F&I Management & Training

A record number of motorists are converting their cars to run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as petrol prices continue to rise. The LPG Association says that the number of people using the fuel has increased from 3,500 in 1998 to 150,000 this year. And, since the start of the year, the organisation claims that the number of drivers making the switch has doubled with garages struggling to keep up with demand. LPG sells for about 49p a litre compared with 117.28p a litre for petrol and 130.69p per litre for diesel. Conversions cost about £2,000 and involve installing an additional tank, extra fuel lines and injectors into vehicles. Some tanks allow a car to travel up to 300 miles before refuelling. Association director Mike Chapman said conversion centres across the UK were reporting a doubling of their workload in the past six months. Demand, he said, was particularly high in London because vehicles running on LPG were exempt from the congestion charge.

DATED: 22.06.08

FEED: AW