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<a href="approved_conversion.htm" target="details"><font color="#003399" size="3"><b>Approved UK Vehicle</b></font></a><font color="#003399" size="3"><b> </b></font><a href="approved_conversion.htm" target="details"><font color="#003399" size="3"><b>Conversion Companies</b></font></a></center>
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<a href="refueling_stations2.htm" target="details"><font color="#003399"><b>AutoGas Refuelling Stations</b></font></a></center>
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<a href="installers.htm" target="details"><font color="#003399"><b>Approved Installers Scheme</b></font></a></center>
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<a href="applications.htm"><font color="#003399"><b>Applications</b></font></a></center>
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<a href="contents.htm"><font color="#003399"><b>Contents</b></font></a></center>
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<p><font face="Arial"><b><img src="8_HEADER_2.gif" width="600" height="100"></b></font></p>
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<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif"><b>L P gas is gaining increased support as an environmentally friendly
automotive fuel, particularly in towns and</b></font><font color="white" size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif"><b> </b></font><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif"><b>cities where heavy duty vehicles and public fleets cause specific
pollution problems.</b></font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif"><b>Considerable improvements in emissions from L.P. gas powered vehicles
have taken place in recent years when</b></font><font color="white" size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif"><b>p </b></font><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif"><b>using the latest technology equipment. Recent tests have shown
the following advantages for LP Gas.</b></font></p>
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<p><font size="3"><b>LP </b><i><b>Gas Emissions*</b></i></font></p>
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<p><font size="3"><i><b>Compared to Petrol</b></i></font></p>
<p><font size="3"><b>• 75% less Carbon Monoxide</b></font></p>
<p><font size="3"><b>• 85% less Hydrocarbons</b></font></p>
<p><font size="3"><b>• 40% less Oxides of Nitrogen</b></font></p>
<p><font size="3"><b>• 87% less Ozone</b></font></p>
<p><font size="3"><b><em>Compared to Diesel</em></b></font></p>
<p><font size="3"><b>• 90% less Particulates, Hydrocarbons and Carbon Monoxide</b></font></p>
<p><font size="3"><b>• 50% less Oxides of Nitrogen</b></font></p>
<p><font size="3"><b>*</b><i><b>Based on tests undertaken at Millbrook 1997/1998</b></i></font></p>
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<td><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">Department of Health statistics suggest that particulates are
responsible for several thousand advanced deaths each year and
many thousands of instances of illness and reduced activity. Road
transport is the largest single source for particulates and LP
Gas can reduce these emissions by 90%, compared to diesel.</font>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">The other pollutant highlighted by the Governments NAQS report
as causing significant problems and requiring further measures
to meet the set targets is Oxides of Nitrogen. As shown above,
substantial reductions in Oxides of Nitrogen emissions can be
made by using LPGas.</font></td>
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<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">Noise is another pollution causing increasing concern as stated
in the Government’s "New Deal for Transport" White Paper. LP Gas
engines are 50% quieter than diesel engines and marginally quieter
than petrol engines.</font><font size="2" face="Arial"> </font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">Although the UK has one of the highest concentrations of vehicles
per mile of road in the world, it is amongst the lowest in using
LP gas-powered vehicles. Other countries have recognised its environmental
advantages and</font> <font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">encouraged its development with <strong>over 4 million vehicles now in operation worldwide.</strong> In the UK we currently have only around 7,000 vehicles running
on LP Gas but with suitable fiscal incentives from the Government
it is hoped that this number will increase substantially over
the next year or two. </font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">In <strong>Japan</strong> which has specific congestion and pollution problems, <strong>virtually all the taxis run on LP Gas</strong> and the country has the highest usage of automotive LP Gas in
the world. Italy has the highest number of vehicles running on
the fuel with around 1,100,000 followed by Australia with 490,000,
North America with 400,000 and the Netherlands with 360,000.</font></p>
<p><font color="#003399" size="4" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif"><u><b>Supply and Availability</b></u></font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">The principal gaseous fuels are LPG and CNG and both offer very
similar environmental advantages. However, as its name implies,
LP gas liquefies under a very modest pressure of only 7 bars and,
therefore, a lot of energy can be stored in a small space. CNG,
on the other hand, does not liquefy and, therefore, a pressure
of around 200 bars has to be used to compress the gas and results
in heavy and expensive tanks on the vehicle which are substantially
larger than those required for LPG.</font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">Around 60% of the world supply of LP gas comes from the separation
of natural gas products with the remaining 40% coming as a by
product of the refinery operations. Its long term supply position
is, therefore, at least as secure as petrol and diesel and probably
more so and is certainly not less than 50 years. In the UK we
have a <strong>surplus of over 4 million tonnes per annum</strong> of LP gas from the North Sea which relates to our present automotive
usage of less than 4,000 tonnes per annum.</font></p>
<p><font color="#003399" size="4" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif"><u><strong>Safety</strong></u></font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">The automotive use of LP gas has an excellent safety record and
various crash tests and fire tests have proved that, owing to
the strength and integrity of the fuel tank, it is safer than
petrol and, as a minimum, on a par with diesel. In <strong>Vienna</strong>, they have been using LP gas powered buses for over 30 years
and these have proved so successful that they now have their entire
fleet of over 400 buses running on LP gas. In all those 30 years
of operation they have never had a single incident which has been
caused by the use of LP gas.</font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">The conversion of vehicles to LP gas has, of course, to be undertaken
by a competent person working in accordance with the latest standards.
