A Mean Green Road Machine
‘Green’ is no longer just a colour; it’s a way of life. In these days of high fuel prices and global warming offsetting your carbon footprint and reducing the damage to the environment is high on many people’s priorities.
The Government is pushing for more and more filling stations in the UK to offer an LPG pump alongside the usual petrol diesel and in some areas leaded fuel pumps. LPG an acronym for Liquefied Petroleum Gas is a high octane fuel distilled from propane and butane. Currently LPG is a UK export petrol is one of the major imports but more people are waking up to the fact that running their cars on this cheaper alternative to petrol is a good idea.
Having a petrol car converted to run on LPG involves installing a second tank usually inside the spare wheel storage space and fitting a separate nozzle to the side of the car for refuelling. Most LPG cars will start on petrol and switch to burning LPG once the engine gets warm or at 2500 rpm. Therefore it’s a good idea to keep some petrol in the tank as well as a backup.
Aside from the environmental factor there are many benefits to driving an LPG car. Firstly and perhaps the deciding factor for most people is the cost. Although the initial conversion can be expensive around 2000 in most cases it’s worth asking around if there are any grants available in your area to help with the cost. Even if there isn’t the amount you’ll save after running a car on gas will far outstrip the initial outlay. LPG is less than half the price of petrol at most filling stations and can result in a smoother quieter drive with a longer engine life. The resale value of a converted car tends to be higher too as they are fast becoming more soughtafter.
Road tax is another thing to consider. On newer cars those registered after March 2001 the road tax payable goes by the CO2 emissions rather than the engine size; LPG cars and other alternative fuel vehicles emit less polluting gasses and therefore are cheaper on the road tax. If you live in London you can also escape the congestion charge with an LPG car.
An LPG car is also seen as being safer; the gas is stored in an airtight tank completely separate from the petrol tank and in the event of a crash is less likely to be a fire hazard. The engine is also less likely to go wrong middrive as LPG actually conditions your engine making it run better.
Because of this some insurance companies offer cheap car insurance to LPG cars it’s worth asking your current provider if you could save on your existing car insurance if you have your car converted.
About the writer: J Tillotson is a UK author specialising in finance energy and communications
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