6) Are there many filling stations?
Over 500 now exist in the UK and details can be found on the LPGA (Liquified Petroleum Gas Association) website:www.lpga.co.uk The situation varies depending on where you live.
7) Can I do the conversion myself?
The short answer is 'no' for safety reasons. We abide by LPGA regulations which we do so voluntarily. They specify that an installer of Autogas equipment should be properly trained for this. We can provide equipment to installers subject to proper training or full LPGA aproval. CORGI registration / approval carries no weight here. Please call us should you wish to become an installer. In certain instances single items can be supplied to repair old conversions.
8) How safe are conversions?
When done properly in accordance with LPGA CoP11 gas conversions are very safe. Obviously when carrying any fuel in a vehicle there is risk involved, but in many respects LPG is far safer than petrol. Most modern petrol tanks are made from plastic which in the event of a fire or impact will melt through quickly or break resulting in complete spillage. LPG tanks are steel, which makes them much more resistant to impact damage and require very high fire temperatures to melt them. They are also fitted with pressure relief valves to protect against over pressure in the tank in the event of a fire or other over pressure situations. These are designed to release some LPG to lower the tank pressure in a controlled manner.
9) How much will it cost?
Our conversions typically range from £900 to £1000. It is rare that we charge more than this, but some vehicles exceed these prices.
10) How many miles per gallon will my car do on gas?
On average 20% less MPG than on petrol. This figure is approximate, although it is not uncommon for some cars to actually achieve a higher MPG return.
11) Is it really worth doing?
Work out how much you spend in a week on petrol, estimate how long you will keep your car and calculate how much you will have spent in this time on petrol. If this figure is greater than double the cost of the conversion then as a general rule of thumb then it is worth doing.(You will save the cost of the conversion). Due to the varying factors we do not guarantee the exact time for payback.
12) Prices of the most popular conversions.
(All prices are fully inclusive except for the initial fill up which is currently charged at 36.5 pence per litre)
PRICE LIST
Most vehicles without catalytic converter £899
Most vehicles with catalytic converter £999
Newer vehicles with catalytic converter £1099
The above prices are for conversions using a cylinder tank with a capacity of between 30 litres and 100 litres. The do-nut tanks that replace the spare wheel are available from £60 extra.
Twin tank conversions with or without a small petrol tank are available for 4 wheel drive vehicles - please contact us for a quote.
All the above prices are subject to VAT at the current rate and are correct at time of publishing.
[ PHOTO GALLERY ] [ SEARCH ] [ CONTACT US ] [ HOME ]
|
