Category Archives: LPG

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is the most commonly used alternative fuel for vehicles, consisting mainly of a mixture of propane and butane.

LPG vs. Petrol

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So you’ve done all your calculations and decided to convert your car to LPG like over 700,000 other Australians. It sounds good in theory and the government rebate of $2000 is a great help. The fuel figures show your savings in dollars will have your conversion paid off within a year or two depending on your vehicle and the mileage done. But have you got all the facts?

Environmental impact

The environment is another winner in the change you have made by lowering greenhouse emissions. The Australian Greenhouse Office website states that the mass of CO2 gas released of the exhaust pipe by the burning of one litre of fuel is:

  • 2.3 kg for Petrol
  • 1.5 kg for LPG.

LPG = Less kilometres per litre

You can expect a 20-30 per cent increase in gas consumption over petrol per kilometre because the lower energy content of gas requires more to be burned in the engine compared with petrol.

Excise

There is no government excise until July 2011. But then the price of LPG will gradually rise over 5 years.

The excise will increase as follows:

  • 1 July 2011 initial excise of 2.5 cents per litre
  • 1 July 2012 excise increases to 5.0 cents per litre
  • 1 July 2013 excise increases to 7.5 cents per litre
  • 1 July 2014 excise increases to 10.0 cents per litre
  • 1 July 2015 excise increases to 12.5 cents per litre

In knowing all this, is or was a change to LPG worth it?

Do all the figures add up and, despite the cost savings, has your vehicle’s power and torque suffered? Is it less efficient when towing or carrying heavy loads, especially on long trips and going up hills?

The benefits of car pooling

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It may sound like a thing of the past, but car pooling is a great way of saving money, meeting neighbours and colleagues, and helping the environment.

Our energy consumption

Transport accounts for 41 per cent of Australia’s energy consumption and is responsible for 14 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Within this, cars and light vehicles account for 79 per cent of transport fuel consumption and are responsible for 80 per cent of the segment’s GHG emissions.

Transport energy demand is forecast to grow at about 2.3 per cent p.a., implying an increase in demand of 50 per cent to 2020 (ABARE 2001).

Road transport is currently serviced by petroleum-based fuels. Passenger vehicles account for 65 per cent of the energy demand in this segment (35 per cent freight). Road freight, which is fuelled mainly by diesel, is forecast to grow the fastest at 2.9 per cent p.a. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles accounts for 20 per cent of energy demand. There is currently limited activity with compressed natural gas (CNG), hydrogen and ethanol.

The price of ever-increasing fuel, tolls and the need for an extra vehicle makes trying to stretch your budget seem impossible.

Why not share?

Bearing all of this in mind, have you ever thought about car pooling?

It is a cost effective way of getting to work and a great way of minimising your impact on the environment.

Other benefits of car pooling:

  • T2 lanes will be available to you
  • Meeting colleagues and neighbours you otherwise might not have
  • Your trip to and from work will be broken up by giving you someone to talk to
  • The safety factor if you work late at night

There are car pooling services on the internet such as TheCarPool.com.au which will help you search for car pooling partners in your areas, help you calculate your savings and teach you about car pooling etiquette.

There are, of course, risks involved. The person you are car pooling with may have to leave earlier than usual or work back some days, leaving you to make alternative arrangements at the last-minute, you might have a falling out with one of your ever-late workmates, or maybe you’ll get trapped in a car with someone you discovered you didn’t really get along with. But car pooling has the potential to make commuting to and from work fun.

To be effective your company needs to support the idea, but you may be surprised – there are many ways they could help out. They’ll also find there are a few extra parking spaces.

Tell us about you car pooling experiences.