10 essential things you need to know about LPG fuel

Part of our work at Taxi Recapitalisation South Africa involves finding ways for our minibus and midibus taxi industry to be more profitable and sustainable. Here’s a great one that drives positive outcomes for us all: liquified petroleum gas (LPG) fuel.

 

LPG fuel, also known as Autogas, is essentially the same LPG we buy at the service station to use in our gas heaters, stoves and gas braais – just optimised for vehicles. A by-product of oil refining that liquefies under mild pressure, it is a fuel that is cheaper and cleaner-burning than regular petrol and, importantly, has similar efficiency.

 

If you’re a taxi operator, here are 10 vital things you need to know about LPG fuel and what it can do for your business.

 

1. It’s a proven technology

LPG was first bottled in 1912, and the first vehicle using it driven only a year later. LPG has long been recognised as a safe, versatile fuel that is ideal for cooking, heating, refrigeration and, of course, transportation.

 

LPG fuel is, after petrol and diesel, the third most popular vehicle fuel in the world. An estimated 16-million vehicles run on LPG fuel, which has been very successfully introduced into many countries’ public transportation systems.

 

2. It’s easy to convert a vehicle

LPG fuel works in a standard petrol engine that uses unleaded fuel (diesel entails a much more complicated conversion). Converting a taxi to run on LPG fuel is a relatively simple task, and takes a day or so to complete.

 

It involves fitting a gas tank under the vehicle, near the back. The LPG fuel, in liquid form, is carried through plastic-coated copper pipes towards the engine, passing through a filter and then converting to a gas. The flow of gas to the engine is controlled by an Autogas electronic control unit (ECU). This unit works alongside the car’s own ECU, constantly monitoring the exhaust emissions and adjusting the gas supply accordingly.

 

3. It’s a dual-fuel system

This is a great thing about converting to LPG fuel: you don’t lose the ability to use petrol. An LPG conversion simply adds a system to your taxi, which then becomes a dual-fuel (or bi-fuel) vehicle – and you can select either with just the flick of a switch on your dashboard.

 

The beauty of this system is that you can vastly increase your vehicle’s range between refuelling stops, or routinely use LPG fuel and switch to petrol when needed.

 

4. It saves big on fuel costs

Your converted vehicle will consume roughly 15% more LPG fuel than regular petrol to achieve the same performance, but it costs so much less than petrol that you can realise fuel cost savings of up to 30%.

 

5. It’s safe to use

LPG, of course, is inflammable and it actually burns more readily than petrol or diesel. But it is stored more safely: LPG fuel tanks are built of steel plates to strict standards, and are much sturdier than petrol or diesel tanks.

 

In an accident, a gas leak is thus much less likely than a petrol leak, and passengers are much less likely to sustain gas-related than petrol-related injuries.

 

6. It’s much greener

We all know that vehicle emissions are among the major polluters of our world. LPG fuel is, however, by far the most sustainable of the fossil fuels.

 

Because it has a higher octane rating than petrol, LPG fuel has no need for additives such as lead and sulphur. Exhaust emissions contain lower levels of hydrocarbon compounds, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and particulates (soot) than regular fuel.

 

7. It spares your engine

As LPG fuel contains almost no carbon and no additives, it burns cleanly; that means engine oil stays cleaner for longer, saving time, money, oil and oil filters.

 

In fact, engines that run on LPG fuel have been found to last up to twice as long as the same engines being run on petrol, because the vaporised fuel doesn’t strip off the engine’s lubricants.

 

8. It performs

LPG fuel performs similarly to petrol (but neither stands up to diesel). Comprehensive testing at South Africa’s Gerotek facility has shown that top speed can be around 5% lower than that of petrol, but that differences in acceleration are negligible.

 

However, because a converted vehicle has a dual-fuel system, you can easily switch to petrol should you need that little bit of extra power.

 

9. It’s non-toxic

Unlike petrol and diesel, LPG fuel is non-toxic and non-corrosive, and it’s impossible to cause an environmental spill because it evaporates once it is released.

 

10. It cannot be stolen!

LPG gas, which is stored in a pressurised tank, cannot be siphoned from your vehicle like petrol can. Switching to LPG fuel reduces losses through fuel theft.