LPG and CNG – the budget fuels

a cheaper fuel..

Thanks to the US for not waging war on Iran and to the weather that kept the oil consumption low in US. Unlike in the past we don’t see any periodic hikes in fuel prices and World crude oil price continues to hover around $65 per barrel. But how long this price will sustain and we no longer can expect our government to insulate us if the crude oil price again rises. To keep their monthly fuel budget on check already many metro riders opt for LPG/CNG. Though CNG/LPG is not available abudant in India, by being an odd one you can get them at a cheaper price. Also, as auto LPG is not subsidised, it is risk free as far as cost escalation due to withdrawal of subsidy (if it comes about) is concerned.

LPG/CNG cars in India:

Recently, Central Government plans to introduce Auto LPG in Jammu and Kashmir in a big way to protect environment and now morecCompanies are coming out with LPG/CNG versions of their cars. Ford has rolled out Ikon Flair CNG, a dual-fuel variant that can run both on petrol and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in March. Mitsubishi offers CNG variant of Lancer sedan. Maruti’s omni LPG is the early entrant featuring LPG and it continues to woo customers. From the experience of omni LPG, Maruti emphatically rolled its wagonR duo last year and as expected it is receiving good response. Maruti’s arch rival Hyundai will launch a CNG variant of santro soon. General Motors India launched the CNG version of its sedan, the Chevrolet Optra in 2006. Tata Motors offers authorised CNG kit fitment at their dealerships for the Indica and Indigo Marina and plans a CNG variant for the recently launched magic by this fiscal end. Tata Motors is also working on LPG offerings on its car range which will be launched soon. Let’s first check what’s hindering many from opting LPG/CNG.

Problems with LPG/CNG:

Some car owners have been using LPG kits for quite a long time, though they are not fully aware of the formalities involved in converting a car to LPG and as a result they always faced the prospect of being detected and fined heavily by officials of the Transport Department. This prevented many from going in for LPG kits. The other important issues that prevent many from opting LPG are the lack of authorized retro –fit (gas conversion) dealers, loss of manufacturers warranty, concern about the safety of the LPG vehicle and lack of knowledge on magnitude of loss on space and performance of the vehicle and lastly but very importantly lack of filling stations.

What should you do to be legal…

The authorised dealers fit the equipment and issue a certificate giving the numbers on the kit and other details. The car owners have to take their vehicle to the Transport authorities and show them the certificate issued by the dealer. The officials verify the same and make an endorsement in the RC book of the vehicle. This enables the owners to use either petrol or gas in their vehicle.

What you are liable if you use unauthorized LPG kit?

Unauthorised LPG kits are unsafe and it is like carrying a bomb in the boot of your car. Motorists using unauthorised kits or those using authorised kits filled with domestic LPG are liable for criminal action. Insurance companies will not entertain any claims, when unauthorised kits are used. Befor going into other issues lets first check the difference between LPG and CNG

LPG Vs CNG

LPG is usually chosen over CNG as the fuel of choice as the latter is not available nationwide; the former is available (albeit only in a few vending stations) in 42 cities. Also LPG can be stored at a much lower pressure than CNG, at approximately 5 to 7bar, and as a result, the tank does not have to be built super-tough and hence the LPG kit costs less than half of a CNG kit. Another positive aspect about LPG is that it does not inhibit engine performance as much as CNG does. Also though present in some areas, CNG is not widely available throughout India. But CNG scores over the LPG in price front. Thus for a personal vehicle, it makes sense to go for LPG while for commercial vehicles CNG vehicles will. Asmost of the issues are common for both LPG and CNG so in this post we will consider it the same.

Manufacturers warranty and safety:

Wagon R Duo and Omni come with a factory-fitted LPG kit. Installation of the CNG kit for the Lancer, Optra, Indica and Indigo Marina is done at the dealership level. Also, Hindustan Motors, General Motors and Tata Motors have tied up with CNG installation specialists who will fit the kit at the dealer end and deliver the car. What you gain is you do not lose any vehicle warranty for the conversion — the manufacturer’s warranty on the car stays as it is. The additional gain is it is much safer when these authorised agencies fit the kit as there are no welding involved and no fundamental changes to the body structure. Some agencies like Lovato offer 1yr warranty and 1yr free service for their fitments.

few compromises for LPG/CNG:

LPG results in a considerable loss of power and torque vis-a-vis petrol (about 5-8 per cent on an average), and this means that you’ll be stressing the engine a lot more on a daily basis. And that means that engine life will drop by a bit, depending on the kind of usage you put your car to. If your driving involves steady, sensible speeds without too many passengers or cargo, and if your route does not involve hilly roads, there should be no problems at all. But for your compromise on performance and extra money (you have to shell out Rs16000 – Rs40000 for the installation for LPG kit), you save a significant amount in your monthly budget

