Demand
This has encouraged an increasing number of vehicle owners to convert to auto LPG, an economical & environment friendly fuel, paving way for India to become one of the leading auto LPG markets of the world in the next few years. Today, Auto LPG is available in more than 600+ cities with a network of above 1300 stations across the country, which makes it the most widely available alternate fuel. Among major metros, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Jaipur etc. have effectively introduced auto LPG with a good availability of LPG filling stations respectively and with over thousands of auto rickshaws already running on auto LPG. Low costs of infrastructure and conversion, easy availability, versatility of use and of course and an impeccable safety record makes auto LPG a viable, unalterable, environment friendly alternative auto fuel in India.
Importance of Auto fuel
- Alternative green fuel for all states to curb rising pollution.
- Cost saving for consumer, up to 50% cheaper than petrol/diesel.
- Giving boost to the economy of state.
- Non- subsidized already under 18% GST slab.
- New investments in the state and more job opportunity.
- CNG is costlier in almost cities except Delhi, Gurgaon, Gujrat & Mumbai.
- Some states already banned diesel auto in urban cities.
- National green tribunal is also recommended green fuel in cities.
- Recently, most of the state government have also banned diesel auto i.e Bihar in Patna, Rajasthan in 5 cities, Punjab govt. 5 cities etc.
- LPG is more successful than CNG due to less time consuming in filling
Advantages of Auto gas over other fuels
- High octane contents ensures smoother run.
- Lower engine noise assures smooth and environment friendly drive.
- Like other fuels, no additives required for high quality.
- Auto LPG is better than petrol resulting in improved combustion fewer knocking.
- Auto LPG extends the engine life because of the absence of acids and carbon deposits on the engine parts. One can expect Auto gas vehicles to have twice the engine life than that on petrol/gasoline.
- Less carbon means less fouling of spark plugs and points i.e. less wear and tear
- Auto LPG is free of any un-saturates, sulphur and water content, which tends to corrode & damage vehicle parts.
- Since it is a gaseous fuel, the engine oil does not get diluted resulting in increase of engine life and reduction in servicing costs.
- Unlike diesel, the user need not adjust his driving style. Cold starting is no problem, engine performance is almost exactly the same as with petrol.
- Auto LPG is totally lead and benzene free and is cleaner and leaves no residue.
- Much less carbon deposit on the engine and also the life of Engine oil is enhanced which does not dilute
Benefits to the environment:-
- The environmental advantages of Auto gas for automotive use are enormous. With the use of Auto LPG, there is hardly any discharge of carbon monoxide, and compared to petrol and diesel, the exhaust fumes contain less harmful substances.
- Engine runs smoother and there is no change in the noise or vibration of the car.
Comparison with CNG
With high oil prices and supply concerns globally, the world is exploring the use of alternate clean fuels instead of petrol. In India, CNG and Auto LPG are the two gas based alternative to petrol. Worldwide, Auto LPG is generally preferred to CNG because of following distinct advantages:
- Auto LPG vehicles can run 3 times the distance on a full tank as compared to CNG.
- The conversion kits costs 60% less than a CNG kit.
- LPG operated vehicle require less maintenance, as CNG kits are much heavier and impact vehicle suspension.
- LPG kits are safer because of significantly lower tank pressure as compared to CNG. CNG is stored at around 200-250 bars pressure while LPG is at a pressure of 10-12 bars, making it relatively safer.
- Has a major issue of dispensing in vehicle because LPG is filled in 2-3 minutes whereas CNG is more consuming.
Parameters | Auto LPG | CNG |
Physical state in tank | Liquid at 10-12 bars pressure | Compressed at 200-250 bars pressure |
Gas Tank | Lighter in weight – approx. 20- 25Kgs | 3 times heavier than LPG tank – approx. 75Kgs. |
Distribution to gas stations | By Road Tankers | By Pipeline |
Distance covered by one filled Tank of a car | Approx 3 times that of CNG | One Third of LPG filled tank |
Filling Time at Gas station | Same as Petrol:2-3 Min. | 15-20 min, leading to long Queues |
Conversion Cost | 15,000 to 16,000 | 40,000 to 50,000 |
Availability of Gas | Sufficient domestic production and Imports. Can be easily transported in Tankers & Cylinders. | Acute shortage. Power and fertilizer Plants starving natural gas. Needs limited Pipeline And hence geographical reach. |