Fuel savings

Imagine paying 39p litre for fuel. You would have to go back in time to 1987 to buy petrol at that price. Remember the great storm of 1987? Remember Michael Fish's famous denials of a storm? Richard Branson’s trans-Atlantic balloon flight, these are all a very distant memory. Now with LPG that price is a reality with petrol and diesel now approaching £1 litre.

LPG is cleaner

LPG is regarded as one of the cleanest fuels in the market because its simple chemical composition means it is a very clean burning fuel.

This is important for the quality of the air you breathe. Particles accumulate in your lungs and an LPG engine was shown in recent European tests to emit substantially fewer particulates than a diesel one. Furthermore, the emission of nitrogen oxide – which can damage your lungs and health – was demonstrated to be 20 times less in a LPG vehicle than in a diesel.

LPG is Greener

Not only can you save money, you may even help to save the environment by converting. The main pollutant linked to the greenhouse effect is carbon dioxide (CO2) and recent extensive tests showed that CO2 emissions are 20% less when compared to petrol and nearly 2% less than diesel. LPG also emits 97% less Benzene than unleaded petrol.

Better for your engine

Since LPG burns more efficiently than petrol or diesel and does not contain any lead. Plus an LPG-fuelled engine is about 50% quieter than a diesel one.

Excellent Safety record

LPG is renowned for its excellent safety record where storage, transport and use are concerned. The LPG tank made out of steel is much stronger than petrol tanks that are normally made of plastic. 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.

GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT TO LPG

The Government demonstrated its long term commitment to LPG in the Chancellor’s 2006 budget.

In an endorsement of the environmental advantages, especially air quality in urban areas, the chancellor announced a continuation of the existing differential arrangement in the fuel duty between LPG and petrol / diesel through to 2009. This means that the price of LPG at the pumps will continue at around half the price of petrol and diesel for the foreseeable future.

Tom Fidell, Director General of the LP Gas Association said: "This is a clear message of support for LPG for the long term which gives motorists and fleet managers the confidence to purchase LPG vehicles and contribute to a cleaner motoring environment".

The budget announcement endorsed the long term commitment to support LPG. The following specific measures are in place:

1. Continuation of the three years advance notice on the fuel duty differential with Petrol and Diesel within the Alternative Fuels Framework first introduced in 2003.

2. The current fuel duty on LPG is 4.5p per litre compared with 47.1p per litre on petrol and diesel.

3. Continuation of a maximum reduction of only 1p per litre per year in the duty differential between LPG and petrol / diesel is continued into 2008/9.

As a result the price at the pumps will continue to be around half the price of petrol and diesel for the foreseeable future.

WHY CHOOSE LPG?

• LPG - CO2. As good as diesel but with much cleaner local air quality

• Recent Pan European Tests on a range of 26 vehicles running on LPG, petrol and diesel have shown that on a well to wheel basis on the Climate Change gas of CO2, the vehicles running on LPG were on average 20% better than petrol and nearly 2% better than diesel.

• LPG has gained support as an environmentally friendly automotive fuel in respect of both the global warming (carbon dioxide –co2) and air quality effect, particularly in town and cities where vehicles cause specific pollution and noise problems.

• Of greater significance for our nation’s health are the air quality pollutants of NOx and particulates. In respect of NOx, vehicles running on LPG were 120% to 180% better than petrol and 2000% better than diesel - In other words, one diesel vehicle emits the same NOx as over 20 LPG vehicles. On average particle emissions from diesel vehicles are 99% higher that LPG.

• There are increasing concerns as to the impact of diesel vehicles on our air quality, especially in urban areas, and in particular emissions of NOx and particulates which directly affect our nation’s health.

• The Energy Saving Trust reports that "Road transport is responsible for almost 50% of certain smog forming pollutants" - we still suffer from smog as evidenced by the government being forced to issue a warning for central London earlier this month as pollution reached critical levels in our capital despite the reduction in traffic levels seen by congestion charging. "Of key concern are the tiny particles that can easily penetrate into the smallest part of the lungs and have been linked to cancer, and up to 24,000 people die prematurely every year as a result of poor air quality and air pollution acts as an irritant to the skin eyes and throat".

• They go on to say that "there are over 120 pollution hotspots in the UK which means that national air quality targets will not be met".

• Another benefit over diesel where LPG vehicles help our environment is with noise. Decibels can be reduced by as much as 50% - a major advantage if you are close to busy traffic or where night time deliveries are undertaken.

• More than 10 million drivers worldwide use LPG and in the UK numbers are increasing as more motorists learn of the benefits. In the UK, from a small start of 3,500 at the end of 1998 some 128,000 vehicles were running on LPG on our roads by the end of last year.

Fill up with LPG throughout the UK

There are currently around 1300 public access LPG filling stations providing effective coverage throughout the country and stations continue to be opened, ensuring that the autogas user will be able to fill their vehicle anywhere in the country. This represents an enormous investment by the industry which further boosts confidence in LPG in both the consumer and fleet markets. Details of all these public access sites can be found on wwwboostlpg.com or by contacting the Association direct.

In addition to the public access sites, companies can easily and cheaply 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.

What is an LPG vehicle?

Commonly, petrol driven vehicles are converted to run on LP Gas. Conversion is relatively straightforward with modern management systems and multipoint vapour or liquid injection. Vehicles converted to run on LPG retain there original fuel system and can be run on either fuel, and whilst very few would want to forego the lower fuel running costs of LPG, it does provide an instant back up if you inadvertently run out.

The cleanest LPG vehicles are eligible for a 100% discount on London Congestion Charging and drivers who travel daily into the central London Zone can save up to £1600 per year on congestion charges alone.

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