It’s half the price of regular unleaded, produced in Australia and comparably lower in emissions than petrol — yet the number of service stations offering LPG is dwindling across the country.
Because very few cars are LPG. I worked at a gas station for several years and saw maybe 2 LPG cars
Service station or petrol station please, calling it gas is an Americanism
My apologies, I worked at a petrol station.
Most LPG cars I’ve ever encountered were Commodores and Falcons (both factory and aftermarket).
Even though now, more than ever, with the increased size of vehicles on the road (thanks to the massive uptick in US-style „trucks”) LPG conversions make sense on paper - there are a LOT of pain-points:
- Upfront cost of conversion is high
- Requires an additional fuel tank, taking up precious room in trays
- Difficult to find servos that still carry LPG
- Fuel capacity is lower, requiring fill ups more often - especially as usage rate is ~20% higher per 100km
- The rotting cabbage additives added to make leaks noticeable
- Connection can be a pain in the ass to screw on when filling up
- Reductions to torque and horsepower can make vehicles feel sluggish
I’m sure there are a bunch of other reasons I’m missing just off the top of my head.
Honestly, for people who live in other suburbia and can’t get by on public transport, a switch to a combination of pure EVs, PHEVs and/or hybrids where the engine is purely a generator would be a much better long-term solution.
Inability to park in underground parking lots. Or really most parking structures. I have seen lots of parking expressly forbid LPG due to it being heavier than air and a risk if it pools.
mate of mine converted his divvy to a hybrid. Doesn’t drive it as much now though as it’s now got heritage plates
Given how far EV batteries have come over the past decade alone, I’m surprised we don’t see more EV/Hybrid conversion kits available on the market.
They are available in other markets, but due to factors like the cost of labour in Australia, the cost of importing to Australia and the all investment capital is being tied up in property makes it unfeasible as a business.
Also the Right-Wing nut bags who are likely to firebomb any business that doesn’t align with the political views that are feed to them through corporate astroturf campaigns doesn’t help either.
It is volatile, unreliable to obtain (chances are you’re better off with an EV if you want to avoid petrol), contains less energy than petrol, and is a fossil fuel.
Ahhh we’re on the LPG conversion phase of the petrol crisis. Last time LPG was a lot more readily available though.
Seems a backwards step. The way forward is electric so fluff around wasting money?
Gotta prop up the gas industry you see.
The propaganda has been so successful people don’t realise how terriblr cooking with gas is compared to induction.
Hell, I even prefer the glass top resistive electric, so much easier to clean than gas stoves.
Is there any station with LPG left? I have not seen any for ages.
The ones here have taken their LPG tanks out.
In Adelaide it was only ever used by taxis. Nowadays many are hybrids or full electrics instead (especially in the case of ride share drivers) so no one really uses it.
I had an LPG car, fuck LPG. Improve cycling infrastructure.
Lol
Before the rise of renewables and electric/battery, I thought LPG sounded pretty good:
- energy independence: we have huge reserves of this stuff
- less polluting than petrol, diesel, coal etc
- some good improving tech eg VPI, LPI, LPDI for cars (At one stage when I was looking at it, you could generate more power from some LPG systems than from petrol)
- every taxi couldn’t be wrong!
Now I’d rather go renewables, but if there’s any cases where dino juices are required, I still wonder if LPG is the best of the bad choices. Eg, if we HAVE to have an electric plant that’s not renewables, then wouldn’t LPG be better? And don’t mention nuclear, or I will go nuclear!
LPG and NLG are terrible compared to electric for most Australians.
Electric Heat Pump Hot water is more efficient than Gas hot water. Reverse cycle A/C is more efficient than NLG central heating. Induction cooking is more efficient than NLG cooking.
The main benefits in ICE vehicles over pure EV are ubiquity of fuel (even with the current restrictions - it is easier to fill with petrol than to charge an EV) and weight reduction. A petrol tank weighs almost nothing when it is empty and petrol is lighter than water, so only a bit more when full. A Lithium-Ion drive battery weighs the same whether it is charged or empty. Due to the reinforcement and regulator fittings, an LPG tank weighs less than a battery but much more than a petrol tank. Due to the fuel being compressed in the tank, it also weighs more than petrol. Even with an engine tuned specifically for LPG, it is not as efficient as Petrol by volume.
PHEV and EVs are more economical to run in short term. Performance EVs have unparalleled performance, but limited range and limited curb appeal. Soft-Hybrids strike the balance of traditional performance and expandable range. Petrol, Soft-Hybrids and PHEVs all have limitless range (as long as there are fuel stations).
LPGs are the worse of all options. They are more expensive to maintain, have limited range due to limited availability of fuel, weigh more than they should and provide an uninspiring driving experience.