Here’s what you gain from LPG/CNG:

The cost of the entire CNG kit and installation is approximately Rs 50,000 over the price of the car. So is it worth it? Not if you cover about 10 to 20 km daily. CNG retails for around Rs 22 per kg and at this rate, you will recover the cost in two to three years if you drive on an average of 40 to 50 km a day. It is simple. The more you drive, the earlier you recover your investment. The case for the LPG kit is quite different but the end savings are same. LPG costs little higher than CNG i.e. Rs27/L but the installation costs is significantly low for LPG. Lovato an authorized auto gas (LPG) agency charges variably according to the existing petrol Injection system in the car

* for the carbureted car(before 2000) Lovato charges Rs16000 for the installation

* for the car produced in 2002 and 2003 Lovato charges around Rs17000

* for the ECM (2004 to date) equipped car Lovato charges Rs22500 and for SUVs like Toyota innova Lovato fits sequential kit and hence it charges Rs40000

Regarding the space you have to loss some space in your boot, the loss varies from 20L to 60L depends on the size of the tank you picked. You can pick the desired shape and volume of the tank to be fitted in your car. Modern tank comes in attractive shapes. But do know that claimed volume and usable volume is different. A 35 litre toroidal (tyre shaped) tank can be filled upto 20L only hence carefully pick the tank according to your requirement.

Authorised dealers and filling stations:

As more and more dealers are offering this service, finding an authorised dealer is really an arduous task. But most car dealers will help you find out the authorized dealers. Regarding the filling stations though exclusive LPG outlets are limited, almost 40% of petrol bunks in metros offer LPG also. Eventually as more car manufacturers offer LPG/CNG variants of their cars we can expect more filling stations. Also, LPG outlets are coming up fast as government/oil companies are willing to establish outlets in the highways and most towns.

Few facts about LPG/CNG:

Usually, gas conversion dealers charge around Rs2000 in addition to the installment charge. Though installation of LPG kits in your car requires only one day, for the legal endorsement you have to wait for a month after the installment. All the cars do not support LPG/CNG kits make sure with the dealer that your car is ready for installation for example Lovato do not support Ford and Tata cars.

To get proper return for your investment, auto gas agencies advice to change the air filter once in 4000km and spark plug once in a year also, they advice to drive your car atleast 10km in petrol once in a week. It is wise to install the LPG/CNG kit after your periodic manufacturer service since this will help in easy diagnosis after the installation. Misfiring and reduced mileage are possible effects of are check points which cautions you, to go to service stations.

Here’s a short review on two LPG cars – Maruti omni LPG and WagonR duo

Omni LPG:

The Maruti Omni van’s factory-fitted LPG option runs on two fuels — petrol and liquefied petroleum gas. The Omni LPG comes fitted with a 62.1-litre gas tank and a reserve petrol fuel tank of five litres. The vehicle also offers the advantage of being pre-tuned and comes with a factory setting for consistent performance when using either fuel. The Omni’s LPG kit, from Vialle of the Netherlands, features ample protection from any leakage and can also feature an additional metal cage for protection from accidental damage to the valve. Though the omni LPG has been rated lower at 27 bhp compared to the petrol only Omni variant’s 35 bhp, it continues to infest taxi drivers as it delivers 13kpl

Wagon R Duo:

The WagonR duo features a separate petrol tank of 35-litre capacity, which is in addition to the 22-litre gas tank. To choose between the two fuels, the DUO WagonR comes with an easy-to-reach switch just behind the steering wheel, on the dashboard. The switch is designed to enable the engine start with petrol as the primary fuel and then to switch to gas, though a manual override option is also available to either start and drive completely on petrol or on gas. You can switchover either way while on the move but you have to give some revs while flicking the switch otherwise the engine will die. To ensure the overall security and safety of this dual fuel vehicle, Maruti got the certification from the Department of Explosives (DoE) and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) for the new design tank and gas delivery system. Because of this WagonR duo is the safest LPG car in India. Wagon R duo continues to be perfect car for metros as it returns an average of 8.1kpl in the city (In wagon R duo usually we don’t feel the need to switch to petrol in normal city traffic) while running in LPG mode.

short reviews on Ford Ikon flair CNG, Mitsubishi Lancer CNG and other CNG vehicles will be posted soon

P.S: Our sincere thanks to Lovato (indiagascarz@yahoo.co.in), Nandanam, Chennai (044 42019999)