By Suyash Gupta, DG, Indian Auto LPG Coalition
With the price of petrol and diesel climbing up consistently in recent months, a number of consumers are considering ways to reduce their fuel costs. While some consumers are looking at ways for reducing car usage, others are considering moving to alternative fuels. If you are among those who are looking for cheaper alternatives to petrol and diesel, Auto LPG is a highly viable and easily available solution for your vehicle.
When liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is used in internal combustion engines, it is termed as Auto LPG. A mixture of propane and butane, LPG could be sourced either from crude oil or natural gas. Auto LPG or Autogas, as it is called in some countries, is the third most widely used automotive fuel globally, and powers as many as 27 million vehicles.
It is environment friendly and has several advantages over conventional fuels petrol and diesel. While automobile manufacturers in India produce a limited number of Auto LPG variants, a vehicle can easily be fitted with an LPG conversion kit which allows it to run on both petrol as well as Auto LPG.
Here is why Auto LPG is a good alternative choice for your vehicle:
Good for the environment
We all know how using LPG as a cooking fuel has had environmental payoffs. However, do you know that LPG as an internal combustion engine fuel has huge environmental benefits as well?
The UN International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has assigned a global warming potential (GWP) factor of zero to LPG, implying that it is not a greenhouse gas. To put things in perspective, the GWP factor of CO2 is 1 while that of methane is 25. In comparison to most hydrocarbons, LPG generates lower amounts of carbon dioxide per amount of heat produced. At the same time; emissions of harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) and harmful particulate matter PM 2.5 are also negligible for Auto LPG. Notably, it is the high concentration of harmful PM 2.5that is considered the most toxic element in India’s air. Not only do these qualities make AutoLPG a cleaner transport fuel choice than petrol and diesel but also as compared to CNG.
So if your desire to switch to an alternative fuel is driven by environmental consciousness, you mustn’t think twice about switching to this clean fuel.
Reduces your fuel costs
Skyrocketing prices of petrol and diesel are the primary reason many consumers are looking for cheaper alternative fuels today. Auto LPG has been significantly cheaper than petrol. In recent months, even as petrol and diesel have been hovering over the Rs 70-80 mark, Auto LPG has remained priced at almost half of both the conventional automotive fuels. In terms of running costs, it has consistently been at least 40% cheaper than petrol. This gives consumers who drive on Auto LPG a major cost advantage. With such a huge delta, consumers who choose to convert their vehicles to Auto LPGstand to recover their investments in conversion kit installation within a few months.
Prolongs life of your engine
Yes, Auto LPG is also good for your car’s engine. Being a cleaner-burning fuel that produces little residue, LPG doesn’t damage the engine. Rather it allows engine’s components to last longer. Being a high octane fuel, it also ignites faster implying no pre-ignition or knocking. An LPG car engine will heat up faster, even when the engine is fully cold engine. This is highly beneficial for the engine as better and faster combustion means no knocking damage. This also leads to a low noise riding experience. It is estimated that Auto LPG driven engines may have up to twice the life of an engine that runs on petrol.
Lowers maintenance costs
This is a natural corollary of the above advantage. Since Auto LPG induces very little damage to the engine and its components, your maintenance and servicing costs remain low. Auto LPG does not leave carbon or acid deposits on the engine and corrosion or damage to the engine’s parts is minimal. So, your spark plugs, valves and pistons are cleaner and smoother for a longer period of time.
Low conversion costs
Installing a conversion kit in your card will cost you between Rs 15000 to Rs 25,000. Given the multifarious benefits that will accrue from converting to this fuel, this is relatively low investment. In fact, consumers who choose to convert their vehicles to Auto LPG could recover their investments in conversion kit installation very quickly, depending on the Auto LPG price in their city.