In the UK the standard to use for vehicle conversions is the LP
Gas Association Code of Practice No. 11 ‘<i>Autogas Installation’</i> June 1997 edition.</font></p>
<p><font color="#003399" size="4" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif"><u><strong>Engine Conversion</strong></u></font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">Although in many countries of the world it is possible to buy
LP gas powered vehicles, this situation is only just starting
to happen in the UK. In most cases at the present time in this
country, petrol-driven vehicles have to be purchases and then
converted to run on LP gas. Spark ignition is used for LP gas
and, therefore, petrol engines are relatively straightforward
to convert although, with the full management system and multipoint
liquid or vapour injection, the cost is likely to be in the region
of £1,000 to £1,500 for a car or light van. Diesel engines, on
the other hand, are much more difficult to convert as the compression
ratio has to be altered and an ignition system added. It is generally
only practical to consider conversions of very large diesel engines
and, at the smaller end, it is more economical to purchase a petrol
engine of the appropriate size and convert this.</font><font size="2" face="Arial"> </font></p>
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<td><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">Vehicle manufacturers in the UK are now looking seriously at providing
new vehicles already operating on LP Gas. Some vehicles can now
be purchased from the showroom already running on LP Gas and during
1999 many more vehicles will become available.</font></td>
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<p><font color="#003399" size="4" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif"><u><b>Refuelling</b></u></font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">At the present time in the UK there are around <strong>250 LP gas refuelling stations</strong> which can make refuelling difficult for some vehicle operations.
However, for centrally refuelled vehicle fleets returning to base
each day, LP gas is ideal especially when the vehicles are operating
in urban areas where the environmental advantages can be optimised.
Refuelling times are similar to petrol and diesel.</font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">The LP Gas industry is investing heavily in new infrastructure
and the number of refuelling sites should double over the next
two or three years.</font></p>
<p><font color="#003399" size="4" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif"><u><b>Fiscal Incentives encouraging development</b></u></font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">Over the last 5 years duty on petrol and diesel has been increased
with each Budget, whilst the duty on LPG has been either frozen
or reduced owing to its environmental advantages. In the March
1999 budget duty on LPG was reduced by 29% whilst that on other
fuels was increased by 6% plus inflation. This has resulted in
a typical present-day forecourt price of around 35p to 36p per
litre for LP gas as opposed to around 70p per litre for petrol,
although the distance traveled per litre is approximately 20%
less for LP gas than for petrol, owing to its lower volumetric
energy density. </font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">These incentives offered by the Chancellor, together with a higher
environmental awareness by the public is starting to result in
the wider use of this fuel and plans are already in place for
several major fleet operators to be using this fuel during 1999.</font></p>
<p><font color="#003399" size="4" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif"><u><b>Grants Towards Conversion</b></u></font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">Grants towards the additional purchase costs of many LP gas converted
vehicles or LP gas conversions are available through the Energy
Saving Trust's (EST) Powershift scheme. </font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">The EST will only consider applications for vehicles less than
one year old which have had grant approval based on how clean
they are. These vehicles are included on an EST publication called
the Powershift Register.</font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">25%, 50% and 75% grants are available for vehicles based on the
levels of emissions when compared with Euro II standards. Grants
are not available retrospectively.</font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman,Times,serif">Further details can be obtained from the EST on their Hotline
0345 277200 (quote: Powershift) or via the Powershift website:
</font></p>
<p><a href="http://www.est.org.uk/est/what/powershift/925378067est.html">http://www.est.org.uk/est/what/powershift/925378067est.html </a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#003399" size="1"><u><b>ejs.11/11/99</b></u></font></p>
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