LPG - CONVERTING YOUR CAR OR VAN

Want To Cut The Running Costs Of Your Car Or Van In Half? Then You Want To Read This. Motoring Journalist Jonathan Crouch On The Benefits Of Switching To LPG

If some carmaker came up with a petrol-powered range of cars that could effectively cut your fuel costs in half, we'd know about it. The showroom queues would be huge, the waiting lists long and the prices high. So why isn't that true of the motoring alternative able to promise just that - LPG?

You've probably heard this acronym before and you probably know what it stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas. But that's where the understanding ends for many people. Those who don't see it as something to use with a Summer Bar-B-Q file it away as the kind of fuel favoured by environmentally enlightened councils to use with their bus fleets.

So let's start with a few of the basics. Yes, virtually any petrol car or van - including that thirsty old family car sitting in your driveway - can be cheaply and quickly converted to a 'dual fuel' set-up, enabling it to run on either LPG or petrol at the flick of a switch. It is important though to get appropriate equipment properly fitted from a qualified garage. And no worries about searching for an LPG filling station - there are now more than 1,300 across the UK.

No, there won't be any noticeable performance difference: in fact, some drivers find increased driveability. Nor is there a safety issue: LPG tanks (which take up less boot space than a spare wheel) are much stronger than conventional fuel tanks. In fact the fuel is safer than petrol anyway which is why it is used in so many domestic applications like patio he...