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LPG CARS: WHAT THEY ARE

When we talk about LPG or liquefied petroleum gas, we are talking about an alternative fuel, which mixes propane and butane, and which offers the same benefits as traditional ones. In addition, it reduces emissions and saves fuel costs.

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LPG CARS: ALL THEIR ADVANTAGES

Cars powered by Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), also called Autogas, are classified with the DGT ECO label.

• These cars have a bonus in the payment of road tax. The amount will depend on each municipality. It is usually around 75% off. Other aids may also be applied depending on the autonomous communities.

• Although gas cars have a purchase price slightly higher than their gasoline equivalent, the cost per kilometer tips the balance in their favor. The savings is considerable.

• LPG vehicles, being classified with the ECO label, benefit from a 50% discount on SER parking meter rates.

• They can always circulate in Madrid, including the central almond, regardless of the declared pollution scenario. If the vehicle is not resident in the area, parking at SER will be limited to two hours. Only when scenario 5 of the anti-pollution protocol is declared in Madrid, the most restrictive, will they be prohibited from parking in the SER area.

• These vehicles may circulate in the BUS VAO lane, although only in certain circumstances.

• Gas cars have a discount on tolls dependent on the Generalitat of Catalonia.

• Thanks to its double tank (gas and gasoline) the autonomy is much greater than that offered by a conventional car.

 

LPG CARS: THEY DRIVE THEM

For many, thinking of an autogas powered car can lead us to wonder if it will be safe to drive. These vehicles are similar to traditional fuel vehicles in that Autogas is used with gasoline engines. They have the same technology, the same benefits and similar refueling times. Its driving is smoother, quieter and vibration-free. Its main advantage is that they have two tanks (gasoline and gas), providing the car with greater autonomy. But it also offers savings in fuel costs of up to 40%.

 

LPG CARS: HOW THEY WORK

LPG is one of the most widely used alternative fuels to gasoline and diesel worldwide. Also known commercially as Autogás, it is a derivative of petroleum or natural gas that, under pressure, is supplied in a liquid state. It is made up of butane, propane, polypropylene or butylene, or a mixture of some or all of these hydrocarbons.

In automobiles, this fuel is stored in a tank that, in general, is of the toroidal type and is installed at the bottom of the boot, in the place that the spare wheel usually occupies; and from which the pipes that lead to the engine arise. A reducer-vaporizer regulates the pressure and converts it into the gas with which the injectors that take it to the cylinders are fed. A specific control unit is incorporated, independent from that of gasoline, the installation of which remains intact.

The great advantage of LPG, apart from the fact that it adds kilometers of autonomy to the gasoline circuit, derives from the price of fuel, since each liter can cost half as much as one of gasoline, rather than the best performance of this fuel, very similar to that of the gas.

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LPG CARS: INTERNATIONAL FUEL

The use of LPG is widespread in Europe, with a much denser network than the Spanish one. This makes it much easier to travel with vehicles adapted to the use of LPG, although it should be borne in mind that the nozzles of the dispensers may be different from one country to another —in Spain, a standardized one is used for Europe but, at the moment, little extended outside -, which implies using adapters for refueling. The busiest service stations may have several, but finding out what the duty station is like, and even purchasing it, never hurts.

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CARS WITH LPG: QUICK REFUELING

Spain has a charging infrastructure large enough to cover long distances. Thus, at present in our country there is a network of 608 stations to refuel Liquefied Petroleum Gas. To locate them, the Aoglp website can be useful. Refueling of an autogas vehicle is practically identical to that of vehicles powered by traditional fuels, although it is carried out a little more slowly. However, it will not be necessary to recalculate the time of the routes by that used for refueling.