So What is LPG?
LPG stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas. It is a mixture of Propane and Butane, extracted from fields as a gas it is a by product of oil production, and under pressure has the unique property of becoming a storable liquid. With 60% of UK LPG seperated from natural gas products LPG is recognised as a low carbon alternative to diesel and petrol.
LPG Vehicle Fuel
LPG is the most viable alternative fuel in the UK, similar to conventional fuels for handling, ease of use and availability. LPG is perfectly safe, and LPG reservoir tanks are three times more durable than manufacturers conventional fuel tanks. LPG like conventional fuels is purchased by the litre from pumps that are virtually identical to normal petrol/diesel pumps at over 1200 petrol stations (increasing daily) across Britain. Vehicle performance using LPG is also similar to that of the traditionally fueled versions.
LPG Conversions
An LPG conversion results in a Bi-Fuelled vehicle which means that you can use either L.P.G. or Petrol. This is possible because the conversion consists of adding a second independant fuel system to the vehicle for which a seperate dedicated tank is fitted. You can change between the two fuels using a switch.
The second fuel tank is installed in the spare wheel bay or in an alternative space.
The Financial Benefits of LPG
There are substantial financial benefits to L.P.G. fuelled vehicles including cheaper fuel, congestion charge exemption and lower road fund licence (road tax). The prices of LPG fuel are much lower than that of petrol and diesel costing around 45p per litre as opposed to 89p for petrol and 92p for diesel (prices correct at time of publication).
As L.P.G. fuelled vehicles are exempt from the London Congestion Charging scheme regular drivers in London will save £8 per day. In order to achieve exemption from the congestion charging, the vehicle must adhere to a 40% better than Euro IV emissions standards which also means that the vehicle is eligible for a lower banding of and therefore cheaper Road Fund Licence (Road Tax). The current RFL payable on a light goods vehicle is £165 and with the Euro IV compliant fuelled van is £110.
This all in all means that by driving an LPG van could potentially save you over £3500 per year!
Typical Example Of Savings - Petrol vs L.P.G. |
|
Kangoo 1.2 Petrol |
Kangoo 1.2 L.P.G. |
Saving |
1 Years Road Tax |
£165.00 |
£110.00 |
£55.00 |
Fuel for 15,000 miles |
£1811.00 / 89p Litre |
£952.00 / 45p Litre |
£859.00 |
Congestion Charges |
£2600.00 |
£Nil |
£2600.00 |
Total savings in 1 year using L.P.G. = £3514.00 |
These figures are based on paying for 12 months congestion charges in advance gaining 40 days free, covering 15,000 miles per year and driving a Renault Kangoo 1.2 van which achieves 34mpg on petrol and 32 mpg on LPG.
If you have a petrol car or commercial vehicle and you want to save money on fuel as well as helping the environment then we can help you.
Here at 5 Star Vans we can convert your current petrol vehicle or new petrol vehicle to run efficently on LPG. When we carry out the installation work we provide you with a courtesy vehicle until your conversion is complete (approx 5 days).
Why not help your pocket and the environment and give us a ring right now!
Why should you change to LPG? – 5 Star Vans has put together some excellent information for you to visit, enabling you to make the right choice.
Are you aware that by running your vehicles on LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) you can make huge financial savings?
Using Autogas (LPG as a vehicle fuel) you can cut your fuel bills by around 50%, as Autogas retails at HALF the price of petrol and diesel. What's more, it's also cleaner than petrol and diesel in terms of emissions.
There are already 115,000 LPG vehicles in the UK alone - nine million worldwide - almost any road vehicle can be converted to use Autogas.
Many LPG cars and vans even qualify for a 100% discount on the London Congestion Charge.
A vehicle powered by LPG produces less harmful emissions than those using more traditional fuels - making it the cleaner, greener option. Most LPG vehicles are bi-fuel however, so should you really require it, you can still drive on petrol or diesel at the flick of a switch.
Better for budgets. Better for the environment. Whether you pit it against petrol or diesel, Autogas is the clear winner.
According to research in Europe, LPG vehicles emit 20% LESS carbon dioxide than their petrol counterparts. Carbon dioxide, nitric oxides and particulates are key contributors to problems like poor air quality and global warming.
The same investigation discovered that LPG is much cleaner than diesel when it comes to Nitric Oxides - it would, in fact, take around 20 LPG cars to produce as much NOx as is pumped out by just one diesel-powered car.
What's more, diesel vehicles give off far more fine particluates - around 120 times as many as an LPG powered vehicle.
Even aside from the emission of dangerous gases, LPG has many other benefits over the more traditional fuels.
- Noise from Autogas-powered engines is quieter than from diesel engines, keeping sound pollution to a minimum.
- Should a fuel spill occur, LPG will evaporate quickly - so there is no risk of ground or water contamination. The same cannot be said about petrol and diesel.
- LPG can be found naturally, as a by-product of the gas extraction process. Around 60% of the UK's LPG is found in this manner.
There’s no question that Autogas is one of the most inexpensive fuels available, in fact the most compelling argument for switching to Autogas could well be the economic one.
Autogas retails at around half the price of petrol and diesel - and, if your company operates a fleet of LPG vehicles, bulk tank prices are even lower.
After converting your vehicle or vehicles to LPG, it usually takes around two years to recoup your investment in fuel savings.
What's more, because the engine tends to run more smoothly on LPG, it reduces engine wear - and, as such, may well increase the life of your engine and other key components.
There are a number of other financial benefits to running your vehicles on LPG too:
- Thanks to it creating fewer emissions, LPG found favour with the government since its early beginnings. The development of LPG Vehicles has subsequently been encouraged by way of cheaper car tax and low fuel duty.
- For companies operating a fleet of cars, fuel can be one of the most expensive outgoings. However, some LPG cars are actually eligible for lower company car tax - and the government are currently looking to review their policy to incentivise the use of clean LPG vehicles yet further.
- Gone are the days when insurance premiums were higher for drivers of LPG cars. One insurance firm has now identified LPG drivers to be worthy of LOWER than average premiums. LPGSure, part of the Europa Group Ltd, offers discounts on standard premiums of up to 20%, so now you can even save money on your insurance too.
- The most environmentally-friendly, alternative fuel vehicles receive a 100% discount on the London congestion charge - you'll need to check the Powershift Register at www.powershift.org.uk list to find out if your vehicle is on it.
- A growing number of local councils throughout the UK are starting to incentivise the use of LPG cars by offering discounted car-parking in their town or city centre car parks.
- Despite all the financial savings, you won't have to put up with a loss of performance. Driving on Autogas is virtually the same as driving a petrol or diesel car. What's more, engine noise is around 50% lower with Autogas than it is with diesel.
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